John Gillooly thinks he bent his wookie.
Yes, ewoks. Battlefront is split into two eras: the Galactic Civil War of episodes four to six and the Clone Wars of episodes one to three. This means that the famous locales like Hoth, Endor, Tatooine, Naboo, Kamino and Geneosis are all there. It also means classic vehicles like Speederbikes, Landspeeders, Tauntauns, AT-ATs, X-Wings and Tie fighters appear.
Single player is fun and the game gives a top-notch impression of being in the middle of the classic battles. This is helped by competent AI, which is certainly a leap from the gormless idiocy of BF1942's computer controlled players.
Watching an AT-AT trundle closer and closer, or zipping a speederbike through the forests of Endor are wonderful experiences. You can play the game a map at a time, or play the galactic conquest mode in which you attack a series of enemy planets to gain special bonuses. These bonuses can then be used in subsequent battles to sway the course of history.
Both sides of the battles are playable, but one of the most interesting twists on the battlefield carbon copy nature of the game is that some maps feature a third team, for example on Tatooine there are Jawa camps and on Endor there are ewoks.
While the single player is a truckload of short-term fun, longevity with this game will come with Xbox Live. While the PC version may struggle in the bloated ranks of established shooters, this is a much more unique experience for Xbox, and is damn fun.
Star Wars Battlefront is a good, but not great, game. It trades heavily in nostalgia, which is its biggest strength, and certainly delivers some good, fun distraction. We will even forgive its uncanny similarities to Battlefield 1942. With this game indicative of a mean rise in quality of Star Wars titles, maybe there is still a glimmer of hope for LucasArts yet.
Issue: 137 | June, 2012