Speaking of single player, the game includes two campaigns in addition to the
simple offline version of the online game played against AI-controlled bots. The
first is Rise of the Empire, a series of missions played as a member of Darth
Vader’s own 501st Stormtrooper Legion. The battles in this mode still resemble
the multiplayer matches, but each has a series of objectives to complete and
they are separated by cutscenes that tell the story of the end of the Republic
and the rise of the Empire. It’s not on par with a campaign that would form the
core of a game designed primarily for single player action, but it is quite
enjoyable within this context. The other mode is Galactic Conquest and this
plays out as a turn-based strategy game where you fight out the battles in
real-time. You and the computer maneuver fleets across a galactic map in an
attempt to capture all of the planets. When you move over an enemy planet you
initiate a battle on a ground-based map and if you win the battle you win the
planet. If two fleets meet over the same planet, a space-based battle ensues.
This mode is fun for a while, but there is a certain amount of ebb and flow to
the planet control so you’ll find yourself fighting back and forth on the same
map a little too often for variety’s sake. Overall the single player action can
be fun, but the AI-controlled players are not the brightest of opponents that
you’ll face. The action is far more interesting and enjoyable when taking on
human players online.
Online the game supports up to 24 players at a time and the game’s 24 maps
are scaled well to ensure that there is plenty of action with games near this
limit. Lag can sometimes be an issue when you’ve got a full map, though.
In The End, This Game Hath Been Rated:
87%. Overall, Battlefront II is more of an incremental change over the original
game than a full-blown sequel, but those increments are pretty good ones. If you
enjoyed the first game, you’ll like this one even more and if you’re a Star Wars
fan you owe it to yourself to give the game a try.
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