You don't need to be a fan of Star Wars to enjoy this brilliantly crafted third-person shooter.
+Captures the true essence of the Star Wars universe
+Playing as the Jedi is actually pretty fun
+Inclusion of an objective-based campaign is excellent
+The new maps and soldier classes are awesome additions
+Graphically improved over its predecessor, if not by much
+Online multiplayer is super fun and still active
The Bad:
-Space combat has slightly sensitive controls
-First person view feels dated and awkward
At a young age, Star Wars was a favorite franchise of mine. I loved the movies, the Lego sets, the characters, the universe, and the action figures and other accessories. I grew out of Star Wars as a whole quite a while ago, and I didn't really think about it too much. One day I began to remember how much I used to love Star Wars, just when I was starting to get into video gaming. I have played many Star Wars games since then, but I didn't exactly get what I was expecting. Bounty Hunter was okay, Rogue Leader wasn't good and is really overrated (it's just another flight simulator), The Clone Wars was terrible, and even the original Battlefront disappointed me a bit. By then, I had pretty much given up. Until one day, I came across the second Battlefront and decided to give myself one last chance to enjoy Star Wars again. Boy, was I glad I did that. Battlefront II is not only the best Star Wars game ever created, but it's one of the best third-person shooters in general.
Let's start out with the gameplay. Gameplay in BF2 is much like the original in some ways. You destroy a rival faction, attempt to capture command posts, and choose different classes and vehicles to use. But here's the difference. In the original, that was pretty much all there was to it. In BF2, there's a lot more to do.
Aside from the fun Instant Action and Galactic Conquest modes, BF2 features an objective-based single player campaign, unlike the original Battlefront. It is entitled 'Rise of the Empire', and tells the Star Wars storyline from most of the films. It's a great addition, and is fun to play through. It's one of the best new features to the game.
You can also pilot X-Wings- Y-Wings, Tie Fighters, and many other ships in space for some flight-sim style combat. It's fun, but it doesn't control very well. For example, if you're driving and you turn the Right Analog Stick, it can often be hard to find your place again when going back to your regular position. It's partly because most of the space maps have little land, so you pretty much always see sky, but it's also because the stick is sensitive. It's not a huge problem, but it's certainly noticeable. But once you look past this, space combat is a great new addition.
Another addition is credits. For the kills you get, you earn credits, which allow you to buy upgrades, earn new soldier classes, buy health and ammo, and other stuff like that. You can also switch classes anytime when standing at a command post, whereas in the original, you can only switch classes when you die.
You can play in first person like the original, but what ticks me off is that they still didn't get it right. It feels dated and awkward, because it feels sluggish and just looks ugly. Maybe it's just me, though.
Graphically, BF2 looks slightly, but noticeably better than the original. The lighting is much better and the textures are less choppy. The HUD is also now at the bottom. Control-wise, it controls pretty similar to its predecessor, so those who played the first Battlefront shouldn't have a hard time learning the controls. The reload button and a few others have been changed, however.
There are many new maps, as well. Aside from a few maps present in the original, there are many new ones from the films released prior to it, such as Jabba's Palace, and even maps from Episode III, which weren't in the original, as Episode III was not released when it came out. There is also the ability to play as Jedi and other famous Star Wars heroes. You can play as Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Yoda, Princess Leia, Boba Fett, Han Solo, General Grevious, Obi-Wan Kenobi, and a few others that I either haven't unlocked yet or forgot. Playing as these characters is a lot similar to the soldiers, but they have extra special weapons you can use and other extras. It's fun to play as them, mainly because slicing up droids is something you can't go wrong with. Ha, ha.
Unlike the original Battlefront, there are many people still playing online. The online play is a ton of fun, and along with Battlefield 2: Modern Combat, Killzone, and COD 3, it's one of my favorite online games for the console. I haven't tried SOCOM online yet, and that may change my mind, but whatever. Anyways, online with BF2 is a lot like the Instant Action mode, except with other people. Like the original, you can add bots to the online matches. It makes for bigger battlefields, and a larger challenge. The maps from the single player mode are all there, as well as others. With all the maps and action-driven gameplay in BF2, it seems that online is where it was meant to be. It's one of the best online PS2 games even today, so those with a network connection could get this just for the online play. It's that good with others.
BOTTOM LINE: Battlefront II is easily one of my favorite shooters on the PS2. It has something for everybody, including awesome online play, an action packed single player mode, space combat, and all the features from the original. If you were disappointed with the first Battlefront because there wasn't enough content, then this one should seal the deal. If you didn't like it at all, this one isn't gonna do much to change your mind, however. While it captures the essence of Star Wars to the fullest out of any game, it's made in such a way that anybody can enjoy it. You don't need to be a fan of Star Wars to enjoy this brilliantly crafted third-person shooter. If you like shooters, then whether you're a huge Star Wars fan, a little interested in Star Wars, or not interested at all, this is still a must have title. It's that good.