Ellington

You know, I might be a little biased against "Star Wars" games. It's not that I don't like the franchise. I love "Star Wars." I even have a pair of Boba Fett underw—uh, never mind. But so many games based on the popular series have come out, it's really hard for one to capture my attention.

"Battlefront II" is, by all means, a well-made game. It is a fast-paced third-person shooter, and there is a nice balance of quick reflexes and skill involved. What genuinely impresses me, however, is the seamless transition between ground and space combat. Like something you'd expect from the "Battlefield" series, you can hop into ships in certain levels and fly out into the breach, something few "Star Wars" games have done.

Space combat is limited, and it's not as fluid as in "Rogue Squadron" or other completely flight-based games. The combat is made a bit more interesting by the class choices. Like many war games, players may choose a class that determines their appearance and equipment.

Story missions can get pretty rough, so choosing the right class is vital. There are two eras, The Clone Army of the Republic vs. the CIS, and the Empire vs. the Rebellion. The differences are mainly cosmetic—though the names are different, the character types stay the same.

An interesting feature is the ability to play as heroes from the "Star Wars" series, such as Mace Windu, Yoda, Boba Fett, even Han Solo. They're extremely powerful and often help you complete some of the tougher objectives.

The story is exhausted. Everyone knows what happens in the movies, and if you've played many "Star Wars" games, the whole plot seems to run together. Often, it seems like the characters from the movies are thrown into the levels just to be there. Still, telling the story from the perspective of a clone soldier was a nice touch, and it gave background information on a force that was at work throughout the movies.

Sound has always been a strong point in Star Wars games. The voices are well done, with none of the ear-wrenchers common in some series. Music is, of course, supplied by a rumbling orchestra, but even that has started to sound a bit old.

Graphically, "Battlefront II" succeeds but fails to impress. The character models look good, but the feeling they've been used many, many times before pervades. Ships could use more detail. The level design is clearly a strong point. Some areas are lush and pretty, while others are hazy and treacherous. The player is free to explore, and there is an open-ended wonder in flying around the large maps.

Online play adds some replay, but in the end, "Battlefront II" is a fun but relatively unspectacular addition to the massive library of "Star Wars" games.