Star Wars: Battlefront II

Written by Ryan Genno  on June 17, 2005

First Impressions: Putting the wars back in Star Wars!

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Before all the Star Wars fans were going to the movies to see the biggest blockbuster of 2005 - Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, they were playing the video games. One of the most popular Xbox games of 2004 was the incredible action packed Star Wars: Battlefront. The big reason the game was such a big hit was because instead of letting you play just one lead character like an Anakin or Luke Skywalker in a typical Star Wars game, you had the chance to play as one of many of the movie's soldiers, either good or evil. The controls were easy to master, the game had tons of scenarios from the movies, and players wanted more. Here is what you can expect from the upcoming sequel.

Although Battlefront was a very successful game, it still had its share of critics. One problem I saw with the game personally was your computer controlled allies were good, but they were a bit too good, making the game a bit too easy. Sometimes your mission could suddenly be over with little effort, and my friend and I were able to complete an entire game even though that was the first time I'd played it. One way the developers are working around this is by letting the player have more freedom - you have control of more of the game, like being able to switch character classes without dying.

What would a sequel be without some new scenes inspired from all six of the movies? An example of one new battle includes the first skirmish in the original Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope where rebel soldiers are fighting off an aggressive attack from the Galactic Empire to protect Princess Leia. Some of the other battles take place during the final Clone Wars of Episode III, and you can even wage war inside the massive, planet destroying Death Star. There are rumoured to be 12 new locations in all.

Like the last game you can still hijack vehicles from the Star Wars universe to help out on tough missions, and the sequel promises even more of a selection. Some of the newer vehicles you can now steal include starfighters like X-Wings and Tie Interceptors, so you can now engage in some intense combat in space.

What would a war game be without some multi-player action, eh? Like the original Battlefront you can not only play the game with up to 16 players over a Local Area Network, but you can play over Xbox Live as well. Online users can find friends easier with a new buddy list and track their stats for more competition. It is also possible to have 32 players fighting at once online now.