tar Wars: Battlefront II follows the phenomenally successful formula of the original version of the game. In this shooter, players can choose between a first- or third-person view, fighting as a rebel or a member of the Empire in any of the worlds of the six films. Because this game encompasses all of the Star Wars film universe, it includes characters and worlds unavailable in the previous version of the game, including—yes—Jedis. Players can play as all the heroes and anti-heroes, including the newest: a pro-Empire Anakin.
Initially, whether fighting for the Rebel Alliance, the Galactic Empire, the Republic or CIS, players are given a choice of a few troop types, such as a quick-and-basic soldier/stormtrooper; a specialist that carries a heavy weapon to take down armored vehicles like AT-ATs; a marksman with a sniper function; and an engineer, who functions to repair and restore health. After a while, you're granted access to other types of fighters, including commanders, jet troopers (who can, like Boba Fett, blast off to reach higher ground), pilots and heroes.
Stepping into the hero's shoes begins even in the training stage, where players can take a turn as Mace Windu. From then on, the option will crop up to let you play as one of the name-brand cast members. Marching through the marshes as Episode IV's Darth Vader, for example, you can knock down the number of rebels to a tiny fraction. The hero is truly weighed to be more effective on the battlefield, as is fitting their coveted status, without being indestructible.
The world of Battlefront II is so immense, it's almost difficult to summarize. Suffice it to say that all the planets are included, from the biggies and crowd-pleasers (like Hoth) to the smaller places that casual fans won't have heard of. (Felucia, anyone?)
Gameplay options include both single-player and split-screen multiplayer, as well as online multiplayer. With a short health line for most characters, players can expect to have a Halo-like experience no matter what kind of match it is. Be prepared to die multiple times within a match, and to respawn over and over again at the nearest Command Post.
Information overload
Lucasarts has had an uneven run with its video-game releases over the last few years, and it seems to know not to mess with a good thing when it comes to Battlefront. The original game was excellent, and while this one lacks any truly significant improvement, it's more of the same, which is—in this case—a good thing.
In Battlefront II, it's almost as if there's too much good stuff that they're trying to cram in. The tutorial is oddly tough, and as you're playing in later levels, it can almost seem like information overload. For example, a map (located in the upper right corner) of a complicated environment can be hard to follow; in split-screen mode, the map can be so squished as to render it meaningless.
But the biggest example of this kind of more-is-more thinking is plainly obvious in the space-battle mode. During one particularly frustrating mission, players have to pilot a plane and land in another hangar, jump out and complete a mission within the hangar as droids fire on the character. Die before you detonate your explosives and you'll wind up back at your original hangar—expected to do every part of it again. Maybe Lucasarts got a lot of negative feedback from players of the first Battlefront, asking them to make it more complicated?
But overall, this is a fun version of a winning formula, and the option to jump in as one of the heroes is almost irresistible. Completists will probably want to follow through on the storyline of the 501st, while others just want to jump into the game—either solo or online. There you can try out options like one-flag capture the flag while hiding behind Jabba and ducking fire from within the depths of his lair.
The cinematics on this game are pretty phenomenal. By the time Battlefront III comes out on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, there may not be a reason to watch the DVDs of Star Wars ever again.
—Jennifer
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