It's true. This comes about as close as is possible to recreating the mood of the films. This adds so much of what's in Episode III. You can use just about every vehicle(that makes sense to; also, they and the Droidekas(or Destroyers) can now be fought without explosives or rockets; Speeder Bikes are slowed down, so that you don't instantly crashing them headfirst into something) in any of the six, and play as the well-knowns(including Leia, Han and, for the sake of awesomeness, General Grievous; Darth Maul is also present, though they gave him a facial expression that seems to suggest that those exotic planets smell pur-etty bad), not to mention in numerous really cool locations(16 new ones, according to the cover; mind you, not all of the ones from the first return, and some nifty ones are left out), such as Utapau, Tantive IV("if this is a consular ship, *where* is the ambassador?") and the Death Star(no, only the inside of it). A lot of stuff is fixed and improved(not all changes are positive). Characters can now be killed(and perish in time no matter what, unless they manage to continually off foes, as that sometimes extends their life-bar... uh, yeah, they're apparently vampires, don't ask me), and you get to play as them yourself, the honor going to the greatest player, and once dead, it will come back later. Control of the light-saber is interesting, different than any other that I've played, and quite good... not perfect, but a very noteworthy attempt. As far as Force Powers go, you can use Jump, and all of the Jedis get two of the following: Push, Choke, Lightning, Saber Throw(either not enough are against it, or those of us who are need to speak up about it more; seriously, think about it, would anyone other than a Sith *ever* do it? And even then, they would not use it this often; with that said, without it, there would not be much you could do if you need to stay put and fend off others) and, for those seeking the useless FP's, Pull. You can again play as any of the four groups, who now have no less than 6 different soldiers each. The Rebels get the Bothan Spy, who can cloak himself, and is incredibly effective up close. There are now half a dozen or so rule-sets for playing: Conquest(the one mode that was in BF1; also, now, if you have over half the Command Points, the other side will automatically lose reinforcements), Assault, Hunt(Wampas on Hoth, Ewoks vs. Empire, and one that pits the Heroes against the Villains... all of them, for both), XL(massive armies face off) and CTF(with 1 or 2 flags, and don't expect to know, unless you can literally see, and are near, the carrier, whether he's with you or against you). That last one also goes for the space battles(why did they make so many levels for that? They're not that unique, compared to one another); and the other way to duke it out in orbit is where you destroy the vulnerable systems of the opponent's Cruiser. It is also a marvelous for fun dogfights. The interface(which is in general well-done, informational and helpful without being obnoxious) does come up just a little short; while I know that there is no up and down, uhm, out there, a little aid in that regard, mainly on account of the projectiles that clearly "fall", because if you don't know what direction they'll go in, you'll waste valuable time that needs to be spent dumping bombs on targets. Also, when dealing with weapons that restock(not the ones that can overheat, those already have it), an indicator of when it is ready to fire again(and maybe how many it can currently shoot off) would be golden. Finally, there's really only a few things you can do in that type of game-play; you basically play it the same every single time. The mini-map could could be better, you get lost too easily. You earn bonuses by doing well. There are new strategic opportunities. While the Target Lock is not perfect, it can be an immense support. It's nice that there is a red ring over the head of those you are against, so you can't mistake them for your allies. Single-player has a campaign that grows increasingly challenging, with reasonably varied objectives(on many occasions, you get a yellow arrow or similar that points, to some extent, in their direction; those can confuse you, at times). You are a member of the 501st, the first group of Clones. The obvious problem is that no one member of that team could have survived for that long of a stretch, however, it's undeniably well-done. Missions make sense, before(and sometimes during) them you get a brief clip from one of the movies, and in-between them you also get a well-written(at times bordering on downright philosophical) voice-over playing over well-edited in-engine footage, as the cut-scenes in this tend to be. SP also has improved Galactic Conquest, where the computer is actually trying to take your planets, as you try to take his; movement through the universe is turn-based, and you can buy several fleets(and take on theirs), purchase advantage items and recruit superior units(you start with only the regular one). There is also an excellent training bit, where you get a nice start on it all, and learn a lot of the stuff you need to know. It is of course set in Geonosis. The AI is well-done, albeit they do make stupid mistakes. You can issue orders to them, if you can't do so with more than 4, and it's a little awkward. This does get excessive in the amount of references to SW. The acting ranges, and not everyone sounds entirely right. This takes a bunch of shortcuts, too. Graphics, animation, audio, music, design, all well-done. There is no blood or gore in this. I recommend this to all and any fans of the franchise. 8/10
Review of Star Wars: Battlefront II
Star Wars: Battlefront II
(2005 Video Game)
One of the best for the authentic experience
13 December 2009