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The original Battlefront on PS2, Xbox and PC was the most popular Star Wars
game ever. Star Wars games had never previously lived up to the hype that
surrounds any movie tie-in video game, and yet the original Battlefront
received less hype than some of the numrous ,and hideous Army Men games
on PS2! This game took the gaming side of the?Star Wars franchise to a
whole new level, and took gamers to here they had never been before - into
the frontline! The newest installation in the series, Battlefront II
promises to deliver more battles, more planets, more characters, more
scale, more everything, plus lots of new features that gamers have been
pining for since the release of the original, just over a year ago. It
doesn?t disappoint.
The first thing that hits you with this title is the controls. There
are four different control sets. This means that there is something to suit
everyone. However, the first hour or so of game play is hindered horribly
by the unfamiliarity with the style of the controls on the PSP. The lack of
a second analog stick has thwarted all FPS games on PSP so far, and it?s
true here, to a certain extent.
The controls side of things isn?t all bad news though. Once you have
an hour or two?s play under your belt, the controls become more intuitive,
the game opens up and instantly becomes much more enjoyable as a result. In
fact, the control systems in place are actually very well implemented once
accustomed to.
In terms of content, Battlefront II on PSP differs significantly to
the home consoles versions. The main single-player mode is still the
Galactic Conquest, making a popular return from last year?s installment,
but instead of having story-driven missions as a side-dish, there are three
sets of challenges. These involve different styles of game-play. The
first, ?Imperial Enforcer?, involves taking out a number of Rebels on
different planets for the Empire, within a time limit. The second, Rogue
Assassin, entails taking down certain Imperial or Rebel Officers. And
finally, my personal favourite, Rebel Raider has you stealing plans and
equipment from the Empire, whilst keeping Imperial troops at bay. All three
modes are only available in the PSP version of the game, and that fact
reflects the thought that Pandemic have put into this title.
The battles don?t last quite as long in the PSP incarnation, and this makes
the experience more enjoyable rather than hinders it. Other than the
Challenge modes, and the lack of story based missions, the single player in
the PSP title is identical to the home console versions.
Multiplayer on the other hand, is quite a let-down. On the home
console versions, multiplayer is pretty much the main emphasis. There are
plenty of game modes and locations available for multiplayer battles, but
if you?re playing with any more than three or four players, then the
frame-rate goes completely out the window. Playing with two or three
players is fun, but not for long, and the lack of Infrastructure doesn?t do
it any favours at all. This part of the game is instantly forgettable.
Graphics are always a priority for developers of FPS?s, specially on
new platforms, and Pandemic have done a good job here. The Star Wars
atmosphere is there, the terrains are detailed, the objects are solid and
the characters are smooth. The only real downside is the texture
resolution, which is pretty low, even for the PSP. This does help maintain
a healthy frame rate though, even when there?s lots happening on-screen.
Battlefront II also succeeds in the sound department. All the
official music, explosions, and light saber sounds are here. There aren?t
really any faults with this aspect of the game. The background music is
very well implemented, and helps to deliver that Star Wars atmosphere to
your PSP.
Overall, this game takes a little effort to get into, but once you?ve
overcome the controls, and if you don?t mind playing with only one or two
other players in ad-hoc, then this is a must-buy. If you?re looking for
fast paced, or story-driven action then stay away. Die hard Star Wars fans
mustn?t miss this!
By: iliveonthemoon
| Gameplay: |
 8 |
| Graphics: |
8 |
| Sound: |
9 |
| Learning Curve: |
5
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| Overall: |
8 |
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