Star Wars: Battlefront

"A great buy for any Star Wars fan!"

First, I will provide the perspective from which I am reviewing this game. I have an upper range PC- 2.6g, 512mb RAM, Altec Lansing 5.1 surround sound with subwoofer, and an ATI X800 Pro video card. I have also been a long time fan of Star Wars fan. That said, I can run this game at all max settings.

Gameplay:
Let me say first and foremost that this game is ALL about online play. If you do not have the means to play it online with broadband, you are really missing out. Single player is really lacking, as enemy AI is not that fun or intelligent.
Bottomline: this game is really fun. It has a lot more strategy involved than most online FPS's these days, and the teams are fairly well balanced. You can play in either 3rd or 1st person, and your weapons are determined by your class. The game has vehicles as well, although I think for being so powerful, they are too accurate. If you are looking for the Star Wars experience, this game is probably your best bet.

Controls:
Standard first person shooter controls, very similar to Halo. Intuitive and easy to learn. Left button shoots, right button throws grenade or uses special weapon. Spacebar jumps, rolls, and uses your jetpack (if your class has one). Mousewheel controls your scope.

Story:
The game doesn't emphasize the storyline or alternate universes, like say if the Rebels WON the Battle of Hoth instead of losing. Anyway, if you're playing this game you probably already know the story.

Graphics:
They seem pretty good on my PC, but I think they were restrained because they had to be released on the console as well. They could be better, but they're definitely not bad.

Sound:
Wow. If there is one thing Star Wars has done right in every game and movie about it, it is sound. Once you jump into battle (especially with surround sound) you will feel completely immersed in the fight. Blasters, explosions, and even your commander's voice will give you that special Star Wars feeling. The game has plenty of music to go with the battles and menus as well, all from the movies.

Replay Value:
The game mainly focuses on online play, so there is a LOT of replayability here. I can see this game becoming very competitive in the near future as teams get better.

If you are a Star Wars fan, definitely get this game if your PC can run it. If you are a FPS fan but unsure about Star Wars, definitely try this game out and/or read some more reviews before making your decision.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 09/25/04