In the end, its atmosphere and charm is what makes Star Wars: Battlefront such a great game.
Straight away you can tell that Star Wars Battlefront is a rough around the edges sort of game, incidentally, the conclusion of your first skirmish will tell you this. Star Wars Battlefront throws in third person and first person shooting, multiple character classes, a varied arsenal of weapons, and even some diverse vehicle combat, and yet none of these elements really stand out. Battlefront really is a pot pourri of different gameplay styles; a jack of all trades and master of none, if you like.
It doesn't pay any particular attention to making each of these individual spices really fresh or exciting - they all work, and they all gel together pretty well. It's a rather captivating gameplay experience all on its own, yes. But what gives these ingredients a true heart and soul is the all-encompassing franchise the very game is built around: Star Wars.
So, evidently, if you're not a fan of Star Wars, or haven't seen the movies, or haven't witnessed the electric magic that surrounds the series, then you better stay away from this game. But if you are a fan of Star Wars, if you like or love the movies, and if you're familiar with the incredible phenomenon that the franchise has aroused, then you are by all means recommended, by me at least, to buy this game.
The game has a huge variety of real Star Wars locales, characters, and battles for you to experience - almost every major planet from the franchise is available to frag stuff in, almost every warrior from the franchise are included for you to undertake their role, and a handful of the franchise's greatest battles are here for you to witness and turn the tide of.
And it all sounds very generic on paper, but the charm that clings to every pore of the phenomenon is indeed present in this game.
Just seeing walkers pulverizing troops holed up inside a command post on the bitter icy fields of Hoth, or seeing multiple droidekas barricaded behind their shields make mincemeat out of those who are returning fire on the rain-splattered oceanic platforms of Kamino, or seeing X-Wings blow up TIE Fighters in the orange skies and horizons of Cloud City, is just a joy on its own. When you're personally dealing out the destruction, it's even better.
And when you get to experience the battle from as many different angles, or as many different character classes, you'll find extra longevity and charm - and the joy of the game truly comes alive in the multiplayer, where you can team up with friends and deal out some wonderfully geeky carnage on assorted bots, or you can host heated human-vs-human wars which usually end in nail-biting tension-filled finales.
And the Star Wars chaos is wonderfully replicated on screen - every environment is pleasurably familiar, and excruciatingly well-reconstructed. Almost every troop, droid, and vehicle looks amazingly faithful to George Lucas' original creations, and it's all backed up with some brilliant effects, great motion blur, and astonishing lighting. This is a real gem as far as graphics as concerned, and with a good gaming rig, you really do reap the rewards. The same goes with the audio, consequently - blaster fire, TIE Fighter engines, droid yells; all trademark inclusions in the wonderful Star Wars magic, and they're here. Pretty darn good showing. You have to be a true Star Wars fan, or at least one familiar with the franchise, to truly see what makes this game great. Put simply, otherwise you'll be playing a rather standard, by-the-numbers shooter with some unfamiliar characters in some 'wtf' locales. The bottom line: Star Wars fan? Definitely have a go. Not a Star Wars fan? Give it a go, but I'm not guaranteeing that you'll love it or keep coming back to it.