Star Wars Battlefront (PC, 2004)

Ask any Star Wars fan and they will tell you that Star Wars video games have been going downhill since "Return of the Jedi" on the SNES with few excpetions. Only lately with games such as "Rogue Leader" and "Knights of the Old Republic" have fans been given a reprieve from the status quo of mediocre games. "Star Wars: Battlefront" is next in the line of good, albeit not superb, games of the beloved trilogy.


Gameplay: The bulk of the gameplay centers around a Star Wars version of "Capture the Flag". On each world that the Rebels/Empire, Clones/Seperatists, Gungans/Trade Federation, etc. do battle, there are five or six bases that either side can capture. You need to either capture all of the bases or kill all of your opposition in order to declare victory. On paper, a mix of Star Wars combat and Capture the Flag, doesn't sound all that appealing, but once you sit down and play, you'll most likely be sucked in and, before you know it, four hours of your life will have disappeared.

One of the nice things about this game is that you can choose which side you want to fight on in the "Instant Action" mode of gameplay. For each affiliation (Empire, Rebels, Trade Federation, Clones, etc.) there are numerous different soldier types that you can fight as. For example, if you decide to fight as the Empire as I like to do, (DIE REBEL SCUM! MUAHAHAHAHAHAH!) then you can fight as a regular Stormtrooper, a Darktrooper, a Scoutrooper, an Imperial Officer, or others. Each different soldier has different strengths and carryies a different assortment of weapons.

In addition to fighting on the ground, in each level you can also take control of AT-ATs, AT-STs, AT-TEs, TIE Fighters, TIE Bombers, X-Wings, Y-Wings, Snowspeeders, Cloud City Fighters (I don't remember their name), Skiffs, Landspeeders, Tanks, and just about anything else your nerdy little heart could desire. You can also take control of enemy vehicles and rain death down on their unsuspecting troops. Be warned though, although you have a great many vehicles at your disposal, none of them control particularly well and so therefore, you'll probably be spending the majority of your time wth this game on foot, laying waste to Rebel or Imperial troops.

Graphics: The game takes place on such notable Star Wars locales as Hoth, Yavin 4, Kamino, Geonosis, Tatooine, Endor, Naboo and others, so the environments are quite varied and, considering the scope of many of the battles, the graphics are a sight to behold. The explosion effects are quite nice as well. You'll also get a sneak peak at Kashyyyk, the Wookiee homeworld, which is said to play a part in Episode III.

Sound: Familiar Star Wars tunes and great battle sounds. The voiceover of commanding officers saying "Our reinforcements have been cut off!" or "Victory is imminent!" does get very repetitive after a while, but that's pretty minor in the grand scheme of things.

Misc.

-In each battle, whichever two sides are fighting always have the exact same number of troops. It would have been nice if in some battles, you were outnumbered, and had to formulate a strategy that would even things up.

-Watching your charater get hit with a grenade and go flying trough the air is great and NEVER gets old.

Finally ... Star Wars Battlefront has everything that most 1st Person Shooters have , and a whole lot more. Unexpectedly , you can enjoy the excitement of the Star Wars movie fame - in a well made PC Game.

Like alot of gamers I suppose - I was very disappointed with the 1 other Star Wars game I bought years ago - which was primarily what appeared to be only on 1 screen throughout , and based on a cockpit style format - which you never leave. Needless to say - that game didn't get much play.

Suddenly - there is Battlefront - the original. Without expecting much I installed the game to see what the 3-Disk Set consisted of. While the requirements stated on the CD-case say that a 1ghz Intel P3 or AMD Athlon 1ghz computer is recommended - it may play on other computers as well. Further - with only 256mb of ram required and a list of 64mb video cards that this game will run on , the game plays in the 1.5ghz - 2ghz ballpark as far as quality goes.

The HUD or main screen that is always present while you play most games , has been very well thought out , consisting of a map layout - which shows your team members and the locations of your enemies - along with the usual weapons and options inclusions. Best of all the main option screens are like they are in the game (Conflict - Global Terror , blue & yellow) , and you can HOST an online game through Gamespy right from the multiplayer option.

With nothing left out as far as I can see - you are suddenly playing Star Wars like you have never seen. The game consists of all the characters in the original movie and all of the vehicles - which are easily accessible. The graphics are clear and very adequate - while they are also lifelike. With clean lines and spacious mapping the game also includes original video clips in between levels to coincide with the storyline - adding to the reality.

The weaponry is authentic and includes tracer tracks from fired weapons with explosions. There is a stark difference that laser weaponry provides in both video and audio that is unmatched with authentic voice & sound recordings , that only belong to Star Wars.

You can choose to switch from 1st Person to 3rd Person views , depending on your preferences and there are no issues with gun reloading or switching weapons at all. The gameplay is very fast while it requires you to play as a team , to reach your goals throughout.

Added to the game are some options which are not in all other video games -such as : strafe rolling / laying down / double sniper scope magnification / enemy reaction strafe rolling / enemy jumping from upper areas / enemies hiding / rouge enemy attacks / all surface mounted guns are usable / automatic & semi automatic firing on same button if held / and amunition & health replenishing stations.

You couldn't ask for much more in any video game - but in Star Wars costumes & environments - the game is probably the most fun you will ever have playing any of your favorites. If you like Star Wars - then this is the game you have been waiting to buy and play.

On a scale of 1-10 , I give this game a 9 - because of it's implementation alone. It has been worked into a classic video game for all time - that it's creators can be proud of.

Reviewed for Big Boss Games by: bargainzandmore

In a Galaxy far, far away...the battle between the light and the dark side continues.

Star Wars: Battlefront brings the adventure together in a spectacular first person shooter, choose your planet and let the battle begin.

Star Wars Battlefront lets you choose between the Empire, Rebellion, Trade Federation or the Clone Army. If you're a Halo fan this game could be for you, like any first person shooter you can only have so much fun playing against the A.I., and this is definitely a multiplayer game. You can fight up to sixteen players in massive online battles. Battlefront is available on the PC, XBOX and the PS2.

On a rating scale of 1-5, I'll give this game a 4. And may the force be with you!

Star Wars: Battlefront is a first- and third-person video game[3] based around battles in the Star Wars film series. It was developed by Pandemic Studios and LucasArts and released on September 20, 2004[4][5] for PlayStation 2, Xbox, Macintosh and Microsoft Windows, the same day as the release of the Star Wars Trilogy DVD set. Aspyr released a Macintosh port in July 2005.

I love this game especially for the pc it ads a whole new experience, with a keybourd and mouse you have a lot more control. Also it runs at sixty frames per second on pc so if your used to playing it on playstation, which runs at like thirty frames it will make a pretty noticeable difference. But yeah if you love starwars this is the game for you you can play any battle you want from the movies! Which is why this game is awesome no matter what you buy it for console or pc it's a great game for either.