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Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, the now-defunct immersive themed hotel experience that opened its doors to guests at Disney World, Orlando, in 2022, will likely be considered the worst disaster to have ever emerged from the faraway galaxy franchise.
That’s saying something when you consider how badly received the sequel trilogy films were — especially Star Wars: Episode VIII — The Last Jedi (2017) and Star Wars: Episode IX– The Rise of Skywalker (2019). But the difference is that they were commercial successes.
Designed as a thematic extension of the themed land Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the Halcyon–the other name given to the Galactic Starcruiser–left fans picking their jaws off the floor when it was first unveiled, albeit for all the wrong reasons.
Credit: Inside The Magic
Its unbelievably hefty price tags alienated fans faster than you can say “hyperspace jump,” and, following just 18 months of operation, Galactic Starcruiser endured a truly spectacular downfall, crashing like the Death Star in Star Wars: Episode V — A New Hope (1977).
While Galaxy’s Edge remains otherwise wholly intact, it remains to be seen whether Disney will replace Galactic Starcruiser in the parks, with a far more accessible hotel experience not unlike Disney Hotel New York — The Art of Marvel at Disneyland Paris.
Outside the parks, however, there is already an alternate Star Wars experience that succeeds in immersing fans deep into the faraway galaxy without forcing them to part ways with their life savings (although the experience in question is rather expensive in its own right).
Credit: Disney
Released in August last year, the franchise’s first-ever open-world video game “Star Wars Outlaws” landed, after years of anticipation. However, the game was met with a very mixed response from fans for many reasons, largely due to its low-quality graphics.
Despite storming gaming charts worldwide, the game got off to a disappointing launch sales-wise and failed to meet Ubisoft’s understandably high sales expectations. Nevertheless, “Star Wars Outlaws” remains the best immersive substitute for Galactic Starcruiser.
While it is, of course, a video game, it allows players to enter a sprawling open-world environment spanning several worlds; an assortment of “themed lands” if you will. As such, technically speaking, “Outlaws” is far bigger than Galaxy’s Edge will ever be.
Credit: Massive Entertainment / Ubisoft / Lucasfilm Games
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Set between Star Wars: Episode V — The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Star Wars: Episode VI — Return of the Jedi(1983), the game centers on the titular outlaw Kay Vess (Humberly Gonzalez) as she navigates the galaxy’s highly dangerous criminal underworld.
Recently, following the initial DLC, “Wild Card”, released last year, Ubisoft confirmed that the game is due another expansion titled “Star Wars Outlaws: A Pirate’s Fortune,” promising that the teaser would premiere during last week’s Star Wars Celebration (April 18–20).
Well, the event didn’t disappoint — watch the “Star Wars Outlaws: A Pirate’s Fortune” | Story Pack #2 trailer below:
“Star Wars Outlaws: A Pirate’s Fortune” follows Kay Vess on a brand-new adventure, while bringing back a fan-favorite character from the two animated shows, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008 — 2020) and Star Wars Rebels (2014 — 2018): the pirate, Hondo Ohnaka.
“In ‘Star Wars Outlaws: A Pirate’s Fortune,’ the Trailblazer’s reputation catches up with Kay, as the infamous Hondo Ohnaka needs help to escape a gang of pirates and steal a massive treasure that can return him to his former glory,” Ubisoft’s description reads.
Credit: Lucasfilm
For many fans, “Outlaws” is a video game and nothing more. For many others, it’s the first time the franchise has truly allowed fans to fully immerse themselves into the faraway galaxy for the first time since 1977.
Of course, there’s no VR (virtual reality) in sight — “Outlaws” is an open-world video game experience that’s available across all major consoles. But if we’re comparing it to the disastrous Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser, the game is a huge success despite its critical and financial shortcomings, and ticks several boxes for the average fan.
“Outlaws” is available to play across all platforms. The new DLC will be released on May 15.
What are your thoughts on “Outlaws”? Are you excited for the new expansion or do you think the game should be tossed into a Sarlacc pit on Tatooine? Let us know in the comments down below!
