Star Wars Battlefront 2

Overall Rating:
Genre: Action/Third-Person shooter
Christian Rating: 4 of 5
   (good)
Gameplay: 5 of 5
   (excellent)
Violence: 4 of 5
   (barely present)
Adult Content: 5 of 5
   (none)

2004's 'Star Wars Battlefront' gave us gamers the chance to live the greatest Star Wars battles. It went on to become the best-selling Star Wars video game in history. While 'Battlefront' was a great game, there were a few concepts that could be improved on that would make this game the ultimate Star Wars Third-Person shooter. Hence, 'Battlefront 2.' Its all the wonder of 'Battlefront' with those improvements, as well as tons of cool new features.

In 'Battlefront 2' you have many game-play modes to choose from. There is the 'Rise of the Empire' story-line, where you play as Darth Vader's squad of Elite Stormtroopers. There are many nifty multiplayer modes as well. This is where the real fun lies.

Battling it out with a friend on the split-screen mode never gets old. You can choose from one of four fractions (the Galactic Empire, the Rebel Alliance, the Confederacy of Independent Systems, or the Galactic Republic). Possibly the best of 'Battlefront 2's' new features are the playable Jedi (or hero) characters.

Each faction gets its share of playable heroes. For example, the Empire has Darth Vader, Boba Fett, and Emperor Palpatine. Once a certain point goal is achieved in a battle, you can play as a hero. Let me tell you, if you're team is loosing a battle, having Yoda join the war can greatly turn the tides of the battle. But fear not. The Jedi are not some 'all powerful force' that will obliterate all enemy troopers, making it a lop-sided war. No, the Jedi can be defeated quite easily, if not used properly by a skilled player.

There are many unique maps to fight on as well (ranging from the interior of the Death Star, to the exotic jungles of Felucia). Another new feature is the whole concept of fighting in space. You will start in your enormous capital ship, board either a bomber, fighter, or transport, then zoom out of the hanger and into a massive space battle. The best part of this you can land your fighter in the enemy's capital ship. Your trooper can then leave his fighter, and start tearing the ship up from the inside.

Christian Rating: 4 of 5. I'm sure you're familiar with the whole debate of the use of 'The Force' from all the Star Wars movies. It is naturally present in 'Battlefront 2' as well. The Jedi each have their set of force-abilities (force push,force lightning, force choke, etc). On occasion a soldier will say 'May the Force be with you,' but that is just about the extent of it. There are no elaborate Jedi speeches on the 'Ways of the Force.' I take no offense in this, but I know some people are concerned about this.

Language: Very mild. When playing as Princess Leia, she sometimes says 'D**n, they're fast.' Troopers can also say d**n, but that is the extent of the language.

Violence: 4 (barely present) 'Battlefront 2' is all about fighting. One of your main objectives is to kill the enemy troopers (and to capture command posts). But the violence is not graphic in any sense of the word. 75% of the time you will fighting either droids (robots) or clones. You are armed with various weapons, ranging from a hand grenade, to the powerful chain-gun. The basic objective is to attack any enemy trooper you see until its health bar runs out. When that happens the trooper will either explode into a pile of rubbish (when defeating a droid), or it will fall to the ground and quickly disappear. When a hero character is defeated, he/she will kneel and then disappear. In fact, heroes don't even die, the 'flee battle' to return later on. There is absolutely no blood or gore of any type.

Adult content: 5 (none)

Gameplay: 5 (excellent). The graphics and sound are first rate. The controls flow easily, and you really get a good sense of control over your trooper. The only complaint I have, is that when playing by yourself, the space-battle mode can get a bit monotonous.

In the end, “Star Wars Battlefront 2” is hours and hours of fun. You can play multiplayer for hours on end, and it never gets boring because each battle has its each unique characteristic. A clean play, that is even suited for younger gamers, with the violence being no more than any Star Wars movie.

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