Posted: Thursday, January 12, 2006 6:00 pm
January is pretty much dead when it comes to new game releases, so I’m taking the opportunity to go back to some games that got lost in all the chaos of the past few months.
First up is “Star Wars Battlefront II,” the sequel to the best-selling “Star Wars” game of all time.
Those are some big shoes to fill, and “Battlefront II” tries valiantly to do it. In the end, though, the sequel isn’t a whole lot different from its predecessor, despite some new options.
One of those new additions is the Rise of the Empire single-player mode. This mode consists of a set of missions that tell the story of the 501st, a clones division, as they go from fighting for the Republic to fighting for the Empire (basically, from good to evil). Objectives are given along the way, such as capturing an energy cell or breaching a ship. It’s interesting and certainly spices up things.
Still available is Galactic Conquest mode, in which you attempt to capture the enemy’s command points while guarding your own.
Online multiplayer is probably what most gamers are interested in, though. Up to 24 players can fight it out on the PlayStation 2, while the Xbox allows 32. Despite some lag issues, it delivers for the most part.
The two major additions to the game make online play pretty interesting. One is the ability to play as a Jedi. Once a player earns enough points in a battle, he or she can choose to respawn as a Jedi hero, gaining incredible powers and making the battle much more difficult for those trying to take down the Jedi.
Players also can take the fight to the skies, with space combat now an option. The controls are solid once you get the hang of them.
The problem with “Battlefront II” is the new material doesn’t change it significantly from the original. But that begs the question: If a game improves just a little on one that already was solid and a lot of fun, is that a bad thing?
It comes down to personal preference. If you’re a “Star Wars” fanatic, you probably already have “Battlefront II.” And if you want a completely different experience, you might want to skip it.
But if you’re just looking for some fun, and especially if you never played the first one, check it out. It’s worth your time.
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GameCube’s “Battalion Wars” also came out a few months ago. Those who’ve played the “Advance Wars” series on Game Boy Advance and DS will recognize the fun style of “Battalion Wars,” but the gameplay is much different.
“Battalion Wars” is a real-time strategy game in which you command the Western Frontier forces as they go to war with the Tundrans and later the Xylvanians (vampires, I kid you not). Battles are not turn-based; once they start, they’re not over until one side is wiped out.
Despite its cartoonish, charming style, “Battalion Wars” requires a lot of quick thinking and strategizing. You directly control one guy on the battlefield, but can switch in and out of the various units at will. Units are divided by type, such as rifles, bazookas, rocket launchers, etc. You control them through a menu at the bottom of the screen; simply lock onto a target, scroll over to the unit you want, and tell it to attack.
It sounds simple, but the battles can get amazingly complex and frantic. The enemy is still trying to kill you while you’re directing your troops, so movements have to be quick and precise. You also have to beware of what units you’re sending to what enemy types — you don’t want your riflemen going up against tanks, for instance.
There also are a number of vehicles to control, from jeeps to tanks to aircraft. They’re mostly a blast, though I wanted to rip my hair out when I had to race a hard-to-control, ultrabouncy jeep across a mountain at the beginning.
The controls for giving commands can feel a bit overwhelming at first, especially once you’ve got control of more than one or two unit types. But after a bit of practice, they become intuitive and work pretty well. I only wish there was a way to group certain unit types together, so you can give commands to a few units without it going out to all.
There are only 20 missions, and there is no multiplayer mode, so the game might seem a little short to some.
The over-the-top characters are likable and goofy, sometimes even hitting on each other across enemy lines. Voice acting is pretty decent, although I wanted to mute the way-too-peppy Brigadier Betty after about 10 minutes.
All in all, “Battalion Wars” is a solid offering that many gamers might have missed. It may be lacking in the multiplayer department, but it’s certainly worth a play by anyone who likes strategy gaming.
Reach Aimee Hatfield at 473-7326 or Aimee.Hatfield@lee.net.
Star Wars Battlefront II
LucasArts, for Xbox, PlayStation 2
Rated: Teen
Cost: $49.99
Grade: B+
Battalion Wars
Nintendo, for GameCube
Rated: Teen
Cost: $49.99
Grade: B+