Star Wars Battlefront II Review

Star Wars Battlefront is the biggest selling Star Wars game of all time, so it should be no surprise we’re getting a sequel. What is surprising, though, is just how much better Battlefront II is than the original. Every single aspect of the game has been improved and new features such as space combat and the ability to use Jedi and other hero characters just seal the deal. More planets, more vehicles, more characters, more weapons – it all adds up to be more fun.

Improved Gameplay

The first thing you’ll notice when you start playing is that the game feels a lot tighter than in the first game. Character movement and roll moves, aiming, shooting, and tossing grenades are all much smoother. Hit detection is also improved which eliminates the phantom kills of the first game since now you are sure you’re getting solid shots on enemies. There are also more weapons as well as some new character classes to use, but a lot of work has been done to balance things this time around so you can create quite a bit of havoc no matter what class you choose. A nice touch is that more powerful classes are unlocked during the course of a match rather than being open right at the beginning which rewards teams for doing well. Another aspect that has been improved for ground battles is that the vehicles have been balanced just like everything else and there are also a handful of new vehicles to use. Overall, the basic ground combat has been improved 100% in Battlefront II.

Space Battles

Of course, Battlefront II is more than just ground battles. We also now have space battles to take part in and these provide some of the best moments the game has to offer. You start off in a capital ship and have the option to go man a gun turret and shoot down enemy fighters or blast the enemy capital ship, you can jump in a fighter of your own, you can stick around and play defense in your own ship to keep enemies from destroying it from the inside out, or you can load up a transport full of troops and land it in the enemy ship. Once inside the ship, the game plays just like the ground battles, but here you can destroy their shields, life support, automated defenses, and more. You can also destroy these vital systems from outside the ship in a fighter or bomber. You have a ton of different things you can do in space battles and all of them are enjoyable. Simply dogfighting and taking down as many fighters as you can is an absolute blast because the controls and weapons and everything is just about perfect.

Hero Characters

Another new twist to the gameplay is the addition of hero characters for ground battles. There are a ton of different characters available such as Yoda, The Emperor, Darth Vader, Jango and Boba Fett, Han Solo, and many many more. The nice thing about hero characters is that you have to earn them by playing well and you are also somewhat limited in their use. As long as you keep scoring points and contributing you’ll get to keep using them, but if you are just wandering around doing nothing they’ll be taken away from you. The best player on the team usually has first dibs on using them and they only show up a couple of times in a battle, so they are fun to use without changing the game too much. The hero characters are rather powerful, particularly the Jedi and Sith characters, but they aren’t unstoppable and two or three troopers working together can usually bring them down pretty quickly. The hero characters add in the little something extra that really makes the games pop and really makes the experience even more enjoyable for Star Wars fans. They were well implemented and a lot of thought was put into how you earn them and use them, so they are definitely a welcome addition to an already solid game.

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