Star Wars Battlefront II – PSP – Review

When Star Wars Battlefront
was released on all consoles, it reduced die-hard Star Wars fans like myself
to an almost child-like giddiness. After all where else could a fan live out
familiar battles from both the original trilogy and the newer prequels? And when
I mean familiar battles I’m talking about full-scale, face-melting re-enactments
of battles like the massive confrontation on the planet Hoth from The Empire
Strikes Back or the battle for Endor seen in Return of the Jedi. So
it was no surprise that a sequel was announced and now released. The big
surprise, though, was that Star Wars Battlefront II would also make it to
our sexy PSP. Who said Clone Wars were only meant for the big screen?

Star Wars Battlefront II
has a much bigger meaning than the first game. For one thing, the Star Wars saga
is now complete, having come full circle with Star Wars Episode III: Revenge
of the Sith. This pretty much means that the game covers battles from all
six Star Wars movies (and even includes characters and locations not seen in the
first game). The good news is that LucasArts has attempted to bring a great deal
of content found in the console version of the game and pretty much succeeded in
that aspect. The bad news, though, is that there were slight sacrifices that had
to be made as well.

The good stuff, of course, is
the fact that the game brings the console version’s game modes, character
classes, new space battles and even the inclusion of the new character classes
that include familiar heroes and villains. Like the console game you can include
characters like Obi-Wan, Darth Maul, Yoda, General Grievous, Darth Vader, Han
Solo and even the Emperor himself just to name a few. The same space battles,
that have you flying fighters from both the Clone Wars era and the Galactic
Civil War is also here. There’s even a PSP exclusive in the form of something
called Challenges mode (more on that a bit later, though).

The bad news is that not all
the maps are available from the console game and the number of armies on screen
at once are diminished. It’s not devastating news, though, since the maps that
are here (the best ones being Endor, Mustafar and Mos Eisley) are not bad at
all, and there are still just enough troops on screens to quench your thirst for
chaotic battles. The game’s serious weak spot just so happens to be the
controls. The control scheme has been reworked to fit the PSP’s controls. They
feel a bit awkward since the movement is done using the analog stick while
turning and aiming is done using the triangle, square, circle and X button. If
you’ve played Coded Arms the game will feel very familiar. There’s even
the option to play the game first-person shooter style.

This doesn’t necessarily mean
the game is bad thanks to the so-so controls, though. It does take some getting
use to but once you get the hang of it you’ll find the action is still very much
similar to its big brother. You can still switch classes on the fly and even use
vehicles. The game still offers Conquest (take your enemy’s Command Post), 1 or
2-Flag CTF (capture the flag and take it to your base), Hunt (eliminate specific
targets) and Assault (destroy as many enemy units and objects). Space battles
have you attempting to destroy your enemy’s main ship. Depending on your side,
the more points you earn allows you to switch to characters like Vader or Yoda
for a while.

The game also offers Galactic
Conquest, a mode that features four main campaigns spanning the Rebel Alliance
battle against the Galactic Empire as well as the Republic against the CIS. The
object here is to take control of your enemy’s held territory by moving your
fleet within the map. The battles take place within planets or in space and
winning you’ll earn points to unlock new character classes as well as purchase
more fleet ships. The mode is not only deep but a good way to unlock extras.

Then there’s Challenges mode,
a PSP exclusive that offers three interesting game modes. There’s Rebel raider,
a game mode that has you playing a Rebel smuggler attempting to collect
contraband scattered throughout the map and take it to your base before the time
expires. Then there’s Rogue Assassin, a mode that has you playing the role of a
Clone Trooper turned bounty hunter as he hunts down deserters for the Empire or
other targets for the Trade Federation as well as the Alliance. Finally there’s
Imperial Enforcer, a mode that has you taking out various indigenous life forms
for the Empire. You’ll be killing everything from Jawas to Gungans and the best
part is that if you earn enough points you’ll even get to assume the role of the
likes of Boba Fett (complete with jetpack).

Visually the game does a
great job of rendering the environments and they look great. The feel of the
console games is also pretty much intact with all the right Star Wars effects in
place. The character models also look pretty good from close up but from afar
they’re extremely hard to make out. I can’t begin to count how many times I
accidentally killed Princess Leia thinking she was a Storm Trooper.

What really stands out,
though, is the game’s sound. The sound effects are pure Star Wars in every sense
and it’s impressive to hear it in all the chaos. You’ll know when a lightsaber-wielding
opponent is near because you’ll hear it. Blasters sound straight from the movies
as does the sound of space battles. Voice acting has been stripped here so you
won’t hear your comrade announce that they lost or gained a Command Post. Then
again, you’ll be too busy humming along to John Williams’ already familiar
music. Think of the soundtrack as a gorgeous Best Of package since you’ll hear
every theme music from all six films.

In the end, Star Wars
Battlefront II for the PSP might not be as amazing as its console version
but it offers enough bang for your buck that missing out on it would be a real
shame. Sure you’ll wrestle with the controls a bit but with a nice assortment of
game modes and extras that are exclusive to Sony’s handheld, Star Wars fans will
have a hard time looking for a portable Star Wars game as good as this one.

Gameplay: 7.5
Control-wise
the game takes some getting used to but the action-packed moments from the
console versions is pretty much intact here. There are a nice variety of maps,
great game modes and PSP exclusives like Challenges mode will make your day.

Graphics: 7.5
The visuals
aren’t bad at all and you get a good sense of how huge the maps are but the
character models are hard to make out in all the chaos. Just try to distinguish
a Wookie from a Clone Trooper in crimson armor with all those explosions and
laser fire. Still the environments look great and so do the special effects.

Sound: 8.5
I said it
before and I’ll say it again, no matter how many Star Wars games feature John
Williams’ unforgettable score it never gets old at all. The sound effects are
also pure Star Wars whether it’s the sound of a lightsaber cutting through
droids or the cools sounds Tie Fighters make when they’re opening fire. No voice
work, though, is kind of disappointing.

Difficulty: Medium/Hard

Securing a
victory is not as easy and it’s good to see that this portable version follows
in the same footsteps, in terms of difficulty, of the console version. You will
still die a lot and the inclusion of Jedi Knights and Sith Lords will not make
things any easier.

Concept: 8.0
It’s a
portable version of an amazing Star Wars game and while it cuts a few corners
it’s still very impressive. The multiplayer matches are gaming gold using Wi-Fi
and they added interesting new classes in the form of characters like Yoda,
Darth Maul and even Boba Fett. The PSP exclusive content is to die for and did I
mention the great multiplayer?

Multiplayer: 8.0
While not as
massive as the console version the game adds just enough multiplayer goodness
for up to four players. You can even play co-op with friends using the new
Challenges mode. In short, this is a game best shared with friends.

Overall: 7.9
Minor gripes
aside, Star Wars Battlefront II for the PSP comes very close to the
greatness that is the console version. It’s controls might not be the best but
with a nice number of maps, space battles, Jedis and PSP-only game modes, this
is the game to own when you’re far from your console or PC.