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Star Wars: Battlefront
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game: Star Wars: Battlefront
posted by: GF! Back Catalogue 10/2004 => 1995
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date posted: 12:00 AM Wed Jun 16th, 2004
last revision: 12:00 AM Wed Jun 16th, 2004


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By Blaine Krumpe

Throughout my life, I have honestly never met a person who has not liked Star Wars.  And it comes to me as no surprise that almost everyone at E3 probably knew every detail and character of the Star Wars Galaxy.    Of the three new games coming out from Lucas Arts, Star Wars Battlefront caught my full attention the most.  This action shooter is going to be HUGE.  Covering every major battle in the Star Wars Series, and letting you play the key characters in every conflict, Battlefront seems to have it all; and while the single player story sounds intriguing, the real battles will be fought online.

The PC version will support up to 32 players online.  Hook up to a LAN, however, and you've got yourself openings for 64 players.  For X-box and Playstation 2 there's room for 16 players online and 32 over a LAN.  Multiplayer battles rage over ten different planets with 18 different maps in total.  The planets include Endor, Hoth, Geonosis, Naboo, Yavin IV, Kamino, Tatooine, and three others yet to be disclosed.  The demo I played was fought on Endor.  And let me tell you?.It was massive, beautiful, and true to the movie.  Snipers were taking up positions in Ewok tree houses, speeder bikes were ripping through the forest and Imperial walkers were blasting through the trees.  The grin on my face just kept getting bigger and bigger.

You can fight your way through these vast and lush worlds playing as one of four different sides; the Rebel, Separatists, Imperial, or Republic armies.  In each faction there are six different units, four that will be similar in all armies, and two unique units for each side.  The four standard units will consist of a regular infantry unit, a heavy weapons unit, a scout unit, and a pilot unit.  The two special units will be true to the nature of the side you are on.  For example, the Rebels have a spy unit, which allows you to sneak anywhere on the map without the enemy spotting you.  If you fire your weapon, though, or are spotted by an Imperial officer, (special unit of the Imperials), your cover is blown.  Pilot units have the capability to actually heal the vehicle that they are in, and eject just in the nick of time if it is destroyed.  Upon spawning, your unit receives two weapons , your unique weapon or one of the four standard weapons , and a pistol.  Grenades, thermal detonators, and trip mines are also issued depending on unit type.

You must choose wisely with the forces that you deploy depending on the planet that you are on and the foes you are facing.  If you play as a Rebel on Endor, the Ewoks will help you out; however, if you play as the Imperials, the little beasts come running at you with sticks or set traps for you to die in.  On Tatooine the Tuscan Raiders, being true to their nature, try to kill everyone that isn't a Sand Person.  You must also take into account spawn points.  Every time an ally of yours dies, your spawn number goes down.  When the spawns are all used up, no more allies will re-spawn to fight in the battle.  This type of game play is fought over the multiplayer battlefield.

Along with fighting on the ground, you are able to hop into ground and air units and take the battle to a whole new level.  Some of the units include the X-Wing, speeder bikes, and AT-ST's.  There are over thirty different vehicles to choose from in relation to the planet you are on and the side you are fighting for.  There will also be vehicles that can be manned by two or more people.   This is a really exciting feature that lets the gamer experience so much more than just a ground battle.  The tactics and strategies for victory will be numerous and different as you find your niche in the overall game.

As far as the graphics go? WOW.  The shading and real-time lighting are superb, and the overall character models are true to the movie.  The maps are huge and extremely detailed with no little touch left out.  If you decide to shoot into the trees, leaves flutter away into the wind.  If your aim is good enough, you can scare whole flocks of birds into the air, or kill fish by shooting into the water.  Little touches like these add to the overall feel and experience of the game, making it a unique and intriguing one.

When it comes down to it, this game will be massively satisfying.   Fighting through your favorite battles among the Star Wars galaxy has been the dream of countless followers.  And get this: there will be at least one level, and various other content, from Star Wars: Episode 3.  You place your bets as to which scene?.  September 21st will be a day to mark on your calendars.  That's when this game hits the store shelves.