Game Review: "Star Wars Battlefront"

Faizul Azim Saiful - NST Online

Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron (Playstation Portable)

YES! I am a Star Wars fan and of course when this game came out on the PSP, I was ecstatic.

Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron made it all worthwhile. A follow-up to Star Wars Battlefront 2, the sequel is solid and has no major technical issues like its predecessor.

Loaded with gameplay variety, it features a good assortment of modes that lets you play it as a shooter, as a turn-based strategy game, as a space shooter and lots more. This game does give its fans a good time.

The Galactic Conquest mode is a turn-based strategy game where you can purchase units, vehicles and weapons to fight with rival factions.

But the fun is in the third-person shooter modes. As a team-based unit, your missions are to capture enemy territory while defending your own.

Basically, this is a merge of team death-match and capture-the-flag.

As an unknown soldier, you will fight in famous battles in the Star Wars universe.

You start out by choosing a faction: The Confederacy, Rebel Alliance, The Empire or the Republic. Then you customise how your soldier will look with choices of race, heads, helmets, armour, costumes, gadgets, power-up and other upgrades.

Points you get from collecting icons throughout the battlefield can be used to upgrade attributes such as health, speed and capture rates.

There are 15 different ground maps to do battle on and even some of the environments in the prequel are included in this game.

The controls are very easy to get used to. You move your character with the stick, and the L button allows you to run. Famous Star Wars vehicles such as the hovercrafts, speederbikes, and AT-STs are available for you to drive.

If you want to head off into space, the TIE Fighters and X-Wings are at your disposal. The vehicles have different weapons systems such as lasers and missiles.

The graphics for the characters, weapons, vehicles and explosions are really well done although the environments are not really that spectacular.

Sound effects from the LucasArts library and soundtracks from John Williams actually brought some people to check out the game while I was playing it. The audio is that good.

For Star Wars fans, get this! And those on the other side, follow the light and your destiny will be complete. May the Force be with you.

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