Star Wars Battlefront, from LucasArts and Pandemic, does a phenomenal job of immersing the player in the Star Wars arena. Unlike earlier path driven games, Battlefront gives the player an entire field to work within, essentially allowing one to develop/customize his or her own plan of attack. Game play can be carried out in both first and third person mode, with dozens of options ranging from the type of player, the environment, the era, or the difficulty of play.

The Players - Battlefront’s player selection is one of the most diverse I’ve seen for this type of game. Not only can the player choose between the forces of good and evil / Prequel and Trilogy but within those realms there are additional choices, typically five, that offer unique and specialized abilities. Among some of the more specialized characters you’ll find Clone Jet Troopers, Destroyer Droids, Wookie Smugglers, and even the dreaded Dark Trooper. Whether you choose a front line trooper, or something a little more removed from the action like a sniper or pilot, your contribution shapes the outcome of battle. One of the more interesting features of the game is the option to re-deploy your self at any point of the game. At the cost of your current “life” players can ‘re-spawn’ as a new character whenever they like. While you can only spawn at one of your held check points, it is handy should you discover a specific character would be better suited to handle a certain situation.

Environments – Covering the action from both the Prequel and Trilogy era’s is perhaps what Battlefront does best. The game takes the action from early conflicts on Naboo to the final showdown on Endor and everywhere in between. Battle fields for each of the environments is rich and beautifully detailed with plenty of features to assist in a winning strategy. While snipers may find comfort high up in the Ewok tree village or Theed rooftop, ground forces will likely find the many archways, tunnels, and alleyways handy for either advance or retreat. Specific to many of the environments, players also have a selection of vehicles to choose from to aid their cause. Trade Federation AAT’s, Republic Gunships, X-Wings, TIE Fighters, AT-AT’s, and Speederbikes are all to be found on various levels. From what I can tell so far, any open (unmanned) vehicle is available for either side to commandeer, and very handy for dropping behind enemy lines and opening up a new assault. While defending the skies of Bespin, I got punked by a TIE Pilot that landed his damaged Cloud Car near my position – won’t make that mistake again.

Era: Prequel or Trilogy – As mentioned previously, Battlefront players have the option to choose what era to do battle in. Each era determines the type of characters to choose from, as well as the environments that are available to battle in. While there are some crossover worlds (those found in both trilogies) each era offer many unique environments, and rightly deserves a visit from all players. To buy this game and only play levels from Classic Trilogy would be a terrible waste. For both eras’ there are essentially three game play options. Historical Conflicts will pretty much run you though the major battle established in the Star Wars films. There may be a few slight detours thrown in to extend playing time, but you will definitely touch on the major battle fields of those films. Galactic Conquest is a mode that allows the play to choose the field of battle with and open up special bonuses to assist in subsequent battles. For instance, forces that win on Tatooine will add either Luke Skywalker or Darth Vader to their cause. Other planets offer other bonuses, nothing as impressive, but helpful none-the-less. For those looking to jump in with both feet, Instant Action will take them anywhere they want to be, on any side they choose.

All in all, Battlefront has been more than I had initially expected, and continues to impress me every time I sit down with it. While I’m sure there are many facets of the game yet to be discovered, I say with little reservation that this is a game any Star Wars fan will like. When you are out tomorrow picking up your copy of the Trilogy DVD, don’t forget to grab a copy of Battlefront as well.