Plays like the original Battlefront should have played.
Of course for the lesser fans out there, Star Wars video games like “Battlefront 2” seem to do the trick as well.
While the original Battlefront capitalized on recreating the feeling of a huge battle straight out of the movie counterparts, Battlefront 2 takes the same formula and fine-tunes it into an even more solid experience for gamers.
To begin with, Battlefront 2 sports a more elaborate single player mode than its predecessor so that people without broadband internet capabilities can enjoy the game as well. In this reworked single player mode, gamers have the option of playing either the mission based “Rise of the Empire” mode or the more action oriented “Galactic Conquest” mode.
Out of the two, “Rise of the Empire” is by far the most interesting mode as it helps connect the dots between Episode 3 and Episode 4. In this mode gamers will assume the role of various 501st Clonetroopers as they wage war on the Trade Federation while slowly betraying and murdering the Jedi Knights, thus eventually rising to power throughout the galaxy.
However after a few missions in single player, most gamers will realize that “Battlefront 2” simply was not meant to be played alone. The mission based objectives seem to confuse the A.I. teammates and in the long run gamers will end up doing all the work by themselves. That’s where good friends come in at.
At the heart of “Battlefront 2” is an online war simulator that was meant to be played with friends near and far. Whether linking multiple systems up together or playing with 31 other online buddies through X-Box Live’s online service, this game really hits its stride online.
Gamers that are familiar with either the original “Battlefront” or the game “Battlefield 1942” will feel right at home online. An online match consists of traversing around the world map while shooting pretty much anything not on the player’s team. As an enemy team member is killed, the amount of reinforcements for their team is reduced by one. After the 300 kill mark is reached by a team, the match is over and the team with remaining teammates wins.
While mindless shooting is greatly enjoyed, it’s not the only way to win a match. Strategic planning can also get player into enemy territory to neutralize any of the five enemy spawn points, thus making it their own spawn points for future troops. Capturing and holding all five spawn points will also earn gamers a win without even exterminating all of the enemy’s team.
Now it would be awfully easy to just pick a world level and jump in a match, but the sharp minds at LucasArts have thrown gamers a wicked curveball to keep gamers on their toes. With the inclusion of picking a side, gamers must also pick the class of warrior they want to utilize during battle.
Up for the good guys are different variations of Rebel soldiers, Wookies, and Clonetroopers, while the bad guys sport varying types of sinister Stormtroopers, Darktroopers, and Battledroids as their warriors. Each category of character has its own strength and weakness. The class that carries a rocket launcher has a tremendous tactical advantage when fighting a group of enemies or vehicle, but moves slower than a herd of turtles in a pasture of peanut butter. Snipers may be able to shoot enemies at long distances, but this leaves a huge opportunity to be shot in the back when zooming in with the gun scope.
It is all about the balance of finding what type of warrior is needed and where.
The last greatest thing about “Battlefront 2” is the abundance of vehicles to control in battle. Unlike the original “Battlefront” where the spaceships were extremely cumbersome to pilot, the sequel has revamped the entire flying control scheme making it so much more enjoyable to dogfight in battles. Not only are the spaceships great to drive, but even the ground vehicles feel a lot more responsive and add to the epic scope of the battles.
The original “Star Wars: Battlefront” may have been an awesome game for its time, but the sequel manages to take almost every fundamental flaw of the original and modify them until they are exactly the way they should have been the first time around. The multiplayer is a blast to play and well worth the investment, but gamers looking for a great single player experience need look elsewhere.