Star Wars Battlefront First Look

The whole game is unsurprisingly being optimized for PS2 online, Xbox Live support, and voice communication - PC gamers will naturally be able to play it via the Internet. The console versions are planned to feature matches for 16 players online and 32 through LAN. PC users, on the other hand, are going to participate in 32-player online matches. LAN matches on the PC are going to accommodate up to 64 players simultaneously. As you'd expect from a multiplayer shooter, all the standard modes will be present: assault, DM, and TDM. But, the one we're most excited about is the gratifying variation of the "Conquest" mode which supposedly brings a few innovative and strategic elements to the gameplay. The cool thing is that once players win the battle and gain control of the planet, they receive a "bonus" ability. This special ability can be used in battle later on.

Gamers who prefer the single-player run will also get a chance to experience some decent action. The single-player campaign features linear progression and involves a variety of mission objectives for you to complete, fighting against AI-controlled opponents. The linearity, however, tones down as you progress. Eventually, when you've conquered numerous planets, each new single-player game will be completely different from the last one you've played. This denotes a promising degree of replayability.

As far as we could tell, the visuals don't appear to offer anything revolutionary. Still, it's clear that there's enough visual depth to lure you into the gameplay. According to the developers, the engine runs smoothly at this point and appears to have sufficient capacity to muscle the game's huge environments and various visual effects, ranging from detailed explosions to impressive-looking water surfaces. Pandemic is especially excited about their so-called "romantic camera," which is apparently an important part of the game's visual appeal. It's basically being utilized to moderate the rigid and geometrical look of the levels. They used it as kind of a filter for softening rough edges and certain 3D objects - particularly symptomatic for PS2 games. In any case, the team is doing their best to polish the game enough for all platforms. They also intend to throw in a few cool details in the backdrop of certain maps, such as Ewoks running around on Endor, etc.

Some of you may sneer at the game's noticeable resemblance to Battlefield 1942. It's true that SW: Battlefront derives from the basic BF 1942 gameplay mechanics... but what multiplayer shooter (with drivable vehicles) doesn't nowadays? Whatever you may think, the fact of the matter is that this game is encapsulated in a universe which opens up plenty of opportunities for combat with its vast range of races, characters, weapons, land and air vehicles, and so on. Plus, Pandemic is a truly noteworthy game development studio, proving its admirable talents with many solid titles in the past; from Battlezone to Star Wars: Clone Wars. This should outweigh any potential nay-saying. From our standpoint, LucasArts and Pandemic Studios are definitely on the right track.