That's fine. I agree that constructive criticism is a good thing, but much of what you've posted is more like cynicism. I mean, this:
Vaderisnothayden said:
Shadows of the Empire really pissed me off.
The Yuzhaan Pong invasion was a stupid idea.
is not constructive in any way. It's just negative. This thread was intended to celebrate the things we like & enjoy which can be refreshing. Constructive criticism is not bad, it's just not what this thread is about & that's why people (myself included) don't really like what you're posting in this thread. It's not that we want to single you out, argue, or that we even disagree with it all (i agree with many of your points). It's just that this is not the thread for it.
Sometimes it's fun and enjoyable to just think about and discuss the things that make you happy or you enjoy without getting bogged down with all the things you'd have done differently or would like to change. It's nice to just feel satisfied.
SOOOO back on topic....
I totally forgot about the videogame side of the EU.... I know it's been mentioned many times before, but i think the Kyle Katarn games (Dark Forces, Dark Forces 2: Jedi Knight, & Jedi Knight 2: Jedi Outcast specifically) REALLY captured the adventuresome feel of 1977 like no other games before or since. I recently played JK2 again & really got a kick out of the level where you're sneaking around an imperial docking bay to get onto that huge star destroyer type ship. You're having to sneak past officers, troops, and stormtroopers using stealth, mind tricks, and ingenuity (such as blacking out a room & using night vision) & they just really nailed the feel of being a jedi (ben kenobi...) sneaking around a large imperial base (death star....), right down to the conversations between the stormtroopers you overhear. I particularly like the one trooper who brags about the biggest ship he's been assigned to, only to admit that it wound up being really boring b/c they never did anything (at which point i happened to burst from my hiding place & dispatch him and his friend).
Oh yeah, they also got the abilities of a Jedi RIGHT without making them superhuman cartoons. You are powerful, doing things no ordinary human could do, but it is still subtle and not flashy. It's like the creators really took notes on Ben Kenobi & Yoda from the OT b/c that's exactly how it feels ingame.