Star Wars: Battlefront

"Fun but not very fair."

As it states in the opening tagline, this game is fun, but not very fair. While the game claims to place you on the front line in some of the most memorable battles in Star Wars history, you inevitably end up as the last man on your team, shooting down hoards of enemies, hoping to survive.

To get straight to the chase:

Fairness: 2/10. The odds of winning a level, on hard, without auto-aim, are slim (unless you are spawn-camping). Do not expect to have the ability to play any role you wish. Some levels REQUIRE you to take a vehicle and spawn-camp to even stand a chance at winning. You don't always have the option of sniping or healing friendly units, as most commercials lead you to believe.

Graphics: 10/10. While they aren't perfect, every Star Wars fan can appreciate the look of the X-Wing, TIE, Y-Wing, TIE-Bomber, AT-AT walker, AT-ST walker, and other famous vehicles. Also included in the graphic sets are some of you favorite Jedi and Sith units, including Vader and Luke.

Sound:Music: 10/10. Perfect. I don't need to say much more, other than the fact that you will remember some of the most familiar tunes from the Star Wars movies--Imperial March and Duel of Fates, for example. Sometimes, it seems that the music changes as you get into a bigger and bigger battle.

Sound: Sound Effects: 9/10. Blasters sound like blasters, droids sound like droids, clones sound the same, ect. The only small problem is that space ships make hardly any noise. It is sometime hard to tell they are coming because they are so silent. There are also some voice glitches in the game, that can cause some confusion. For example, when you give an order to do something, you may not actually hear if your order was given, or if your allies heard your order.

Gameplay: 5/10. That is right, 5/10. When I purchased this game, I was looking forward to a game were I would actually get the chance to sit back and snipe, and watch a battle unfold. Doesn't happen that way. Unless you are killing 100+ enemies per game, and rarely dying, you will LOSE.

Multiplayer: 9/10. While this still isn't fair, if you happen to play online you will not forget about this game, and undoubtedly go back online to play. Offline, multiplayer is equally fun. When playing multiplayer offline, you might actually get the chance to play as the role you chose!

Replayability: 9/10. Assuming you enjoyed playing the game, options such as Instant Action and Global Conquest become quite enjoyable. However, should this not be your type of game, you not want to replay the battles ever again. My main gripe about the Replayability is the fact that there are not very many game modes to chose from--no deathmatch, king of the hill, or capture the flag, which are expected in most multiplayer games.

Controls: 8/10. Pretty standard controls. The reason Battlefront received only 8/10 is because of the inability to SUCCESSFULLY command your troops in battle. While there are options such as: Hold ground, follow me, and disperse, friendly units seem to have their own ideas in battle, often times leading to your defeat.

Other information:

Glitches seem to plague the entire game. You will eventually lose many important battles due to enemies getting stuck INSIDE the walls of levels, allowing them to shoot you, but not vice-versa.

AI: While the enemy's AI seems to be up-to-date, and possibly even better than in most games out there today, your AI will shoot you in the back, drop grenades next to you, land on you with space ships, and all-in-all wreck your chances of winning.

Rent or Buy? Rent it first. If this is your type of game, then go out and purchase it. I bought the game, and I don't regret it (not usually). Star Wars fans should enjoy it, as should fans of shooter games. Whether you rent or buy this game, it will provide fun for several hours. You will not regret playing the game, and may wish to rent it again.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 07/08/05