My expectations were too low.
THE PLOT!!!
Battlefront: Elite Squadron has an amazing tale of tragedy, heroism, and justice. The story opens on Tatooine, where two special clones named X1 and X2 train clone troopers for the Galactic Republic. I know, X1 and X2 aren't very creative names. Oh well. The player plays as X2 and starts in a short tutorial/training mission. Suddenly, X2 is thrust into combat when Separatist Battle Droids attack. X1 destroys the ships and the two brothers are sent to Coruscant when General Grievous attacks and captures Chancellor Palpatine. X2 fights and defeats Grievous, but he general escapes death. After the battle, X1 and X2 are sent to Cat Neimodia with Pantoran Jedi Master Ferroda. Order 66 is issued and the brothers kill Ferroda. After, the brothers are assigned to help Darth Vader track down and kill any remaining Jedi. X2 goes rogue because of the haunting memories of Order 66. He goes to Dantooine, where he finds his and X1's genetic 'father' named Falon Grey. Remember when I said X1 and X2 were special? Yeah, I said that because Falon Grey is a FLIPPIN' JEDI MASTER!!! X2 and Falon retaliate to an Imperial attack on a Dantooinian village, where X1 and X2 are reunited-on opposite sides of the battlefield. X1 kills Falon and wounds X2, but Falon heals him. Rahm Kota comes to Dantooine and finds X2 instead of Falon and recruits the clone instead. X2 forms Grey Squadron out of several Rebel pilots and a former bounty hunter named Shara. He and Grey Squadron steal plans of the Death Star laser, and X2 uncovers a transmission from X1 that says he is going to deliver the laser to the Death Star himself. X2 finds that his brother is alive, but quickly brushes the thought away for now. He also valiantly defends Yavin 4 from destruction. He also fixes the Ion Cannon in the Battle of Hoth, but soon fights his brother, X1, on the Star Destroyer above. X2 plays a large role in the Battle of Endor. He and Shara use the Ion Cannon against the Star Destroyers. He becomes a Jedi after some persuasion from Luke Skywalker. X2, now a Jedi, helps Lando Calrissian defend the Tibana gas platforms of Bespin's Cloud City. X1 was tracked to the planet of Vjun, home of Darth Vader's fortress, Bast Castle, where they face droids, stormtroopers, and eventually recover Falon Grey's lightsaber. X1 is found on Mustafar, where he has captured Luke. X2 confronts his brother for the last time. After defeating X1 in an epic lightsaber duel, he abides the Jedi Code and refuses to kill the Sith Lord. X1 uses the Force to try to impale X2 with the red saber that he had thrown behind X2. X2 back flipped over the weapon, causing the blade to impale X1. The Sith falls into the lava river to his death.
Now for...
THE GOOD!!!
I really liked the story. It is amazing and spans three eras very well. I also REALLY like the customization. The fact that you unlock things over time keeps you playing for a long time. There is a con about that, but I'll cover that later. The controls are tricky, but they are extremely comfortable when you get used to them. Instant Action is a plus, but it has fewer maps, only having around 15 maps. I do applaud the IA for one mode: Heroes and Villains mode. Similar to Assault on Mos Eisley in BF2, this mode has at least 5 maps instead of one. I really like that in battles, you choose to start in a capital ship, in space, or on the ground. Yhis bring me to the best part of the game: The connecting maps. Yep. If you start on ground, you just hop into a ship and take off. You can be up high in the atmosphere, and at the hit of a button: BOOP! You're in space combat! On the ground, the objectives are the same: Capture command posts, don't die. The new thing is that instead of being able to kill all the enemies and depleting their reinforcements, there AREN'T any reinforcements. Now it has a point system. First team to 1000 points wins. Another addition to the ground combat is you have to capture the Ion Cannon. When you have it, you use it to take out the enemy capital ship's shields. Once those are down, hop in a fighter and transition to space. A short cutscene commences and then you are in space. Stay alive as you zoom into the enemy ship's hangar. This is a blessing and a curse: When in cutscene mode, you can't be killed. It's the same for all others in cutscene mode. Once inside, capture all command posts inside the ship and blow it up. Then you either steal a ship or use an escape pod. Note: Your ship blows up as soon as you exit it when landed in an enemy hangar. I don't know why, it just does. I also greatly applaud the multiplayer. You can do multiplayer on either Instant Action or on Galactic Conquest. Galactic Conquest is simple: Conquer the galaxy via many battles. Easy, right? I also like that the battles last longer. BF 1 and 2 had 5 to 10 minute battles. BF: ES has 10 to 20 minute battles.
Now for...
THE BAD!!!
The graphics are pretty bad. They aren't terrible, but they aren't up to par with modern PSP games. Also, the customization is mildly unfair. If you are online and you only unlocked Health level 2, and someone else is farther in the game, they'll have Health Level 3. Unfair. They'll also have better weapons and cooler outfits. It's unfair, but it motivates you to fight harder in the campaign to unlock what the other players have. Also, the controls ARE tricky at first and they seem mildly stiff. Directional Button
Up = Enter Vehicle (Tap). Left = Cycle Secondary Weapon. Right = Cycle Primary Weapon. Down = Cycle Target. Analog Stick=Move. X=Primary Fire, O=Jetpack Fall (Hold) Square=Secondary Fire, and Triangle=Zoom (Tap). Melee Block (Hold). Jetpack Rise (Hold). R+Analog Stick is strafe, and O+Analog Stick is Roll. R=Target (Hold) and L= Jump (Tap) and Sprint (Hold) I know, confusing. You get over it pretty quick. Also, Rahm Kota is only playable in Heroes and Villains mode, which is a bummer.
Here it is, the moment you've been waiting for...
THE SCORE!!!
Campaign: 9 or 9.5
Graphics: 7.5 or 8
Controls: 6
Multiplayer: 10
Customization: 10
FINAL SCORE: 9!!!
Hope this helps. Thanks for reading!