Battlefront II for PSP: A review
Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2006 11:24 pm
Graphics: 7/10
Control: 9/10(after switching to Basic mode)
Sound: 10/10
Gameplay: 10/10
Overall: 10/10
Sony's PSP is a great system. The PSP's game library, however, is the exact opposite. Until now. With the sudden slew of AAA games- Burnout Legends, SSX On Tour, GTA: LCS- owners finally have a reason to have bought the thing. One game that you should not miss if you have the PSP is Star Wars Battlefront II.
OK, let's face it- this isn't the prettiest game on the planet. The framerate hovers between 20-30 fps, terrain textures are bland, and there is fog on every open level- but it just reeks style. This is Battlefront. This isn't some watered-down, stripped to the bones port. It is an entire war game- fit for any PC or console- that fits in your pocket. All of the player models are intact- no cheating. All of the vehicles are present and kicking a**, and of course, we have Jedi ready to duke it out. Aside from the fog, there's no cheating to try and get it to run smoothly. It may not be visually appealing, but hey- what other portable game can show dozens of soldiers and the gunships they rode in on all at once?
The game's sound consists of John Williams' classic score in full harmony. Apart from the obvious, a lot of work has been put into the audio. Unlike, say, Tony Hawk Remix, all of the voice work from the big brother version is intact. You'll hear banter between the troops(some of which is gut-bustingly funny*) and of course, all of the pop-pops and pew-pews you'd expect from a Star Wars game.
The gameplay is the same as last year's title, with a few tweaks. Vehicles now have a critical hit point, as well as explosion physics that send troops and debris flying everywhere. The huge addition is Heroes, which are units like Jedi or Bounty Hunters who have a huge advantage over G.I. Joe. These are great fun to play and are well balanced- you aren't invicible, as strong as you are. Another feature is Space Battles, which actually aren't as ground-breaking as you think, but are still great fun. Think of Rogue Squadron with more things to shoot and that's pretty much it.
All in all, this is a game you don't want to miss. The Risk-style Conquest mode will have you glued for months, the scale is epic, and the Imperial March is blaring. Break out your PSPs, it's time to shoot some droids!
Control: 9/10(after switching to Basic mode)
Sound: 10/10
Gameplay: 10/10
Overall: 10/10
Sony's PSP is a great system. The PSP's game library, however, is the exact opposite. Until now. With the sudden slew of AAA games- Burnout Legends, SSX On Tour, GTA: LCS- owners finally have a reason to have bought the thing. One game that you should not miss if you have the PSP is Star Wars Battlefront II.
OK, let's face it- this isn't the prettiest game on the planet. The framerate hovers between 20-30 fps, terrain textures are bland, and there is fog on every open level- but it just reeks style. This is Battlefront. This isn't some watered-down, stripped to the bones port. It is an entire war game- fit for any PC or console- that fits in your pocket. All of the player models are intact- no cheating. All of the vehicles are present and kicking a**, and of course, we have Jedi ready to duke it out. Aside from the fog, there's no cheating to try and get it to run smoothly. It may not be visually appealing, but hey- what other portable game can show dozens of soldiers and the gunships they rode in on all at once?
The game's sound consists of John Williams' classic score in full harmony. Apart from the obvious, a lot of work has been put into the audio. Unlike, say, Tony Hawk Remix, all of the voice work from the big brother version is intact. You'll hear banter between the troops(some of which is gut-bustingly funny*) and of course, all of the pop-pops and pew-pews you'd expect from a Star Wars game.
The gameplay is the same as last year's title, with a few tweaks. Vehicles now have a critical hit point, as well as explosion physics that send troops and debris flying everywhere. The huge addition is Heroes, which are units like Jedi or Bounty Hunters who have a huge advantage over G.I. Joe. These are great fun to play and are well balanced- you aren't invicible, as strong as you are. Another feature is Space Battles, which actually aren't as ground-breaking as you think, but are still great fun. Think of Rogue Squadron with more things to shoot and that's pretty much it.
All in all, this is a game you don't want to miss. The Risk-style Conquest mode will have you glued for months, the scale is epic, and the Imperial March is blaring. Break out your PSPs, it's time to shoot some droids!