The Star Wars name is now dead. Horrible gameplay and ugly settings, this isn't the sort of game to be on your shelf.
You begin as Anakin Skywalker, but switch between a large number of characters during the course of the game including Rex, the squad leader of a troop of clones. It's designed primarily for two player co op, so if, like me, your girlfriend doesn't like Star Wars games, you have to suffer a computer controlled sidekick for much of the time. In the Jedi scenes, this is a giant eyed alien girl whose cutesy asides I found irksome, though fans of the cartoon may already be used to her. The 3D CGI/anime hybrid graphics are heavily stylised and studiedly bloodless, it's very detailed colourful, but makes lightsabre combat look like a wet sand pit. Although I respect that Lucasarts did try and make the game look alot like the series, it hasn't been done that well, but can be admired for it's detailed enviroments. The gameplay is let down by its 2D platformer, 3D environment mechanics. Some bits appear to be designed to be moved through at one very specific angle only, which is pretty frustrating, especially when the camera is so zoomed out you can barely see where you're trying to go. I spent more than an hour trying to make Anakin find a platform that couldn't have been more than three feet away and directly in his path. Watching him fall into an abyss for the hundreth time contributed to a dramatic stop, and I ended the game, but going back to it an hour later. The Clone Wars has a horrible camera. Think G.I. Joe crossed with God Of War, not a good mix, I tell you. The camera is very loose, and doesn't go where you want it to go, resulting in a horrible glitches. The sections where you play the leader of a troop of clone soldiers, are a bit flawed, too. Firing ranged weaponry depends on an auto aiming system which has a nasty habit of flipping you 90 degrees to the right when all you want to do is make a minute aim adjustment, and can also lock on to the wrong target. Gunfights are a case of shooting in all directions and hoping against hope that the auto aim is on your side. Another problem with these sections is that they don't really address the difficulty of leading a squad composed of identical clones, all wearing the same uniform, and all spending most of their screen time firing various pieces of unnecessarily pyrotechnic weaponry in seemingly random directions. Not one of the development team appears to have spotted the headache this was going to give you trying to work out which one is yours. Under such adverse circumstances, negotiating the platform elements and trying to shoot at the bad guys doesn't require skill so much as blind faith.
Maybe this is a game for all ages, which anyone can enjoy, but I felt too old for the ugly script and stupid voices. Try The Force Unleashed, better atmosphere, better looking levels, better combat mechanics. Plus, it is really cheap now. But overall, this is a ugly attempt at a great TV series based game. Do not touch this in a store, don't even be tempted if the price is lowered to under a fiver, because this is one horrible game, that has destroyed the Star Wars name.
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+ Some good graphics and colours
+ Good characters
- Horrible camera
- Disgusting script
- Short and repeative
- Annoying controls and gameplay
- Boring