Star Wars: Battlefront-II

[Coyote]

Finally broke down and got Battlefront-II. I love Battlefront I and played it over and over again. I finally decided that if I liked it that much, than BF-II was worth the look. Got in through Amazon fairly cheaply. I know BF-II has been out a long time-- this is typical of me. I wait to see what reviews the game garners, how well it stays popular for extended periods, and if it is replaced by something better within a few months. Only after careful consideration do I plunk down the money.

First off, I have to say I love it. The expansion of characters to play and the expansion of many different worlds in each game is awesome. The weapons are more interesting, and I really like the fact that the settings on some of the familiar planets (ie, Yavin, Naboo, etc) are the same layout as in BF-I and they didn't succumb to "redesign the past" syndrome.

There are some complaints:

I miss having two levels to each world: typically, it was one confined, infantry-like fight in close quarters or urban terrain; the other would be more of an open-field combat where heavy vehicles could be used. Now it is just one level per world (admittedly, I have played 'Galactic Conquest' and not 'Campaign' so it may be different).

In the first version, BF-I, there were many times when I was the only one left on my team and there'd still be several enemy left. I had to do the "last man standing" thing and there were times when I was able to survive against all odds. A memorable time was on Yavin, when I, as the Imperial Scout/Sniper, got on top of the pyramid with the command point and held off 17 Rebels, picking them off one-by-one as they approached until I finally won, with just a couple shots left. Great fun! Now, it seems that if you have just 1 or 2 guys left on your team, and the enemy has over 10 or more, the game simply decided that your position is untenable and ends play with your side in defeat.

There's no way to skip the space battles. They're fun, but sometimes they seem like afterthoughts to the land campaigns. They can actually get a bit monotonous after awhile, and it also seems that if I don't take a bomber out and personally see to it that the enemy starships gets hacked at, my AI teammates won't do much to it. When I take bomber out there to attack the starship, I get a lot of support from more of my team bombers.

My biggest complaint:
Does it seem to anyone else here that the enemy will utterly fixate on your character in the battles? I've seen enemies literally ignore an entire squad of guys surrounding them and shooting at them to concentrate on shooting at my character. I've seen enemy soldiers run past my team's tanks and sprint across open fields full of my guys to try to get at my character. I understand the game is supposed to be challenging and that you shouldn't hide in the mass of your fellows, but come on, now. They ignore immediate threats within arm's reach to get at me, clear across a field.

Battlefield specific complaints:
What is it about Polis Massa that makes it such a pain for the Empire to assault? I use the same tactics that work well in other close-quarters assaults but there's something about Polis Massa that makes it an Imperial graveyard. There seems to be one central room that is key to the holding of Polis Massa, and the Empire's starting points almost guarantee that we aren't able to bring as many forces to bear as the Rebels. No matter which 'bonus' I use, within minutes I have 10 guys left and the enemy has 40+. I notice similar results at Felucia.

These are minor complaints, since overall I really enjoy the hell out of the game. I like how the different worlds are balanced so that you're encouraged to play some of the different character classes (for example, a Sniper isn't as universally useful; sometimes it's better to play the regular grunts or specialty classes). Any other insights?

[DrMckay]

Heh. Interesting timing. I was up playing this with a couple of friends till one AM because we finally got it to work on their xbox.

The space battles do seem a bit tacked on, and I miss getting the fighters in atmosphere, but it seems like almost 2 games in one now. The Rogue Squadron-esque flying game, and the ground combat one. as to the last man standing thing, I'm not sure, but I think you can tweak it in settings.

This is one game that never gets old.

[Darth Ruinus]

Polis Massa? You're talking about that one room where there are two hallways that lead into the central room, where the Rebels have two checkpoints right? The way I do it is to mine one hallway near the entrance, so that I at least have some warning when they get past the other teammates, though it gets very easy when you have all the upgrades on your character.

The level that I have the biggest gripe with is Endor. I absolutely hate playing there, as you have to deal with the Rebels and an endless supply of Ewoks. Come to think of it, any mission where you have to fight two different factions is annoying.

BTW, Campaign doesn't have two battlefields per planet. It does, however, have a mission objective system, unlike the first one.

[Qwerty 42]

What is it about Polis Massa that makes it such a pain for the Empire to assault? I use the same tactics that work well in other close-quarters assaults but there's something about Polis Massa that makes it an Imperial graveyard. There seems to be one central room that is key to the holding of Polis Massa, and the Empire's starting points almost guarantee that we aren't able to bring as many forces to bear as the Rebels. No matter which 'bonus' I use, within minutes I have 10 guys left and the enemy has 40+. I notice similar results at Felucia.

The position of the Rebel spawnpoints is a lot better, it gives them a much better shot at taking the central room.

[Ryan Thunder]

Three complaints from memory, though I haven't played for a while:
1. The Rebel soldiers have better blasters than the Empire's Stormtroopers. This is obviously ridiculous on its face and unacceptable.
2. They somehow mixed up the firing characteristics of the Super Battle Droid's automatic blaster and the Stormtrooper's blaster carbine. I have no idea how they could honestly miss that with a straight face.
3. Bothan incinerators are well-nigh inescapable. They kill heroes with relative ease.

[Stark]

Did you get SW:BF2, or the cunningly reskinned SW:BF2 With Swords?

[Darksider]

Did you get SW:BF2, or the cunningly reskinned SW:BF2 With Swords?

huh? Is this some knock at the battlefield mod being better than the game or something? I don't get it.

[Stark]

Uh? SW:BF2 is what the game is called, buddy, don't blame me if they made their ripoff similarly-named.

In any case, I was referring to Battlefront LOTR with SMG archers. Turns out Pandemic has made the same game over and over?

[Darksider]

Uh? SW:BF2 is what the game is called, buddy, don't blame me if they made their ripoff similarly-named.

In any case, I was referring to Battlefront LOTR with SMG archers. Turns out Pandemic has made the same game over and over?

Huh?

*Fires up the wiki and the google*

Oh. you mean this?

Christ. is there anything EA won't try to cash in on?

[Darth Fanboy]

If I am playing as the Empire or Republic on Polis MAssa, I like to cut across outside in a stolen tank and take the checkpoint and come up from behind the Rebs/Seps, because they always seem to be really fizated on taking the middle checkpoints and I rack up a gruesome kill score shooting them in the back as they run towards my other guys.

I hate playing Endor as the Empire, annoying as hell but admittedly it is a good challenge. What gets annoying there is that it is hard for me to win without playing as Darth Vader, yet the Rebels and Ewoks always seem to be so spread out that I can't kill them fast enough to maintain health.

[defanatic]

I find it fun, while at the same time being a poorly made game, although I have no idea why.

I also get the feeling that the sniper blaster's damage goes much faster than the bolt that comes out of it.

Also, I like the idea of having your weapons upgraded in battle (rather than having a persistent system ala BF2 or 2142), but it is a bit weird the way they have you switch to it, in that you switch away from the weapon, and switch back. The assault class' assault blaster (???) is very good, but the beam rifle seems awful.

[Turin]

Oh hey, cool. I only got an Xbox for the first time recently (used, obviously) and I've been enjoying BF2 quite a bit.

Battlefield specific complaints:
What is it about Polis Massa that makes it such a pain for the Empire to assault? I use the same tactics that work well in other close-quarters assaults but there's something about Polis Massa that makes it an Imperial graveyard. There seems to be one central room that is key to the holding of Polis Massa, and the Empire's starting points almost guarantee that we aren't able to bring as many forces to bear as the Rebels. No matter which 'bonus' I use, within minutes I have 10 guys left and the enemy has 40+. I notice similar results at Felucia.

I think the approach to that room has a lot to do with it too (I'm pretty sure it's the one I'm thinking of). The Empire can't see the Rebels as they come into the room, where the Rebels can see into the space from outside (and easily lob grenades in as a result). I'm not sure whether the AI is good enough to react to the improved visibility, but it definitely makes it harder for you to support your buddies.

Felucia is similar for me, but not any specific area -- I just can't see a damn thing on Felucia (I don't exactly have a top-of-the-line TV to play on either, so maybe that's part of it). Blaster shots come out of the foliage and you can't see where the guy is unless you've got your reticle over him already. Of course, the AI opponents never seem to have a problem seeing you!

[Darth Ruinus]

I also get the feeling that the sniper blaster's damage goes much faster than the bolt that comes out of it.

The sniper rifles in the Battlefront games are all hitscan weapons, so the damage is done isntantly, with the trail of the bolt appearing shortly after the actual hit. Kinda like some of the ideas about the turbolasers firing an invisible component.

The assault class' assault blaster (???) is very good, but the beam rifle seems awful.

Yeah, the award rifle is great, it can kill most enemies in one burst, while the beam rifle is a mixed bag. It can only zoom in half the distance as the normal sniper, but it can also kill most enemies in one "hit", if you leave the beam on it for both damage segments.

[defanatic]

The sniper rifles in the Battlefront games are all hitscan weapons, so the damage is done isntantly, with the trail of the bolt appearing shortly after the actual hit. Kinda like some of the ideas about the turbolasers firing an invisible component.

Oh, so that's why I miss so much. I always try to lead my shots.

Yeah, the award rifle is great, it can kill most enemies in one burst, while the beam rifle is a mixed bag. It can only zoom in half the distance as the normal sniper, but it can also kill most enemies in one "hit", if you leave the beam on it for both damage segments.

I think there should be a little more transparency in how the unlock weapon works. The award rifle is great and pretty intuitive to use, but I had no idea the beam rifle had its damage split up into two segments.

I actually thought the controls for the space battles were pretty good, although it was a bit weird that your energy bomb things had gravity (not sure how canonical that is), and also that your ship didn't accelerate when you applied engine power, rather you went some set speed.

[Ghost Rider]

I enjoyed it, except when you learn how to line up headshots, and then they go and give you the advanced blaster. A weapon that pretty much makes you into mini Jedi with range.

Also wish some maps were better laid out given that some are obvious for chokes, while others are nothing but choke point to choke point, to choke point with some unrealistic expectation you'll break through. If the other side has even one compentent shooter, or even a drunk pig...it will rape you again and again.

Starfighter combat was tacked on, but I expected it. At least you can minimize time by landing, and destroying most the ship on the inside. More fun then making run after run after run on one target.

[Jade Falcon]

Uh? SW:BF2 is what the game is called, buddy, don't blame me if they made their ripoff similarly-named.

In any case, I was referring to Battlefront LOTR with SMG archers. Turns out Pandemic has made the same game over and over?

I remember seeing the trailer and thinking that it was basically Battlefront but could still be decent if I got it cheap.

Playing the demo really put me off though.