Right now, you're stuck in one of two places: a state of awe, anticipation and frustration. You want so badly for May 19th to come, but know that when it does, that's it. The Saga is complete. The trilogies are done. The world of Star Wars is forever finished.

If you're not stuck in that place, then you're probably living on Mars or looking for proof that birds are decendents of dinosaurs. Wherever you are, you most certainly aren't here, because only Star Wars fans care about the videogame that's based on the final Star Wars film, Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. And only Star Wars fans will be able to appreciate all that it is, and all that it isn't.

Revenge of the Sith comes from a legacy of Star Wars games that weren't very satisfying. The best Star Wars games are offshoots or side-stories. The worst, unfortunately, were the ones based directly on the prequels.

This time around they're closer to achieving greatness than ever before. I swear, if there were one or two more movies, they'd probably nail it with the final film. Since there aren't anymore, we're going to have to settle for this one last hurrah.

The dark side clouds everything.

On the Light Side, we're not settling – not entirely. Revenge of the Sith plays closer to how the movies look than any other Star Wars game. Attacks are so easy to perform they practically execute themselves. Tap the square and triangle buttons, alternating between the two for various attack combinations. Both Anakin and Obi-Wan are playable, and each have several trademark moves from Episodes II and III. Laser beam deflection happens automatically if you're running, but only for one or two blasts. To stop several droids from frying your skin, you'll have to perform Obi-Wan's awesome spinning deflect move (hold L1 to block, spin the right analog stick to deflect). These moves are exciting, they look great, and fit perfectly into the Star Wars universe. I've never felt so Jedi-like. A hidden level lets you control the most powerful Jedi of them all – Yoda! He too has unique moves taken right from the films, including his agility and unusually fast hopping skills.

Consecutively striking enemies raises your point meter. The meter has four bars -- fair, good, impressive, and masterful. As you may have already guessed, masterful rewards you with the most points; fair gives you the least. These points are then used to buy Jawa juice and Aquafina water bottles. Just kidding! What they're really used for is upgrades: Force throw upgrades, Force grapple upgrades, and Force attack upgrades, among five others.

You don't get to fly any of the ships from Revenge of the Sith, but there are a few scenarios where you'll have to control large cannons to eliminate airborne enemies. This was used to add a little diversity, I suppose.

One of the biggest selling points for this game is the collection of never-before-seen footage from Episode III. This had me worried, "Should I watch or skip it?" Then I realized that, as much as I don't want the film to be spoiled, so much of it already has. There are at least seven different commercials in circulation; two trailers; a music video; and countless pictures on the Net. How can the movie not be spoiled?

In grave danger, YOU ARE!

I ignored my instincts and watched the scenes. Some induced smirks. Others were expected, some were cut off just before the action started. One – one really amazing scene – reveals something about the film that I wish I didn't know. I'm glad I saw the clip, but it was so shocking to know the direction the story is taking. It goes against my predictions, many of which have turned out to be true. The only thing more shocking was seeing Palpatine use a lightsaber against Mace Windu, something we've all seen by now.

I won't reveal anything, but I will tell you that they keep the lightsaber battles a secret. You'll see Grievous several times, but when the battle begins, the game switches to polygons so that the player can be in control.

Most of you have already made up your mind about spoilers, but if you're undecided, think of what's more important: having the joy of discovering new secrets now, and seeing part of Episode III's cheer-worthy ending. Or is it better to save as much as you possibly can for May 19th? Only you can know for sure. I hate spoilers and avoid 'em at all costs. But I'm not sorry I played this game. I'm not sorry that I know where the story is headed, because now it's made me appreciate the original trilogy more than I already did (just as seeing Return of the King made the previous Rings movies more significant). It has given a greater significance to Luke and Leia, and has made me want to watch all five films again before May 19th.

Just as the Star Wars films deal with the battle between good and evil, this game deals with the battle between good and evil gameplay. The Dark Side of Episode III includes an element that few action games are able to avoid: repetition. Repetition is, in many cases, the difference between a must-buy and a must-rent. I am sorry to say that repetition is strong with this one, making it difficult to enjoy in the long term.

I'm not what I call a "fast" player. I take my time with games, especially ones that I really enjoy. I did rush through bits of Revenge of the Sith, but only because I was eager see the next movie sequence. Even without rushing through every stage, I unlocked all but one of the bonus missions, most of the extras (like concept art), and nearly maxed out my characters' attributes in under six hours. If I had rushed, and if I had realized that item-collecting is not necessary, nor is it necessary to defeat each and every droid that stands in your way, I could have beaten the game in under four hours. Two-hour movie, four-hour game. $9 movie ticket, $50 game. I think you know what I'm getting at.

 
You'll pay for what you've done!

The bonus missions are cool (who wouldn't want to play as Yoda?), but after engaging in dozens of repetitive button-mashing battles, none of which were all that challenging, I wasn't too excited about experiencing more of them. I wanted more movie sequences. I wanted to be able to see the rest of the film.

For that reason Revenge of the Sith could end up being an excellent marketing tool for the movie. I would have rather it been an excellent game that made me long for a sequel, but like I said, they're getting closer. Two more games and LucasArts should be able to nail it. There aren't anymore movies to base them on, but that doesn't mean they shouldn't bother. As Yoda told Luke in The Empire Strikes Back, "Do or do not. There is no try."

Gameplay: 7.4
We now know how the Jedi spent their time in between Episodes II and III: they spent it playing Devil May Cry. Revenge of the Sith isn't a DMC clone, but you can tell that Capcom's action game influenced its development.

On the Dark Side, the battles are extremely repetitive. They were purposely designed to be as user-friendly (translation: super-easy) as possible to avoid alienating one or two gamers. In the process they alienate hardcore gamers, the people that love and buy videogames in vast numbers. I've said it before and I'll say it until the message is finally heard: if a game is easy enough for everyone to play it, IT'S TOO EASY. Even children are hardcore gamers, and even the youngest kids like a challenge. Only the most casual gamers will walk away from this and say, "Man, that was hard!" For certain, many of you will walk away with the thought, "Man, that was too short!"

Graphics: 8.0
Character animation is Revenge of the Sith's strong suit. There's a lot going on in the background (space battles, environment destruction, etc.), a lot to keep your eyes busy at all times.

Sound: 8.0
Why when LucasArts included actual clips from Episode III did they not include the actors' voices in the game? You hear Ewan, Hayden and the rest of the cast during the movie clips; during the real-time game scenes you hear Obi-Wan and Anakin Skywalker imitators.

John Williams's soundtrack is spellbinding, and the sound during the movie clips is top-notch. But I can't get over the voice acting though. It tarnishes a great story.

Difficulty: Easy
Saying that the Force is or isn't "strong with this one" is a common phrase used to describe Star Wars games, but in this case it's frighteningly true. Revenge of the Sith's challenge is as weak as an imperial guard telling Darth Vader that he doesn't like what he's doing.

Concept: 9.5
So close! Excellent battle styles; easy-to-execute-combos; unforgettable movie sequences; an impeccable soundtrack; exciting environments (mostly). If only the combat hadn't been repetitive! If only the game wasn't easy, and couldn't be beaten in a few hours! If only it didn't have glitches (like invisible Destroyer Droids and odd grappling effects). Then maybe, just maybe, this would have been the game to break the mold, matching the quality of the movie that it was directly based on.

Overall: 7.4
The best spoiler ever, but not the best game. Why read online reports when you can get the gist of the story (and see some incredible sequences) right now? The game is short and easy, so you can get to each movie sequence pretty quickly. That also means that, once you've seen the clips and desire good gameplay, you don't have anything to look forward to except more of the same. The gameplay is great, it gets old very, very quickly. Pressing the same two buttons repeatedly for four or five hours cannot possibly be fun for anyone. There's gotta be more to it than that.