REVIEW of STAR WARS BATTLEFRONT II

[martok2112]

VIDEOGAME: STAR WARS BATTLEFRONT II
DEVELOPER: PANDEMIC STUDIOS
PUBLISHER: LUCASARTS
SYSTEMS: PS2, XBOX, PSP, PC (this review based on PS2 version)
RATING: (T) TEEN- for Violence and Mild Language

Graphics: 3.5/6
Sound: 5/6
Control: 4/6
Story: 6/6
Endorphin Factor: 4/6
Frustration Factor: 3/6

Scoring system:
Average: 4.25

GAMES IT COULD BE COMPARED TO: STAR WARS BATTLEFRONT, STAR WARS JEDI KNIGHT SERIES, UNREAL TOURNAMENT

DETAILS: Well, the boys and girls at Pandemic Studios have done it again, and given us a game worthy of the name Star Wars. This game is a blast to play. So far, the review is based on the Story mode in the game (called Rise of the Empire), in which you play a member of the 501st Clone Trooper Regiment (which is a namesake for a large fangroup known as the 501st--many of whom have their own stormtrooper and Vader, and other Imperial regalia and costumes). The story starts out with you playing around the time of Palpatine's Executive Order 66. Temuera Morrison reprises not only his role as a Clone Trooper, but also Boba Fett, and plays a couple of other characters. The story plays out quite interestingly, as you hear the retired Clone Trooper recount not only the days leading up to the Rise of the Empire, but you hear some small regrets in the trooper as he had to carry out Order 66.

And the cool thing is, the story doesn't stop with the just the creation of the Empire, but so far it seems to carry right over into the original trilogy, as you switch from being the 501st Clone Trooper Regiment, to being the 501st Imperial Strike Regiment, or Vader's Fist. There is even some cross generational combat, seeing Imperial Stormtroopers take on their old enemies, the Trade Federation and the CIS. I am anxious to see if I get to take part in the assault on Hoth, or in the boarding of Princess Leia's Tantive IV. Lots of historical moments in this game.

Visually, the game is a lot like a beefed up version of Unreal Tournament (sans blood and gibs) and even plays similarly to it. The new story mode is actually somewhat mission based, so you get a sense of accomplishment as you progress. The variety of characters you can use to play the game is also greater than the original Battlefront. You are also awarded more advanced weapons, or other bonuses if you accomplish so many kills, or score so many points with one life usage. My favorite Imperial trooper to use right now is the Clone/Imperial Engineer. Why? 'Cause he gotsa SHOTGUN (called a Flechette Launcher.) However, the game has more of a similarity to Halo 2 in that you only carry a couple of weapons per character (in addition to maybe thermal detonators, detpacks, or whatever your character specializes in.) So, if you use the Heavy Trooper, he carries a Rocket Launcher, and a blaster pistol. Scout troopers have sniper lasers, and blaster pistols. And don't just think that these are token characters to play for the sake of variety. They all actually serve a purpose. For example, the Engineer can fix damaged/destroyed ammo and health droids, carries extra ammo and health for other troopers (or himself if the player's greedy), and also apparently can hack into other stuff. The pilot is capable of keeping his fighter in flight (gradual repairs) as his ship takes damage. The scout is a sniper specialist. And so on. In this story mode, you play the Republic cum Empire...but in other areas of the game, you can play Rebels/ Trade Federation or Clones/Empire.

Starfighter combat is also very nicely done, with a variety of ships to use, each having their own specialties as well. Bombers aren't near as maneuverable as fighters, but can inflict much more damage on capital ship shields and hulls. And the nice thing is, in some space missions, you can hop into a fighter, fly over to the other capital ship, and jump back into foot combat....seamlessly.
It's not quite X Wing Alliance, or X Wing Vs TIE Fighter, but it holds its own quite well.

Sound is of course always Star Wars perfect. John Williams' score sets the mood for this game, as it does for all the other Star Wars games.

There are a few "Holy Frak" moments in the game...and sometimes, you find yourself saying "OOOH...I love this weapon!"

Once you get used to the controls (customizable, thank God), the game is pretty much a snap to play. The levels in story mode are actually quite short, but LOADED with action goodness. You can set the viewpoint to third person, or my preferrence of first person. (Starfighers and Jedi usage are third person only.)

Oh, did I mention Jedi? Yes, after doing so well on certain missions, you are given the option to become a Jedi hero/Sith villain. You only have a limited time to use these powerful characters, but the more damage you do to the enemy, that time increases some.

The frustration factor is actually quite balanced in this game. If you get killed, you can select your respawn point (as long as you control that point), and can change your character. You can also kill off the character you are currently using to change into another character type in the middle of battle (again, starting from a selected respawn point.)

The downside to this game is mostly in the load times between levels, but the action in the game play more than makes up for it. I have yet to try multiplayer online, but if it is anything like the original Battlefront, then this game will kick some bantha booty. It is loaded with a ton of gametypes, especially for multiplayer.

BOTTOM LINE: If you own a PS2, Xbox, PC (duh), and you picked up the movie Star Wars Episode III on DVD, you owe it to yourself to get this game. It truly feels like you are in the Star Wars universe, doing these epic deeds. And Xbox owners, if you have not picked up the game, but did get the movie, then you have a special treat, because the DVD movie comes with two complete levels of Battlefront II, playable on your Xbox.

Respectfully,
Martok2112

[Charybdis]

Martok,

what video card is needed to play this thing? Some games are getting so advanced that computers can't play them anymore!

[martok2112]

Originally Posted by Charybdis

Martok,

what video card is needed to play this thing? Some games are getting so advanced that computers can't play them anymore!

Charybdis,

I never did look at the specs for the PC version of the game. I only reviewed the PS2 version. I will try to get some info for you.

(stand by....processing.....processing....beep....beep...beep....--muzak plays in the background--.....please stay on the line....our information specialists want your business.....beep....beep....beep......do you have dry, flaky skin? And ....)

ah.. here's some info

Publisher: LucasArts
Developer: Pandemic Studios
Genre: Sci-Fi First-Person Shooter
Release Date: Sep 20, 2004
ESRB: TEEN
ESRB Descriptors: Violence
Game Information
Connectivity: Online, Local Area Network
Offline Modes: Competitive, Team Oriented
Online Modes: Competitive, Team Oriented
Number of Players: 1-32
DirectX Version: v9.0
Operating System: Windows 98/2000/ME/XP

Minimum System Requirements
System: 1GHz or equivalent
RAM: 256 MB
Video Memory: 64 MB

Recommended System Requirements
System: 2GHz or equivalent
RAM: 512 MB
Video Memory: 128 MB

Alas, it did not say which video cards were needed...but I would be almost certain one would need ATI Radeon, or Nvidea GeForce.

I hope this helps.

Respectfully,
Martok2112

[martok2112]

I figured since it is the same title on a different system, I would just review it here, instead of creating a new thread. So here goes:

VIDEOGAME: STAR WARS BATTLEFRONT II
DEVELOPER: PANDEMIC/SAVAGE
PUBLISHER: LUCASARTS
SYSTEMS: PSP
RATING: (T) TEEN- for Violence

Graphics: 4.5/5
Sound: 5/5
Control: 3.5/5
Story: N/A
Endorphin Factor: 3/5
Frustration Factor: 4/5

Scoring system:
Average: 4/5

GAMES IT COULD BE COMPARED TO: STAR WARS BATTLEFRONT II (PS2)

DETAILS: Looks like this is a damn good portover of Battlefront II to the handheld realm. Graphically, the reason I gave it perfection is because it is every bit as good as its PS2 based brother. It doesn't flow quite as smoothly as the console version, but it is fast paced enough to not disinterest the player. Starships and fighters look nice on this game, although it is lacking the engine glow found in its console brother. Sound is of course spot on Star Wars quality (sans voices this time except for Wookie growls, Jawa and Ewok squeals, and Gungan whoots.) John Williams' score is beautifully captured on this. (And why not? Essentially a UMD is a miniature DVD anyway.)

Control takes a slight bit more getting used to, seeing as they try to compress the control flexibility of two analog sticks, a d-pad, and 12 buttons on the console down to a single analog stick, a d-pad, and 8 buttons....but it doesn't take too long...and it handles quite nicely.

Although it lacks the story mode of its console based counterpart, Battlefront II on PSP rocks in just about every other area. It also has the hunt mode, just like the console version, where you can hunt down Wookiees, Ewoks, Gungans, Jawas, and others. You start with Gungans (easilly slaughtered), then onto Jawas, and then Ewoks (when you keep hearing their battle cries, you are REALLY pressed to just wanna kill the little furballs.) Wookiees are tough kills, and I don't think I've gotten past them yet.

All the other requisite modes are here. Capture the Flag, Control Points, Conquest. It's all good fun.

Multiplayer is accomplished only in Ad-Hoc (WiFi LAN) mode. There is no online option for this game. Also, you can only take on up to three of your friends, but still, for a hand held version, this would make a nice time-killer.

The level designs are fracking HUMONGOUS. I fought aboard Princess Leia's ship, the Tantive IV, and it is every bit as massive and detailed as the console arena version. (Too bad there's not a Death Star level on here.)

Space combat is fun, although when bombing enemy ships, you can basically dive toward a critical target at an angle, bomb it, pull up at about 45 degrees, do a 180 turn via control combo, and bomb the target from the other direction. Lather, rinse, repeat. Starfighter combat seems to go quite nicely. And it is all done from first person, as opposed to third person on the consoles. You have a large variety of ships to pick from on each side...and they all have special characteristics.

Nothing in this game is token. Every character and ship type serves a purpose.

Frustration factor is not too bad either. And the Endorphin factor is alright. You might not feel quite as enthralled in this as you would in the console version, but your attention will be well kept by the frantic action in the game.

BOTTOM LINE: Definitely a near perfect port-over from the console versions, and you can not go wrong with a killer Star Wars app like this on the go.

Respectfully,
Martok2112

[TopGun]

The game is great. I too use 1st person as opposed to 3rd.

It's not just Jedi/Sith that are accessible (depending on the level), but you can also play as Han, Leia, Chewie and Jango and Boba Fett

I'm more of a pilot so I tend to play the space levels more.

[martok2112]

Originally Posted by TopGun

The game is great. I too use 1st person as opposed to 3rd.

It's not just Jedi/Sith that are accessible (depending on the level), but you can also play as Han, Leia, Chewie and Jango and Boba Fett

I'm more of a pilot so I tend to play the space levels more.

Yeah...me too.

Hopefully with the PS3 and XBOX 360, BF III (if they make one) will have an even more robust space combat system.)

Respectfully,
Martok2112

[TopGun]

We can only hope

I hope that the PS3 is backwards compatible

[martok2112]

Originally Posted by TopGun

We can only hope

I hope that the PS3 is backwards compatible

It will be backwards compatiblle all the way to PS1, amigo.

[TopGun]

Excellent