Though I didn't think much of it when THQ first announced this game for GBA, I must admit that the E3 demo impressed me...a lot.

In many ways, it's a port of the unfabulous PC and Playstation game, where you went through level after level killing droids and reflecting lasers from a crappy overhead view. The GBA version, as early as it is, has already fixed a lot of problems from the console iterations...for one thing, it's fun. Obi-Wan controlled very fluidly, even with jumping set to B and attacking to A. (That's probably temporary or customizable.) Even without jump attacks and force pushes implemented yet, it's a blast hacking away at battle droids, and the animation is great. Press attack RIGHT before a laser hits you (the timing is strict, which I love), and you'll reflect the shot right back at its originator. A split-second too early or too late, and the shot will be deflected off to the side. Yes, if you're really lucky the stray shot can even hit another droid!

What's most impressive is the game engine. Everything is done in isometric view, which is much more appropriate and playable than the original game's top-down junk. The graphics actually remind me of some sections of the classic SNES game Shadowrun, if that helps. Even better, the levels scroll very fluidly and quickly, so if you break into a full run, you don't have to worry about the screen getting left behind a bit or a chasm appearing suddenly. Speaking of chasms, there are some doozies, and you'll have to master the running double-jump to negotiate them. Those areas also feature several levels of parallax scrolling, I might add.

On top of all that good stuff, Jedi Power Battles will include a two-player cooperation mode, and you can choose from young Obi-Wan Kenobi, Qui-Gon Jinn, and the mysterious and kickass Mace Windu, who reportedly is gonna get some action scenes in Episode Two. Whoo! (I love Sam Jackson.) I was really taken aback by this game...although some promising features aren't in yet, the concept and engine and graphics are all in very good shape. To drive the point home, I made some comment to Reilly Brennan (of THQ...hey Reilly!) that the game looked and felt a lot like Super Star Wars on SNES, which is of course one of the best action titles ever crafted. Let's hope that this little GBA port turns out as balanced and polished as that classic.