Force Encounter

Face it—millions watched Episodes I-III for the action scenes, not acting. Recognizing this, LucasArts is wisely downplaying storytelling in favor of frantic gunplay in Star Wars Battlefront™ II. An ambitious air and land combat simulator, the game translates the urgency and impact of intergalactic warfare into strategically sound, yet bite-size arcade-style encounters everyone can enjoy.

Fight the movies' memorable conflicts, plus bonus battles from the original trilogy—it's all but certain to be a blast.

The fate of thousands rests on your shoulders …

In theory, you control a lone soldier, striding living battlefields pulled straight from the feature films, i.e. Yavin 4, Utapau, and Naboo. In practice, however, the fate of thousands rests on your shoulders—every move, be it breaking blockades, defending refineries, or shutting down shield generators, affects conflicts' overall outcomes.

Both single and multiplayer encounters (four-man split-screen options are offered, as is support for up to 32 participants via Xbox Live®) are available. Don't be fooled, though; you're never alone, with dozens of troops from super battle droids to Geonosian warriors and Rebel soldiers joining you on the front lines.

Yo, Luke—check out my new ride!

Space Combat

The first and most noticeable upgrade over predecessor Star Wars Battlefront™: space combat. That's right; instead of just running through the jungles of Kashyyyk or hiding in the mists of Dagobah, you can now soar through the stratosphere in an A-Wing, X-Wing, or Republic Starfighter. Happily, flight simulation sequences feature the same sort of user-friendly controls as titles such as Crimson Skies®: High Road to Revenge™.

Piloting a gunship, simply move the left thumbstick to aim; the right thumbstick to brake or throttle; and the A, B, X, and Y buttons to target opponents, shoot primary/secondary weapons, and execute fancy acrobatic maneuvers. Pitted against TIE Fighters and Star Destroyers, emerge victorious from these conflicts by obliterating communications towers and sensor arrays, then flying into open hangars, landing, and sabotaging enemies' life support or cooling systems.

Jedi Mind Tricks

Newly added are playable Jedi, heroic characters with unique special abilities you can command. Noteworthy examples include Ki-Adi-Mundi (the bearded guy with the funky-shaped head) and Aayla Secura, a green girl with tentacles trailing from her noggin. Even Count Dooku and Yoda put in an appearance.

Use their lightsabers to make short work of snail tanks and clone sharpshooters, or wield fantastic Force powers against adversaries. There's nothing quite as satisfying as pushing an opponent around with a thought, then pulling them back towards you and either frying them with lightning or strangling them using sheer willpower alone.

Conquer the Galaxy

On foot or dynamically hopping into over 30 vehicles such as AT-RT walkers and BARC speeders, fight for one of four factions in Galactic Conquest mode: Rebels, Imperials, Separatists, or Clone Troopers. Take turns moving fleets and forces between planets atop a miniaturized map of the galaxy.

Cross paths with an opponents' playing piece and a real-time battle, fought from a ship-to-ship or individual soldier's perspective, ensues. It's a little like chess, only duels over contested territory occur right in front of your face in the form of raging melees.

And that's for making fun of my helmet!

Win skirmishes by eliminating adversaries, downing frigates, or capturing command posts from which you can respawn or change character class, and you'll gain control of the immediate area. Best of all: Points earned butchering rivals or accomplishing tasks (like destroying six vehicles in one life) may also be spent unlocking additional character classes or buying bonuses between showdowns. For example, 1000 points earns you the assassin droid, capable of quickly offing foes from a distance with its sniper rifle.

Alternately, spend the sum on the right to call a Jedi into battle, bolster your command posts with turrets, purchase additional reinforcements, or reward your armies with health regeneration abilities. Further upgrades let you enhance units' armor ratings, increase the damage they do, and expand the amount of ammunition each can hold.

Flying Solo

Equally compelling is the solo campaign Rise of the Empire, starring the 501st legion, an elite company of clone soldiers commissioned by Chancellor Palpatine. Running missions for the would-be Emperor, you'll follow the plot of Episode III, only from an unexpected viewpoint; that of the traitorous troops who eventually execute their Jedi masters. As a result, missions loosely intertwine with the film.

For example, one scenario finds you manning the guns of an ARC-10 Starfighter and distracting General Grievous' forces while Anakin and Obi-Wan are off rescuing the Chancellor. Another sees you helping hold the beachhead on the Wookies' homeworld when that first wave of invading droids comes roaring over the horizon and along the coastal waterline.

Backup! I need backup now! Uh, guys … ?

All told, the sum total makes for one jaw-dropping experience. Star Wars Battlefront II doesn't so much expand upon its forerunner as reinvent it, adding more of everything fans loved about the original, plus piles of additional features and play variants. The way things are shaping up already, I wouldn't be surprised if, like the box office blockbusters which inspired it, this sucker's destined to be another sci-fi classic.

Article by Steve Richter