Xbox Live Makes It All the More Sweet
It's a dark time for the Old Republic. The Confederacy of Independent Systems has declared all-out war on the peaceful government of the galaxy. Now, they're advancing with armies of battle droids, fleets of deadly starships, and maybe even the help of the Dark Side of the Force. It's up to the Jedi, those light-saber-swingin' defenders of peace and justice, to leap into action at the head of the Republic's last line of defense—the Clone Army. These are the Clone Wars, and they're going to change theStar Wars universe forever.
LucasArts has given the Star Wars®: The Clone Wars™ video game a major overhaul for the Xbox® release, adding polish to the graphics and framerate, as well as ramping up the multiplayer capabilities, creating new arena maps for all-outStar Wars destruction, and sweetest of all, enabling online play with full Xbox Live® support.
Trading in the Podracer for a Jedi speeder bike.
Jedi Generals
In case you missed Yoda's announcement in Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, the end of that movie was the first battle of the Clone Wars. The video game begins at that fateful fight on Geonosis, where the Jedi took command of hundreds of thousands of clone troopers in a bid to thwart separatist leader Count Dooku—also known as Darth Tyrannus, dark lord of the Sith.
In this first mission, you take control of Mace Windu, infiltrating the Confederate and Trade Federation defenses in the Republic Interceptor tank, the vehicle in which you'll be spending most of your time. An armored powerhouse that doesn't skimp on speed, the tank will be your ride for many missions, and the basic controls you learn here (including intuitive trigger-based strafe maneuvers) let you operate most any vehicle in the game with confidence.
Other missions put you in the robes of Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin Skywalker, as they take the fight to the enemy on desolate junk worlds, Wookiee jungle moons, and even a Sith stronghold.
Republic tanks can take on whatever you need.
Through the Force, Things You Will See
The versatile vehicles of Star Wars: The Clone Wars gleam like new toys, with smoother edges and more detail than you'll see on other versions of the game. The worlds of Star Wars—including quite a few you've never seen—surround the action in smooth detail, even as the screen fills with enemy droids and artillery.
Whether combat takes you into the skies with the Republic gunship or barreling into the forest on a blindingly fast speeder bike, the explosions, blaster fire, light saber slashes, and enemy hordes remain movie quality. The speeder bike sequence, in particular, will have you looking over your shoulder for Ewoks.
The game's audio is blessed with the usual John Williams music and sound effects we've come to expect from LucasArts Star Wars titles. Once you hook up to Xbox Live and go online for multiplayer competition, you even hear in-game chatter over your TV speakers, letting your guests keep up with the trash talk.
Force-boosted multiplayer, including Xbox Live capabilities.
You Fought In the Clone Wars?
Without a doubt, LucasArts has put the most work into expanding Star Wars: The Clone Wars with multiplayer capabilities. Instead of just a two-player split-screen mode, up to four Xbox gamers can go head-to-head in Duel mode (free-for-all combat), Control Zone mode (king of the hill), Academy mode (co-op play against swarms of enemies, aka MechAssault Grinder mode), and the brilliant Conquest mode, which adds a tactical squad layer to the entire affair.
All of these game modes are also available as options for Xbox Live, which expands the number of players for each game to eight. Jedi generals with online access will also be able to download updates, including a variety of new maps not seen anywhere else. This isn't just the first Star Wars game on Xbox Live—this is the first online Star Wars game LucasArts has done on any video game console in history, and the designers aren't going halfway.
A walker scouts the battleground.
Rise of the Empire
Since Star Wars premiered in 1977, the Clone Wars have loomed in the backstory—mysterious, ominous, and holding the promise of incredibly cool Jedi action. Now, the story of the Clone Wars can be told, not in a theater near you, but on your very own Xbox console. Crystal-clear graphics and sound, high-speed vehicular action, and a whole new universe of online multiplayer await you.
Begun, this Clone War has. Now, finish it, you must.
By Danny Chihdo 
