Star Wars fans have yet another game to add to their collection
with the recent release of Star Wars Battlefront 2. Here players will battle it
out across 16 new battlefronts on land and in space, including many from Star
Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith such as Utapau, Mustafar and the space
battle above Coruscant. All-new classic trilogy locations including the Death
Star interior, classic space battles and the fight aboard the Tantive IV,
Princess Leia’s blockade runner seen at the beginning of Star Wars: Episode IV A
New Hope. In short there is no lack of excitement in these new battlefronts.
You get to do just about everything you can imagine. You will
have several ships that you can engage in some epic space battles. X wings, Tie
fighters, Jedi Starfighters and many more. One of the best features of the space
battles is that you can actually destroy a starship’s critical systems from the
inside if you so choose. You can land in the enemy starship and set charges to
blow up critical systems. Or land in the enemy ship and steal one of their
fighters. Play as you choose. Yes, there are mission objectives, but how you
complete each mission is up to you.
Land battles have plenty of vehicles to jump in and many turrets
to man. You have several units to choose from all possessing their own unique
strengths and weaknesses. Once you earn some battle points they will unlock
different units. Yes, this is where you can test your skills and actually play
as a Jedi. Playing as a Jedi can be quite fun as you pretty much slice your way
through the enemy with a light saber. The ability to play as different Jedi is
one of the high points of the game. Your time is limited while a Jedi so don’t
mistake this title to be a "Jedi" game. Just one of the cool features found in
the game.
You can also play a version of the game called Galactic
Conquest, which is a more turn-based style of play. In this mode players use
strategy to take control of planets to dominate the galaxy. You begin each
campaign with two base planets and one fleet. To win you must conquer each of
the enemy’s bases and destroy their fleet. Maps are based on conflicts from both
eras in Star Wars history.
Now for the best part of this game, MULTIPLAYER BABY! This is
what this game is all about. Yes, the single-player games are fun, but playing
against other unpredictable players is a nice change from AI. The experiences
one gets from playing these high-paced, frantic games is hard to match. There
are so many possibilities that it is hard to say that two games would play out
exactly the same. Throw in a hero on each side and watch the game really unfold.
If you love online play from a FPS perspective that involves infantry, vehicles,
and space battles this is a must have even if you are not a Star Wars fan.
The game looks and sounds pretty decent. In my opinion some of
the cutscenes could have been a bit crisper, they were still good and provided a
nice storyline to immerse players in the game. There is something to be said
about Star Wars music. It really does create an excitement like no other musical
score in any game. The sound effects were superb as was all the visual effects.
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Review Scoring Details for Star Wars Battlefront 2 |
Gameplay: 8.0
Pretty easy to get familiar with the controls. I liked the ability to change
between character classes while in the game, though I felt that this got a bit
tiresome on account of the fact that each character had limited abilities. I
would have liked to have seen some additional well-rounded units, but playing as
a Jedi and the other heroes is a blast. The single-player missions, though
entertaining, started to feel like the same old thing just in on a different
map, especially the space battles. Online play alone warrants picking this title
up.
Graphics: 8.5
Good visuals and frame rates. With as much action that was going on I was
delighted that I did not take a huge performance hit. Though some of the
cutscenes were not as crisp as I would like, the game itself looked awesome.
Sound: 9.0
How can you not like Star Wars music? The sound effects were amazing and
surround sound is supported. No surprise coming from Lucas Arts.
Difficulty: Medium
The enemy AI is a bit too easy. You can toggle the settings, but online play
is where the true excitement and challenge is.
Concept: 7.0
It’s another sequel with many attributes that the original has. New features
give this a game an inspiring lift, but really online play is where the game
truly shines.
Multiplayer: 9.0
This is the reason to get this game. You can play up to 64 players and there
are new maps to boot. Online play is easy and fluid and is absolutely a blast to
play. Play on a LAN or Internet. Gamespy and Xfire both support this title.
Games include Capture the Flag, Capture the Enemy Flag, Hunt, and Assault.
Overall: 8.0
I enjoyed the game. The online play is fantastic and makes up for the
mediocre enemy AI found in the single-player missions. The game is fun and
entertaining and will be sure to find itself on many Star Wars fan’s Christmas
list.
