An excellent addition to the Star Wars game library. newcomers and veterans alike will be delighted by the new features.
Essentially this is very similar to the previous game (don't fix a game if it isn't broken). you play as a specific class and use their special abilities to take advantage of the other opponents in an Unreal type of battle. one of the major changes to the classes was the addition of three new ones: the engineer, the marine (which will be mentioned later) and the commander. the commander has the ability to rally and increase the efficiency of surrounding soldiers, all while equipped with a slow, but powerful weapon (I.E. a CHAIN GUN!). the engineer plays similar to the pilot (who has been made exclusive for space battles), he is equipped with a shot gun and a welding tool, which now has the ability to disable enemy vehicles (with the right amount of time). The new vehicles (such as the AT-LT and the droid battle tank) have extraneous flaws that tend to put players more at a disatvantage instead of a step up on the field (the AT-LT, for one, is more like a walking turret, wait until it's back is turned and kill the pilot). another great feature is the reward system. players are rewarded improved weapons (like the elite rifle) and abilities (like my favorite, Damage Increase) for completing specific goals in the game (like making six head shots in one life).
Another excellent improvment to the game is the ability to play as a Jedi. Jedi's (or other leaders such as Boba Fett) have an excellent feel to them as you can do nearly everything a Jedi can do in the game. whether it's running and jumping at 100 MPH, killing enemies ninja style, or taking full advantage of all of those Jedi powers, reflecting laser fire and launching enemies into the air with the power of the Force. The game doesn't let you have a free-for-all with this character however, as the Jedi has a time limit that diminishes as he/she is damaged, which may upset a few (but then again, it would be unfair to let us play a jedi as long as we want).
clearly the best improvement on the game is the space battles. players can use several types of starfighers (like the v-wing or the Jedi starfighter) to either take out the enemy destroyer by bombarding the exterior, or by boarding the ship and tearing the ship apart through sabotage (which is my favorite). space battles feature only two types of units, pilots and marines. marines are all purpose soldiers (equipped with a rifle and a rocket launcher) which are excellent for boarding parties.
Battlefront II's A.I. however, is a little difficult to deal with. the "easy mode" has been erased completely (for those who are still new at battlefront) and the A.I. has biased opinions of players. for example, no matter how good player 2 is, player 1's A.I. compadres are seemingly able to take out player 2's allies with ease. which takes a toll on the multiplayer features. players might be disappointed to find that every planet only receives one battlefield, and places such as the dune sea on Tattoine have been taken out of the game. the galactic conquest mode, though much better than the previous game, takes a while to learn the new layout and some may be completely stumped by the new rules. also, in the galactic conquest, players only star out with the basic soldier and have to gain credits to unlock the rest, which cuts down on some of the levels. The worst change to the game is how players must gain a certain amount of points before they can access some of the better classes (such as the droideka or the Jet trooper). After playing most of the game's single player features, it doesn't feel like you will get much other than the multiplayer afterwards. So it is essential that you have friends (or Xbox live) that are willing to play.
Although the game has its share in ups and downs, it still remains true to the gameplay we know and love. players will love some of the new planets (and hate a few as well) and of course the Jedi. the most important part of this game is the multiplayer feature. if you have Xbox live, you will be able to fully enjoy the game.