Star Wars: Battlefront II [PS2]

See exclusive clips from the show featuring Star Wars Battlefront II.

Bringing the Battlefield 1942 style of large-scale military conflict to the Star Wars universe proved to be a winner both for gamers and LucasArts. As the starburst on the cover says, Battlefront it's the best-selling Star Wars game of all time. One thing you can bet on with Star Wars games is that there will be more of them, so Battlefront II arrives as expected -- and at the same time as the DVD release of Episode III: Revenge of the Sith.

There is a lot of new hotness to experience in this sequel, but none is bigger than the ability to play as hero characters. These icons sometimes fought alongside you in the first Battlefront, but now you yourself can control Yoda, Anakin Skywalker, and even The Emperor himself. Bringing a lightsaber to a gunfight has its definite advantages, as they mow through whatever they touch. You have other advantages to being a Jedi, too: Force powers like push and lightsaber toss, and the ability to triple-jump to clear large portions of real estate.

However, you must relish these playable characters because they may not be in your control for long. Having to wait to become them, and having to keep the kill count high to maintain them, makes it all the more special. Unfortunately, their simplistic control leaves a little to be desired -- they're essentially souped-up melee units.

A good chunk of Star Wars games have dealt with dogfighting in X-Wings and TIE Fighters, so it's natural that Battlefront would feature space scenes. After all, the vehicles were one of the coolest things about the first installment. Unfortunately, the interstellar battles can't hold a candle to surface soldiering. Perhaps it's the loose control or ease of death, but they're just not a lot of fun -- despite the fact that you can board enemy ships and gut them from within. When a game gives you the option to bypass certain portions of gameplay like Battlefront II does with the space battles, you know something's fishy. "Bypass them, you should," says Yoda.

Much work was done to differentiate each of the character classes you can choose. It's no longer down to simply which weapon you want to wield. Engineers can fix downed droids, clone commanders grant a bonus to allies around them, and actual pilots can "fix" ship damage when they're flying. You'll also take the role of Gamorrean Guards, Jawas, and Tuskan Raiders throughout the game. The ability to switch classes by visiting spawn points is a great idea, and is rightfully utilized in the main single-player mode, Rise of the Empire.

In Rise of the Empire, you're a member of the decorated 501st brigade of clone troopers. The price of your standing is that you're always at the forefront of any military conflict. It starts easy enough, with various missions in the Clone Wars. Level objectives call for more than just capturing outposts and wiping out the enemy. You'll retrieve items, defend objects, and seek out specific targets. This variety, along with the new settings, keeps things interesting.