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Gaming, In My Opinion
A much longer time ago, in a certain galaxy we all know about, there was a large war. Then less than six months after the movies release, we recieved the videogame rendition. And it's not too shabby.
The evil Count Dooku is trying to take over the Galaxy and only Mace Windu, Anakin Skywalker, Obi Wan Kenobi and other anonymous Jedi can lead armies of stormtroopers into battle against him. However, let's get a few things straight. Rogue Leader this is NOT. Jedi Knight II this is NOT. Best Star Wars game ever this is NOT! Truth is it's OK. And in a world of Zeldas, Metroids and Resident Evils, OK isn't quite enough for many people. Visually, it is between the N64 and Cube episodes of Rogue Squadron. A little bit of fogging, but you won't notice it too much. Sounds-wise, it is incredible as John Williams' fantastic score is blasted out to you ripped straight from the movie versions of Episodes I and II, not too mention all of the sounds effects from the famous celluloid saga. These are let down by some poor vocie acting (a camp, barely English rendition of Ewan McGregor, anyone?) but I digress. The main selling point is the sheer scale of action on the screen at once. Rogue Leader's Battle of Endor looks like a small get-together when compared to the Battle of Geonosis. Tanks, Walkers, Starfighters hide within Glastonbury-style crowds of robots and stormtroopers, and while this is impressive to begin with, eventually you'll find it overwhelming. TCW reveals something we never thought possible; it is possible to have TOO MUCH HAPPENING on the screen! At least in the Battle of Endor, you felt in control of something, but in Geonosis, you feel like a small part of a war that you are meant to be leading! Finally, Lucasarts have given us what we always wanted; a Star Wars dogfighting multiplayer...ish. The thing is, you can only be tanks (except for one round where you are Jedi). This is not the Rogue Leader-style four-player fest we wanted, but its a start and an enjoyable one, with plenty of different modes to keep you occupied...well, four anyway. However, there's something missing from the whole thing. It feels uninspired. Potentially, this could have been the world's first third-person involving strategy game, with you leading your troops into battle using the (limited) commands to direct them. Instead, it is a simple speed-round-a-level-and-blast/chop-anything-that-moves routine. Even with lightsabers and the size of the battles, it's just not all that special. Star Wars fans must have this, as well as fans of this type of game, but bear in mind that it's an OK game VISUALS: Not too shabby, but hardly Rogue Leader. 7/10 SOUNDS: John Williams' score. Nuff said. Star Wars SFX. Nuff said. 8/10 PLAYABILITY: Easy enough to play and quite fun to start with. 7/10 LIFESPAN: Questionable. Only real Star Wars fans need apply. 5/10 VERDICT: It's another Star Wars game, trying to be a merge of two of the best ones. Hmm. 68% |