What the first game should have been
Gameplay 8
For the sake of the review, I will treat the game modes/features, ground combat and space combat separately.
The four playable factions remain the same, though they have been modified and improved. They are the Republic, Confederacy, Rebel Alliance and Empire. Just like in the last game, Republic can only fight Confederacy (and vice versa) and Rebels can only fight Empire.
The gameplay itself remains relatively unchanged. It is still centred around the capture of command points, though some maps, in the campaign, have specific objectives this time. Two versions of the classic capture the flag are also included as well as a new "hunt" mode that lets you annihilate a specific type of enemy (faction versus wild life). Finally, the Galactic Conquest mode, where you gradually conquer planets, has been dramatically improved and now has a more "strategic" feel to it (I will cover it in the "Story" section). The game also tracks all the statistics (kills, deaths, honours, ranks) for each profile you create.
I must say that I was pleasantly surprised to see that Original Trilogy content was not left out of the game at all. Given the game's simultaneous release with the Revenge of the Sith DVD, I expected emphasis on Episode 3. Fortunately, the designers know that we all like Episodes IV-VI and gave us as much content as in the first game.
Ground combat is very similar to that of the first game. Unless there are some specific objectives, your basic goal is to capture command points. This is still a fun and easy mode, though I do think that objectives should play a more important role and be on every map. The maps themselves are generally good, though a bit small. Some maps are the same as in Bfront 1, and I really wonder why they chose to leave out some of the other Bfront 1 maps. Each side has six classes of soldiers. Three of the three basic classes remain unchanged (normal soldier, tank buster and sniper). Pilots have been replaced with Engineers, which are basically a mix of medic/technician/special forces. This is a great improvement, since it didn't make much sense for pilots to move around a ground battlefield. The unique class remains roughly the same for everyone, though there is now a requirement (in points) to enable them. This is a nice improvement that helps to make the battles more "realistic". The sixth and new class is the Commander, which is more like a second unique unit, since their abilities differ for each side. They tend to have abilities centred around supporting their troops, which adds some team-play elements to the game. Vehicles are obviously still there and play a major role. They have been toned though; a nice improvement, since they were really overpowered in the first instalment.
Ground Combat is also marked by the appearance of heroes. In the campaign you are prompted to play as a hero after completing specific objectives. In normal games, you have to earn them by scoring points. Heroes range from Jedi (Obi-Wan, Luke) to "normal" heroes (Han Solo, Leia). A hero has a time bar that slowly depletes over time. When they get hit, the bar decreases faster. When you kill enemies, it increases. This leads to a rather balanced gameplay, since you must first earn the right to play as a hero, and then be time-efficient and skilled to keep him/her as long as possible. Heroes come with different abilities and weapons, and Jedi have relatively unique combat styles (Yoda being a fast and jump-crazy green guy). Lets not forget that this is not a Jedi Knight game, and Jedi combat remains simple. It should be noted that heroes can be turned down if the host of the game doesn't want to see Darth Maul ripping some clones.
Space Combat is arguably the biggest addition to the game. Basically, space combat can be described as follow : you must cripple the enemy's capital ship, destroy his frigates, and take down his starfighters. There is only one capital ship per side (i.e. a ship with an actual interior, a hangar and specific systems such as engines and shields) and about 2 frigates (no interior, no specific systems). I think that the number of ships is a little bit too low; two capital ships would have been reasonable and enable more strategy. At least most maps provide the player with an interactive background, so you can imagine yourself in a huge battle.
You can only play two classes in space maps : pilot and marine. Marines are a mix between normal ground troops and heavy weapons specialist. They are obviously used to repel an enemy invasion of your capital ship, or conduct an invasion of the enemy's ship. Pilots are the best class to fly the crafts, since they gradually "repair" damage done to their ship. They also have timed bombs, and can be efficiently used to cripple an enemy capital ship from the inside.
There are 4 types of flyable crafts. The fighter is a basic craft with laser power and torpedoes. It can be used as a general craft capable of hunting down enemy ships and conducting light assaults on enemy frigates and capital ships. Interceptors are fast and weak ships that excel in destroying enemy crafts, but are weak against capital ships. Bombers are slow, resistant and have access to powerful bombs that can be launched on enemy capital ships. Finally, transports are used to create a "spawn point" inside the enemy's capital ship when conducting an invasion. The four crafts are not that well balanced, in my opinion. I am not a pro by any means, but I think that the bomber is too powerful; if you are careful, it's very hard to get shot down even once. A patch could possible balance things, but LucasArts is not renowned for it's support. The ships also lead to some errors with the movies. For example, the Republic's bomber is the V-Wing, which is supposed to be a fast and light ship. Another annoyance is that the Rebels's transport is a republic gunship. I sense severe designer laziness here.
The goal of a space map is to earn more points than the enemy. Points are earned when shooting down enemy crafts, but also by destroying frigates and crippling capital ships. The various systems of capital ships can be crippled by either shooting them from space, or blowing them up from the inside through an invasion. You can also manually control some of the turrets of your capital ship, or of the enemy's during an invasion. This leads to a nice gameplay that differs from the traditional "capture command points". However, the capital ships's interior is average at best. The first problem is that they all look the same (only de CIS hangar is really different). Basically, it's a hangar that is connected to a central room which leads to three small rooms each with a specific system. Having a more complete interior (with corridors and more rooms) would only have been natural, especially after what we saw in Episode 3.
The other problems I see with space battles is, like I said before, the size. I really think that the game would have enjoyed at least 2 capital ships per side. I was also disappointed by the fact that there is no trench run level; unless I am mistaking, the trench run is really the canon example of a Star Wars space battle.
I give gameplay an 8 for the small size of space battles and maps in general, as well as the lack of popular Bfront 1 and movie maps. The lack of objectives on every map can also be considered as a downside.
Video 7
The graphics are supposed to be improved from the last game. I personally think that they are unchanged, or even inferior to those of BFront 1. I do run the game on maximum settings. Perhaps it has something to do with my video card...
Most of the models are good. Of special note are the heroes. Some of them are superb, notably Vader and the Fetts. Unfortunately, the Dooku model is a pain to look at; he really looks out of place, and I suspect a lack of motivation from the designers. Palpatine also looks strange; he seems to be wearing makeup.
Textures are generally fine, but really uneven in quality. Some maps will make you feel dizzy (the planet Felucia, where Secura is killed in Revenge of the Sith, will give you a headache). Others, like Dagobah are of really high quality. Space ships look good, but not great. I must say that I am pleased with the video quality of space battles though.
I must also state that there are no cockpits in the game. I was quite disappointed by this, since the cockpit views of the vehicles in Bfront 1 were great (especially the AT-ST and AT-AT).
I have always maintained that gameplay makes a game, not graphics. Some people, however, only look at graphics. They are not stunning in Bfront 2, but not bad either. A future instalment requires a new engine.
Audio 9
Really great. The music is more extensively used than in the previous games, and the new tracks from Episode 3 are really great. Environmental sounds remain the same, and they are great. Also, when you are given the privilege of playing as a hero, the music changes to represent this. It's always a good feeling to rip some battle droids as Obi-Wan with the Battle of the Heroes track playing.
What I really liked is the fact that your troops now talk. They call for medics, thank you when you give them a lift, warn you because they spotted a sniper, etc. That really makes the game more interactive and thus realistic.
Story 8
The campaign is a strong point of the game. Bfront 1's "campaign" (if I am allowed to use that term) was extremely poor (basically a bunch of instant action games with introductions). The campaign in Bfront 2 follows the story of the 501st Legion. You start out as a clone during the time of Episode 3 (starting with the Battle of Geonosis of Episode 2 as a training/tutorial) and go all over to the Empire after laying waste to the Jedi Temple. The missions also have specific objectives which is a nice improvement.
I have two complaints :
- The campaign obviously lets you play only as the Republic and Empire. Why not make another campaign for the Confederacy and the Rebels? Answer : designer laziness.
- While some objectives require you to blow up specific things, most of the time the objectives are to capture command points; only this time they are "disguised". The game tells you to, say, take the bridge. In fact, it's just to capture the command point of the bridge. Also, "recovering a specific data" is actually a "capture the flag".
Then there is the Galactic Conquest mode. I chose to cover it here since it is really different than instant action games. The original Galactic Conquest in Bfront 1 was really poor. The planets were basically listed on the screen, and you had to choose one to attack. Once controlled, you could use the "planet's bonus" in a future fight.
In Bfront 2 you are now greeted with a galaxy map (as a small note, it is extremely useful to read the "help" tips, since the interface is not necessarily friendly). You start by controlling a number of planets, and so your enemy. To attack a planet you need to have a fleet, and move it to the said planet. Like I said, this gives a better "turned-base" feel to the game. When you win battles, you get some credits based on various statistics (you also get some, though a lot less, if you loose; this is great since it prevents you from entering a vicious circle if you loose a couple of battles). Credits can be used to build additional fleets (increasing cost), to buy various bonuses that you can use (such as extra troops available) and to "train" new character classes (in the beginning, you can only use the basic trooper). If your enemy has a fleet in orbit of the planet you attack, you must first win a space battle. All in all, I was very pleased with the galactic conquest mode; it's probably one of the greatest mode to play.
The single problem I have is with the AI. While I do realise that Bfront 2 is a shooter, and not a strategy game, the strategic AI in Galactic Conquest is very poor.
Replay Value 8
First person shooters tend to have good replay value because of the randomness of the battles and online features. While Bfront 2 is no exception, I must also acknowledge the Galactic Conquest mode which does make the replay value of the single player portion. The community should also stay alert for the possible works of the modders and mappers; there were some extremely well done maps made by the community for Bfront 1, and I suppose it will be the same for Bfront 2.
Conclusion
Bfront 1, while a good game, was not that well received by the public. The main reason was that the game did not bring enough unique features to break the powerful opposition in the FPS domain. With it's space battles and playable heroes, Bfront 2 becomes a unique game in it's own right. This, coupled with an interesting (if somewhat still superficial) Galactic Conquest mode, makes a game that can be enjoyed for quite some time.
Battlefront 2 is the game that should have been released one year ago (and as such, it does suffer a little from it's age). A Star Wars game that claims to let you live any Star Wars battle that does not include space battles in the first place is obviously flawed. Battlefront 2 corrects this, and does bring an authentic Star Wars feel. In my opinion, the major flaw is the size of the maps; this is sad since most of them look really great, but are simply too small. I really hope that design tools will be released to allow community-made maps. In any event, Battlefront 2 remains a good buy for FPS fans who wish to do something more than shoot things on the ground, and an excellent buy for Star Wars fans.