Star Wars: Battlefront II

"One Step Forward, One Step Back"

Star Wars Battlefront 2 is the sequel to the best selling Star Wars game of all time. But, it just doesn't play out the way Pandemic wanted.

Storyline: 7/10
Between this game and Star Wars Battlefront, there are two differences in story. First, here there IS a story. It follows the rise of the empire as a group of clones known as the 501st Infantry Division. It shows as they fight through the Clone Wars and into the rise of the empire. Then it shows as they fight through the Galactic Civil War.

Second, this game doesn't follow all of the battles. In Battlefront 1, you started at Naboo and ended at Endor, with every major conflict in between. Here, you get a bunch of battles in the Clone Wars, such as Geonosis and Coruscant. And a few you didn't get to see, such as Felucia and Mygeeto. And in the rise of the empire, you get some that show the fall of the republic. There are also a few mission that...never quite happened, like Mustafar and Kamino.

This game, however, begins at Geonosis and ends at Hoth. They don't go any farther, but the empire then went looking for Luke Skywalker and Han Solo. They should have just gone all the way to Endor.

Gameplay: 8/10
This is where the “one step forward, one step back” stuff comes into play. There are three modes of play here, Rise of the Empire, Instant Action, and Galactic Conquest.

Rise of the Empire is the single player campaign. Here missions have objectives, usually consisting of capturing command posts, defending command posts, retrieving objects, Killing enemies, or blowing crap up. Also, you can play as heroes on certain objectives. The jedi are fun to play as, but the non-jedi heroes are really weak. Still, they are a cool addition.

Instant Action is basically this, choose a map, choose an army, and choose a mode. There are a few different modes to play in: Conquest, Assault, Capture the Flag, and Hunt. They are fun and can hone your skills to make playing easier. Heroes can be played as here too.

But, there is a catch. Some of the maps for BFII are bad. The interior maps just take the whole “fight anyway you want” concept and throw it out the window. In BFI, you had open maps to run around in and lots of guys to fight, so you always had something to kill. But BFII gives you a more constricted feeling with closed in maps and a lot less soldiers.

Galactic Conquest has changed a lot. You move fleets around, attacking planets as you go. You and your enemy alternate moves in turns. You purchase units and bonuses between battles. If two fleets are on the same space, a space battle begins. It is a really good change; it actually has you use strategy to win. Now it doesn't feel like the game is holding your hand the entire way. I'm happy that it takes me more than an hour to play one galactic conquest.

Speaking of space battles, theyre here. Each army has one cruiser and a few frigates. You use different classes of fighters for different jobs. Still, don't expect them to be Rouge Squadron clones, they don't completely deliver. But, the maps are pretty small, and the AI is really smart here. You can go commando and destroy cruisers from the inside out. But, the ships don't handle well; and your only goal is to get 180 points before the enemy.

Graphics/Sound: 8/10
Lets face it, Star Wars music is good. So there are no problems when it comes to music. But, if two Starfighters crash, no big sounds. And explosions sound really muffled. The character models and textures look really sharp. Some of the shining effects don't always look their best. Like on Felucia, everything was so bright, I couldn't see anything. Other than that, graphics and sound are not to shabby.

Longevity/Replayability: 7/10
The game isn't very long depending on what you play. Rise of the Empire is over sorta quickly. Instant Action can keep you playing for a while after the game is over. Galactic Conquest will keep you playing for a long time due to its length, until you play it with each army. So it will all depend on how much of this game you play.

Difficulty: 6/10
Here, the difficulty isn't too challenging. The campaign is easy until the last three missions. But those last missions are really hard. But, that's nothing a little practice and patience can't handle.

Final Recommendation: 8/10
I don't have any elaborate rating system; I don't give a game a low score because it has horrible graphics. I just rate games for what they are really worth. This game is a game that has a bunch of good things, but some bad things that hold it back from perfection.

So, is it a rent or a buy? Well, it depends on what kind of a person you are. If you are a die-hard Star Wars fan, I would recommend this game as a buy. If you expect LucasArts to come out with one-of-a-kind games that have incredible gameplay and visuals, you might be a little disappointed if you buy this. So, if you are a demanding gamer, you might want to rent this.

If you're giving this game to a little kid who really likes shoot-em-up games, they will enjoy this. So I think it will make a nice gift to most kid gamers.

It was a great concept, and it's a good game. But I still think that they need to step it up to get the ultimate Star Wars game.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 02/13/06, Updated 07/31/06