Star Wars: Battlefront

"Star Wars + Team-based FPS = Heaven"

Lucas Arts should have thought this up ages ago! What could be more fun than blasting up enemy bases alongside other human players in the Star Wars universe? Well, a lot of things. But this is still really fun. The biggest appeal of the game is that you get to just about relive every thrill of the battles in the movies, from the perspective of a sniper, pilot, grunt, or even a battle droid. Anyway, lets get to the game play.

Game Play: 9/10

It doesn't get much better than this. That being said, the only PC Star Wars game better than this is Knights of the Old Republic. Single player is very fun. As an added bonus, you can issue commands to your squad like "move out", or if you're in a Gunship, "hold position", or "Land now!". It's interesting that you can enter the vehicles and use any part. When you are in a Republic Fighter Tank, you can man the gun while another human or AI player can pilot the vehicle. Up to five players/AI players can be in a gunship at once! The on-line play mode is a solid addition, bolstering the game's replay-ability factor. The game does have a certain "geek" factor, so where Star Wars fans will adore every precious battle, normal people would probably give the Game Play an eight out of ten instead of a nine.

Controls: 9/10

Aside from the fact that rolling is difficult and customizing is a chore, the default controls are solid and easy to learn. The third person mode is more advantageous when you are in a vehicle, and first person is probably the better bet when on foot. However, you can customize the viewpoints to your liking. Firing is executed by tapping the left mouse button, secondary items are set to the right mouse button. Physical maneuvers are set to the space bar in unison with other keys, and ducking/crouching are set to the "C" key. The mouse wheel is a quicker way to switch weapons, and various other actions are set to more keys. Aside from the fact that some classes have unique actions, there aren't many more complications than these. Overall, the controls are superb.

Graphics: 8/10

The graphics are great. The textures are adequate and the models are well-lit. Lighting effects are impressive, (especially on the lasers) and environments are faithful to their movie counterparts. Overall, the graphics are above-average compared to many of today's PC games, and definitely add to that coveted "Star Wars Feel".

Sound/Music: 10/10

It doesn't get any better than this. With classic Star Wars sounds and music, you'll never be disappointed. Also, they FINALLY got it right with the blaster shot noises! Imperial shots sound like they're SUPPOSED TO SOUND. Rebel shots also sound like they do in the movies. Sound-wise, this is the most movie-authentic Star Wars game ever. Simply put, this game has flawless sound effects and music.

Replay-ability: 9/10

There are few games that can keep you as immersed as this. With so many maps and modes of play, you'll probably never get bored. Completed the Clone Wars campaign? Go on to the Civil War campaign. Beat that? Conquer the galaxy in Conquest mode. Conquered EVERY planet? Now beat every instant action mission on the HARD difficulty setting with no heroes. You can always play a round or two over the Internet. This game never quite seems to get old, but I doubt I'll still play it four years from now.

The bottom line: 9/10

Aside from some flaws and annoyances, (Jedi not playable! Too few classes!) this game is sure to please any shooter and/or Star Wars fan. I suggest that, unless you are three years old, or you are missing your arms, you should pick this up right now.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 10/20/04