ast night I had the pleasure of attending a special LucasArts event for their upcoming game Star Wars Battlefront. Front a convenient shuttle from downtown San Francisco, event attendees were whisked away to the Presidio, a national park area located near that bay that was a one time military outpost. From the first moment of our arrival, Star Wars was thick and heavy in the air. As we exited the bus into a campground-like wooded area, we were met by a throng of Stormtroopers and Rebel forces, dressed to the nines in authentic costumes and garb. The costumed folks were part of a San Francisco area “garrison” of Star Wars re-creationists, which are part of a much larger national collective of garrisons. Tents that were set up were decked out in camouflage and classic Star Wars film music and sound-effects were broadcast over the entire area. After a short check-in period, we were let loose to play the PS2, Xbox, and PC versions of the game to our heart’s content, mingle with the troops, and immerse ourselves in Star Wars scenery.

Given the elaborate display upon our arrival, I expected no less than a stellar experience once it was game time. Well, thankfully, I wasn’t disappointed. For those of you unfamiliar with Star Wars Battlefront, the game is quite a bit similar to EA’s Battlefield series. Upon joining a game, you’re allocated to one of two teams and charged with running around a map, killing your enemies, jumping into and piloting vehicles, as well as gunning to control a number of control points on the map.

As you would expect, the game features classic and new Star Wars characters and environments. The two teams, naturally, consist of the Imperials and the Rebels, with each one containing pretty similar troops to choose from. Imperials contain their share of Stormtroopers and other soldiers, while the Rebels are mainly comprised of soldiers taken straight out of the classic battle of Endor. To mix things up, however, the game also contains a large amount of droids that can be used in battle, including the Destroyer Droid (or Droideki from Episode 1) as well as the mass-produced Battle Droids from that same movie. Like in Battlefield, each character type also comes outfitted with their own unique weapons and skills. There’s a standard assault type and heavy weaponry type that tote around heavy firepower weapons. Also, there are classes such as the sniper; a handy type for picking off distant foes. Interestingly, there are some other classes as well, including soldiers that can tote around things like electronic bolt casters, but unfortunately, they seem to lack the overall appeal of the other main classes.

While most characters are capable of a primary attack as well as the ability to toss grenades or thermal detonators, some are also able to use special secondary attacks as well as man stationary gun emplacements and vehicles. I won’t surprise the secondary weapons for you, but I will divulge that the sniper class possesses a special sniper bot that he can unleash. The deadly silver globe will fly around the environment and the player can aim and shoot with it, using it sort of like a remote controlled gun. If the odds aren’t in your favor or if you’re just hoping to take out a lot of enemies in one big move, the sniper bot can also be used as a powerful explosive device if detonated.

One of the many game tents at the event

Vehicles have always been a staple of the games in the same genre as Battlefront, and LucasArts is aiming to pack as many vehicles into their game as possible. While the versions of the game that we played didn’t give away too many surprises, we did manage to zip around in a speeder bike in Endor, smash Ewoks in an AT-ST, fly the classic Rebel Hoth fighters, as well as lumber about in a gigantic tank taken straight from the new Episode films. To even the odds during the heat of battle, all vehicles can be used by either the Rebels or the Imperials, and all access and entry is mapped to a simple button press. Also, pretty much all the vehicles operate under the same control scheme as moving your character, with the exception of the AT-ST. The lumbering death bot is a bit trickier to pilot, given the fact that you only have a certain amount of turn radius on the main top part of the unit. If you attempt to walk forward while trying to turn too much to the left or the right will cause your viewpoint to re-center itself so you can actually see where you’re going. While a bit tricky to get used to, it’s never frustrating or compels you to get sick of it. In fact, all of the vehicles seem to possess a nice “fun factor” to them, with none being too complicated for their own good. If you got sick of dive-bombing your jet into the ground in Battlefield, rest assured, you should be an ace come battle time in Battlefront.

Everyone enjoys a nice campfire...even Stormtroopers

Since LucasArts showed off the PS2, Xbox, and PC versions of the game, I was given the unique opportunity to evaluate the visuals of each one in succession. While the game never really looks “bad,” there are some noticeable differences in the visuals depending on which platform it’s on. The PS2 is at the bottom of the list. While featuring some nice character models and environments, textures and overall detail were just a bit too bland to really stand out as memorable. The Xbox version was quite a bit of an improvement over the PS2 version, sporting some nicely detailed characters and some impressive particle effects. The clear winner was the PC version. The graphics were a cut above both the PS2 and Xbox and the raw processing power of the PC helped to ensure that the game was always running at a nice clip. Riding the speeder bike on the PS2 or Xbox was a bit jumpy, while the same scenario on the PC seemed to run quite a bit smoother and at a higher frame-rate.

Gameplay-wise, the game features some surprisingly tight controls, especially the console versions. If you’re ever played an FPS title on the PS2 or Xbox, the controls shouldn’t come as a shock to you. Movement is mapped to the left analog stick, while looking and aiming is mapped to the right stick. Pressing the R1 button will unleash your primary fire, while L1 will thermal detonators. Each character features a special “zoom in” sort of viewpoint, which can be activated by clicking in the right analog stick. The only character who doesn’t feature this is the sniper. Clicking the right analog stick in will cause that character class to whip out his rifle and zoom in with his scope. Also, as I said earlier, all entering and exiting vehicles is made via a quick one-button press, which makes the whole process of commandeering a new ride quick and clean. Obviously, the PC version features the tightest controls, especially when it comes to manual aiming. While the PS2 and Xbox versions do have some pretty respectable analog control, they still seem to suffer a bit from the old curse of never really having that fluid or pin-point feeling of accuracy. The PC, since it utilizes the mouse for aiming and looking, never falls prey to this problem, and as a result, feels the most cohesive on a gameplay level.

Stormtroopers are all about gaming

Since LucasArts had continuously running multiplayer matches going on for all three versions of the game, I had the unique opportunity to try each one out. The only mode available was a Battlefield-esque scenario were the Rebels and Imperials were all vying for special control points on each map that we played. Control points are essentially spawn points, so when you capture all the points on the map you win the match, since your enemies have no place to actually re-enter the game through. While nothing entirely new in terms of gameplay, the multiplayer was pretty impressive on all three platforms, especially the PS2. Given the fact that quite a few matches featured 16 players, I never really ran into problems, save a few frame-rate hiccups and lag every now and then. The Xbox and PC versions pretty much operated on the save level, with the PC version maybe benefiting from a slight advantage in frame-rate.

As you would expect from a title from LucasArts, Battlefront features some truly impressive sound work. You’ll hear classic Star Wars tunes while you’re battling it out, as well as familiar sound effects and other nostalgia. Running past an Ewok ally in Endor, I couldn’t help but hear his familiar “jub jub” sound, just before he got smashed into the ground by an AT-ST. The great sound doesn’t end with the music, either. Classic blaster noises and vehicle sounds are a faithfully represented in the game, so fans of the classic Star Wars sounds and music will definitely be happy.

LucasArts always has a tough job ahead of them whenever they set off on making a new Star Wars game. With millions of die-hard fans across the globe, their every move and action is scrutinized like no other game company out there. Expectations are always high and the pressure is always on. But, even with these pressures, it seems that LucasArts is up to the challenge. While Star Wars Battlefront isn’t using some mind-blowing new technology or revolutionizing the way games are played, everything is cohesive and responsive. And, there’s the “X-factor” that surprised everyone at the event: the game is incredibly addictive and fun to play.

And so, as the night wore on, the event started to wind down. But, before I left, I managed to catch a glimpse of a ray of hope for the Rebels and Imperials, a quick handshake that could be the beacon of peace amongst the two factions…or maybe not.

And now for the screens! To view the new PS2 screens, click on the Screenshot tab at the top of the page.

To view the Xbox screens, click here.

To view the PC screens, click here.