Star Wars Battlefront II (PS2)

reviewer: Will Kirschner

Title: Stars Wars Battlefront II
Platform: Playstation 2, Playstation Portable (PSP), Xbox, Xbox 360, PC
Price: $19.99
ESRB Rating: T for Teen (13+)
Developer: Pandemic
Publisher: LucasArts

Age Range: 8+

Buy? Three questions you need to ask yourself before you answer this all-important question: Do you like Star Wars? Do you enjoy shooting games? Do you have friends? If you answered yes to more than one of these, this game is a must have. However, if you do not have anyone to play it with you might just want to rent it.

Summary: The storyline follows a veteran clone/stormtrooper through the events of Star Wars: Episode III to Episode VI. You will experience familiar things to Star Wars fans like the battle of Endor and also deal with side-plots like putting down a revolt on Naboo. You serve as part of the 501th legion, known to the most serious of Star Wars fans as Vader's personal legion, things are guaranteed to get hot and heavy.

Difficulty: This game's major flaw lies in the difficulty of the the two modes. Easy is a joke after 15 minutes of gameplay and hard gives even the most experienced players trouble. Since the prime joy of the game lies in the multi-player realm it isn't such a deal but it makes this game less of a classic.

Learning Curve: There is a very slight learning curve to this game. Basically, you just need to learn the controls to get the game down.

Total Hours of Play: 6 to finish the campaign on easy, 10 to finish the campaign on hard. Limitless hours of play in the multi-player mode.

Family Factor: This is a game that the whole family can play. Disregard the T-rating this game has simulated violence, that begins and ends with guys getting shot and crumpling(no blood, no gross noise, very clean violence). The plot themes are not adult either.

Review:
This game is, in my mind is the pinnacle of first-person shooter (FPS) for the PlayStation 2. It combines a winning format of Star Wars and action gaming. The system battlefront uses is unique for combat games. The teams start out with an equal number of troops and then they fight until one team destroys all of their troops. Now, there won't be hundreds of soldiers on the field but about forty soldiers give the game the feel of a giant battle. The battles are amazing in their simplicity. The controls are intuitive and make playing this game an even more enjoyable experience. The varying modes of play are nice. For example, Galactic Conquest brings the option of buying all your units and their upgrades and choosing your attacks with the same gameplay. You use credits you earn for victories to buy troop types and bonuses for units, starting with the most basic unit of stormtroopers and buying more advanced units as you progress. This can take six hours for you and your friends to finish, providing a night of fierce competition. There is an all-heroes mode, capture the flag, assault and a new mode which allows you to hunt some memorable beasts like the sand people or the giant spider like beasts from the Geonosian arena in Episode II.
Problems with this game are few but are big. The single-player experience would be best experienced in a single rent. The campaign is not exactly riveting and there is no character development to speak of. Playing this game with a friend, however, makes up for this because there is nothing better than the teamwork of taking the wheel of an AT-AT while a friend blows the rebel generator. The experience system is good but could use more bonuses. Most of the weapons have their own challenge, and make you want to try every class. The rank system is cool just because it gives you bragging rights.
Two things that are new from the old system are heroes and space combat. There is nothing cooler than blasting a TIE-Fighter while dodging turbolaser blasts from a Star Destroyer. There is a slight problem with the ships all being basically cookie-cutter clones in ability. If an X-Wing and a TIE could take the same damage the Rebellion would have ended in a week. I know that this presented a problem for the developers but I wish they would have gone a different way with it. For example, three TIES equal one X-Wing in point value. Making the ships all uniform is goofy,because to the hardcore Star Wars fan, TIE's should be falling faster than villains in a Rambo movie. The heroes are classic Star Wars canon stars like Vader,Yoda and my personal favorite Boba Fett. This game did a great thing with their huge amount of heroes and varying weapons. Getting to fry Luke Skywalker with a flamethrower solved years of issues I had with the original Star Wars. The enemy heroes can drive you insane with their ridiculous AI on the tougher mode.
This is another game that is a most have for the FPS lover. It is currently in my top ten list and I still play it weekly. A must have for any fan of Star Wars and a good pick for anyone else.

Related Games: Battlefront I, The Battlefield series, most FPS(first person shooters