Star Wars Battlefront 2

[That_Swedish_Guy]

Do you guys remember this? I dusted off my PS2 the other night, and this was the first game I found. It had been about 3 years since I last played it, so I did what I always do. I jumped strait into a quick deathmatch, and was blown away by how much fun I was having. Now, I know it isn't the best looking game, and it has some control issues, but it is a nice basic third person shooter.

Rant warning

It only has what is needed to make a game fun. There are four basic classes (basic infantry, anti-tank, sniper and engineer) for the four factions (CIS, Republic, Empire and Rebels). For each faction there is a special support unit and a final "unique unit". You can spawn the four basic classes at any point, and the others become unlocked the more points you get. It is well balanced and can be very challenging at times. Also there are health bars. None of that regerating health (which isn't too bad; I just don't like it much myself). You get hurt, you stay hurt until you find a medical droid.

There is one main thing that separates it from other deathmatch stule shooters though. That's the inclusion of the Jedi. These are evey bit as awesome and fanboy pleasing as they are in the movies. The combat for them isn't very advanced; it's basically sprint up to enemy and repeatedly press fire (there are other things to, like force powers and blocking). They just add that little bit extra to the game.

The space combat is also very well done. It's easy to learn, and there are lots of things that you can do juring space battles. You can take out enemy fighters, bomb their capial ships, land troops in their hangar or just shoot up asteroids. There's not much else to say, other than it seems like the team spent a fair bit of time on the space combat.

The single player campaign is a great because it follows the Empire as opposed to the Rebels. It fills the gaps in the canon, as it mainly takes place in the gap between movies 3-4. In fact, it takes place in the gaps between all of the movies in the original trilogy. It has a nice difficulty curve, and is narrated by one of the clones (with the original actor, I can't remember his name -_-). This makes the clones seem more human.

/rant
TL;DR: Star Wars Battlefront is fucking awesome.

Okay, that was longer than I expected...

Now, as all goood threads should have some kind of discussion topic, do you guys think that they should have made a third one? If so, what changes should they have made?

 

[SonicWaffle]

Now, as all goood threads should have some kind of discussion topic, do you guys think that they should have made a third one? If so, what changes should they have made?

I'm pretty sure they are, dude. Confirmed for the 360, IIRC.

Also, yes, the game rocks. I'd never played it before until about a month ago, when I bought the original. It has problems (flying a spacecraft is fucking terrible, and snipers are useless on the majority of maps) but it's still awesome fun.

EDIT: from wikipedia;

Star Wars: Battlefront III

Star Wars: Battlefront III is the sixth installment in the Star Wars: Battlefront series (third excluding handheld-exclusive editions listed above). It was originally speculated that Free Radical Design would be developing the game, after announcing that they were working on a "Secret LucasArts Project" on August 23, 2006.[5]; however, on December 18th, 2008, Free Radical Design announced that their company had gone into administration, and that the project had been handed down to Rebellion Developments, the developers behind Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron.[6] On June 7, 2008, an alleged ex-LucasArts employee came forward to Kotaku and unofficially announced several games in development, including Star Wars: Battlefront III.[7] On October 2, 2008, the OFLC listed Star Wars: Battlefront 3 for the Nintendo DS with a T rating, filed by Activision Blizzard.[8] On December 28, 2008, renditions of Star Wars characters surfaced from a laid-off employee of Free Radical, bearing the Star Wars Battlefront III watermark.[9] On January 15, 2009, footage of Star Wars: Battlefront III was leaked.[10] In addition to updated graphics, changes from the first two installments of the series appear to include the ability to fly from ground to space and board orbiting space craft with no loading screens.[10] The following day, more information was leaked regarding the title's departure from Free Radical--and, with it, the loss of the "complete freedom" that the video showed (October 2008).[11] Information came to light regarding a possible story line which involved a "Dark Obi-Wan Kenobi".[12] It is unknown if this storyline or the "complete freedom" style of play will continue with the title to its new developer (said to be Rebellion Studios), or even if the title is still in production. An employee of the intended new developer, Rebellion Studios, said that the game was passed to them, but then got passed to Pandemic Studios. However, a post made by an administrator on the official Pandemic forums denied that the company was making the game.[13] The administrator, who was also a company spokesperson, said: "As of right now, I can say Battlefront III is not currently at Pandemic. While I know the title seems to be up in the air from all the buzz around the web... LucasArts will be the only one knowing where the title is at right now."[14] LucasArts has made no official announcement regarding the current status of Star Wars: Battlefront III.

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

The game is awesome and I have it for the PC. If I need to play something that involves shooting but doesn't involve scowling soldiers I jump into SW Battlefront 2.

Petition Lucas arts for a third one! All together now!

I'm pretty sure they are, dude. Confirmed for the 360

It better be made for the PC too >_>

Well then, we better hope it comes out soon.

...and snipers are useless on the majority of maps

Strangely I don't really think of that is much of a con as a pro. If I want sniper action, I'll go play Battlefield. I've noticed that in any game that creates good conditions for snipers, there will always be a few dozen servers with nothing but snipers in them. It encourages camping... In Battlefront 2 however, you must always be trying to advance for if you stop, the enemy will gain ground. I love the non-linearity of some of the maps as you can secretly cap a point on your own if the enemy is concentrating near the front lines

 

[Ldude893]

I have so many memories from that game. It was where I developed my FPS skills at the age of 10 before being introduced to Call of Duty 4 and the more well-known shooters. I taught myself how to headshot enemies in that game.

They better make a sequel or there will be HELL to pay.

 

[rabidmidget]

Simple yet fun, it's surprising that it's taken this long for news of a third one to come out.

 

[thenumberthirteen]

It's best on the PC as the graphics are better and it adds a mode with twice as many people on the map. Awesome.

I loved that game, but it did have some issues. It was an improvement on SWBF 1 as the Jedi were absolute hax and couldn't be stopped in the first one. Plus the levels where you could pilot space ships meant that if you had a ship you were unstoppable since they were so strong and fast. I did miss some of the cool levels from SWBF 1 such as the Kashyyyk docks and Cloud city.

I also thing the Destroyer Droid was too overpowered. Ok it couldn't ride in ships or order troops or jump, but it was fast as hell, insanely powerful, and tough as old boots.

 

[SalamanderJoe]

Star Wars Battlefront if you notice is basically conquest mode Battlefield. Not a bad thing, just an observation.

 

[SwagLordYoloson]

LOVE THIS GAME, bought it on two consoles , only cause the one on my PS2 broke , it was an awesome game, all they need now is a third installation that adds to the normal game, better graphics, more options in space combat, better campaign, more class customization

 

[SonicWaffle]

Well then, we better hope it comes out soon.

Well, from what wikipedia tells me it seems to be languishing in development hell. Hopefully they'll get it sorted soon though, and the whole shebang will get back on track.

Strangely I don't really think of that is much of a con as a pro. If I want sniper action, I'll go play Battlefield. I've noticed that in any game that creates good conditions for snipers, there will always be a few dozen servers with nothing but snipers in them. It encourages camping... In Battlefront 2 however, you must always be trying to advance for if you stop, the enemy will gain ground. I love the non-linearity of some of the maps as you can secretly cap a point on your own if the enemy is concentrating near the front lines

From the perspective of someone who has only played the first Battlefront game, I think the sniper issue is a major con. I'm not really a sniping enthusiast, but for much of the time the class is unplayable due to a reliance on fast, frantic combat and the woefully underpowered rifles - what is the point of a sniper rifle that requires two shots to kill an enemy even from close range? Hit them once, and they'll run away, meaning you basically just wasted your time.

The reason I think this is a serious problem is because the first game only has four basic classes, with the occasional special (like the ridiculously overpowered Battle Droids, capable of wiping out entire armies without even taking a single hit). In a game with only four classes, it's ridiculous for one of them to be so heavily gimped. Pilots are shit in combat, but their repair abilty makes them king in maps like Tattooine or Hoth. The standard trooper is always brilliant for foot combat, though useless against vehicles. The heavy weapons guys are the opposite, terrible in combat against anything that isnt a vehicle (another of my gripes is how the heavy weapons have just enough ammo to almost kill a vehicle, necessitating that you run away to a droid and get more ammo before striking the killing blow. Total flow breaker), and the jetpack/shotgun guys and their variants are downright cool. The sniper, on the other hand, is weak in the game's combat style, weak at their own specific combat style, and the majority of the game's maps are too crowded with foliage, buildings, rock formations and various other crap to make long-range shooting possible.

My point is that with only four basic classes to balance against one another, someone really dropped the ball when it came to snipers and it makes them worthless in 90% of situations.

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

SIR SNIPPITY

I know they crippled the class, making it pointless to go for body shots as they don't have a chance of KO-ing out an advancing trooper. Maybe their goal was to make the sniper more headshot orientated but I don't agree with weakening the rifle. The whole point of being a sniper is that skill and accuracy is rewarded with a one hit kill.

I think the proper formula for sniping power should be thus:

Headshot: 100% chance of kill

Chestshot: 60% chance of kill, misses deal significant damage

Other shots: 10% chance of kill, misses deal fair damage

Because of reload time, the need for precision and the fact a sniper generally needs to stop moving in order to be effective means the sniper is already balanced out. Taking away that firepower limits his already specialized usefulness. I'm not against making more trooper friendly maps than sniper friendly maps though. Three or four maps with good spots for snipers would be fine if the other maps made it tough. Adversity makes victory all the more rewarding.

As for the Heavy Weapons thing, I completely agree it is annoying. Especially when you are trying for the guided rocket launcher and some other guy steals your kill.

[sub][sub]*hopes Battlefront 3 can escape the quagmire that is development*[/sub][/sub]

 

[Geekosaurus]

I heard the third one got axed. That might be wrong though. There was even a trailer out for it, let me find it...

Here it is:

 

[SonicWaffle]

I know they crippled the class, making it pointless to go for body shots as they don't have a chance of KO-ing out an advancing trooper. Maybe their goal was to make the sniper more headshot orientated but I don't agree with weakening the rifle. The whole point of being a sniper is that skill and accuracy is rewarded with a one hit kill.

The problem with this theory is that the game is notoriously laid-back about what actually constitutes a headshot. Now you or I, we'd say it involves getting shot in the head, but not Pandemic! Sometimes a direct headshot does fuck all, other times it's a one-hit-kill. It's very frustrating, especially when you consider the role the sniper plays - getting a headshot in a game that relies on constant, frantic running around is nigh-on impossible without brilliant reflexes, because 99.99% of the time, by the time you've got a headshot lined up they've moved or started to run in the opposite direction.

Skill and accuracy are all very well, but the whole game feels slanted against the sniper class. Look at Kashyyk docks, for example: the game makes a point of telling you that the lifted platforms make a great sniping spot. Do they fuck. The only way to get a clear shot on anything that isn't in your own base is to venture right to the very edge of the platform, at which point you will be shot and fall to your death. They're not even very good for defending your base either, because for the majority of the match the only units that will get that far are those shielded droids and vehicles.

Because of reload time, the need for precision and the fact a sniper generally needs to stop moving in order to be effective means the sniper is already balanced out. Taking away that firepower limits his already specialized usefulness. I'm not against making more trooper friendly maps than sniper friendly maps though. Three or four maps with good spots for snipers would be fine if the other maps made it tough. Adversity makes victory all the more rewarding.

Adversity is not the same as hopelessness. Have you tried playing a sniper on, say, Endor? You'd think those tree platforms would make a great position, except you can't see shit. Even levels that seem to have been designed with excellent sniper positions (Tattooine, Endor, Kashyyk) give a far greater advantage to troopers than they do to riflemen.

I'm not saying it ruined the game for me. I'm not even much of a sniping fan, though sometimes it's fun to pick people off from a distance. I found there was more fun to be had as a trooper, throwing myself into the midst of a pitched battle. My gripe here is that the sniper class is so underpowered in comparison to the others that it makes them practically unplayable in the majority of situations, and that's just pure and simple bad game design.

As for the Heavy Weapons thing, I completely agree it is annoying. Especially when you are trying for the guided rocket launcher and some other guy steals your kill.

My issue is actually more with their use in single-player. What with the AI allies being so deeply, deeply retarded that they often refuse to help you in what you're doing (preferring instead to go blow themselves up with their own grenades) getting a vehicle down to a tiny fraction of HP and then having to go find an ammo droid means that either then enemy NPC will leave the vehicle or use it to blow the shit out of a bunch of your guys before you can kill it. Either way it means you've wasted your time trying to kill it when you could probably have served your team better by spawning a trooper and joining the main battle. Come to think of it, the whole damn game seems geared towards making you spawn a trooper...

[sub][sub]*hopes Battlefront 3 can escape the quagmire that is development*[/sub][/sub]

You and me both, buddy.

 

[gmaverick019_v1legacy]

ah god i fucking LOVE THIS GAME.

i can't tell you how many hours i poured into it, i was the roll fucking master, between that and being one of the best third person camera's ive used in a long time, i destroyed the empire more times than i can fucking count. conquest mode was raped by me and my soldier class at least 200 times.

if there is a third one truly in development...hell yeah =]

 

[Stollos]

ah god i fucking LOVE THIS GAME.

i can't tell you how many hours i poured into it, i was the roll fucking master, between that and being one of the best third person camera's ive used in a long time, i destroyed the empire more times than i can fucking count. conquest mode was raped by me and my soldier class at least 200 times.

if there is a third one truly in development...hell yeah =]

Took the words right out of my fucking post. God dammit.

SNIP(er)

For me, each class felt like the quintessential soldier, who was then shunted into a specialist role. Each class had the capability to do the generic, quintessential frontline things: namely, to capture those posts and kill the other guy when you can see the whites of his eyes. Sure, as the sniper, you had lighter armour and took more damage, you could sprint for longer and faster, but through decent use of the pistol and your grenades you could get in there and capture the post whilst beating back the enemy in CQC (shit, you had to, seeing as how retarded the AI was), but you also had a sniper rifle to pick them off from afar. That was your domain, your comfort zone. But being on the frontline, you didn't always have that luxury.

But yeah, I do agree that the sniper was underpowered. When it boiled down to it, and especially when you had the award rifle, the base tropper was the most efficient jack-of-all-trades.

I'm honestly surprised that there hasn't been a 3rd game yet. Surprised and dissapointed. Before Microsoft shut down Live for the original xBox and got into full support for the 360 Live, SWBF2 had the second largest online community behind Halo 2. I'm dumbfounded that they're not milking this cow for more, and instead moved onto the crap we have now like FU (Force Unleashed). My opinion though

Anyway, I fuckin' love this thread. So dissapointed I can't play this game online anymore with a strong community D:

 

[SonicWaffle]

For me, each class felt like the quintessential soldier, who was then shunted into a specialist role. Each class had the capability to do the generic, quintessential frontline things: namely, to capture those posts and kill the other guy when you can see the whites of his eyes.

Really? I got the feeling that, when put on the frontlines, a sniper or a pilot loses their shit faster than a snowflake in a blast furnace. The lighter classes simply cannot go toe-to-toe with a group of enemy soldiers or a gun enmplacement for more than a second or two, and with their weakass guns they can't even take any of the enemy with them. The pistol is, as a weapon, about as effective as flicking pebbles at an elephant and expecting it to die. As for grenades, well...I'm not even going to start. Suffice to say that in Battlefront, a grenade is only useful if a whole group of your opponents have fallen down a well and can't escape - assuming, that is, that you're lucky enough to be controlling a trooper with enough hand/eye co-ordination not to drop a live grenade on his own foot...

The difference between the two is that if you put a pilot behind the wheel of a walker, gunboat, or other non-flying vehicle he's going to bring the pain. A sniper, on the other hand, isn't even particularly good in his own 'comfort zone'. Sure, he can capture a post, but only if someone has taken the trouble to eliminate all the enemy soldiers before he moves in to plant the flag.

But yeah, I do agree that the sniper was underpowered. When it boiled down to it, and especially when you had the award rifle, the base tropper was the most efficient jack-of-all-trades.

They were just the jack of a trade, and that trade was "killin' motherfuckers like it aint no thang"

It's sad that there wasn't really a choice between classes if you wanted to do well at the game. If you want to win, play a basic trooper. It's a rule that applies over every level, though pilots, heavy troopers etc have situational uses in some matches.

I'm honestly surprised that there hasn't been a 3rd game yet. Surprised and dissapointed.

Take heart, from the screenshots and trailers it looks as if the game is almost complete. It shouldn't be that hard to find someone to polish it off...

 

[astrav1]

Thank you for providing a tl;dr. I agree with you.

 

[supermariner]

I loved Star Wars Battelfront 2
but it didn't have certain maps that were in the first game
such as my favourite - Rhen Var

 

[NeedAUserName]

Its weird, I just picked this up and played, for the first time in a long time yesterday. Odd that this thread comes up now.

 

[Lt. Vinciti]

I found a copy at a used game store (was Xbox) worked on the 360...pretty sad having all sorts of fancy 360 games and just popping that in to gun down all sorts of...enemies..

Good times Good Times

kinda why I miss not having Multiplayer bots in modern games

 

[Armored Prayer]

Hands down the best third person shooter I ever played. Everything about it was great. The story, the maps, the heros, the AI, and the space battles.

My only complaints are certain maps not returning(How I miss the Dune Sea), lack of any native forces(only a few returned), and the unique first person views in each vehicle.