DIFFICULTY
Sand Snipe: The game is not too hard. On easy mode, everything is just about a clean sweep. On medium difficulty, it is a little more challenging the enemies are smarter and harder to kill. On hard, it doesn’t lie, it is challenging. Everyone is smarter, harder to kill and annoying. They will steal your base at any given time, whether they are kicking your butt or you are slapping them all over the place. I think a challenge is good.

WedgeWannaBe: I too found that the game wasn’t too difficult. However, I did notice that there seemed to be differing levels of difficulty depending on which side you chose. For example, being the Empire seemed the easiest while being the rebels was the hardest. I also made note that the difficulty could easily swing either way when playing as the Republic or CIS. It all depended on how many of your fellow units were around.

GRAPHICS
Sand Snipe: The graphics are very average. The only levels with graphics I like is Kashyyyk. The bushes are really annoying because you can’t see through them and they don’t hide you too much either. I like the ship’s and vehicle’s graphics probably the most. The characters aren’t too bad either.

WedgeWannaBe: Granted these aren’t the same level of graphics as Rainbow 6: III, but they were quite good. They did tend to have an almost “cartoon” feel to them. I did like the various gunners stations (Republic Gunship/AT-TE or Rebel Snowspeeder) as the “viewfinder” effect added a nice touch to the realism. The only real problem I saw was with the interaction of obstacles and the muzzle of my weapon. Several times, I could plainly see that the barrel of my EMP blaster was clear of the obstruction that I was using for protection, to only be self-sacrificed when I pulled the trigger. A real treat however is the in game movie footage. I really enjoyed that feature, especially when blowing up Naboo with the Death Star.

AUDIO
Sand Snipe: I like the audio a lot. They play the classic Star Wars music on the main menu, but in game play, sheez, all the sounds, it’s so cool. You can here blasters going off and ships flying over head. It’s also cool that you and your troops can talk like, “Follow me.” I think the audio was one of the best parts.

WedgeWannaBe: I agree, the music and sound is outstanding. Get into a confind area with a full squad opening up on a set of Droidekas and you’ll be amazed at the sound. Even the sound of a gunship’s engines are replicated to the “T”. I also find the troop-to-troop communication a blast…especially when ordering a co-pilot into the Rebel Snowspeeder. Sort of like a “Come fly with me to our death!” option.

GAME PLAY
Sand Snipe: The Game Play is awesome! It is a lot like the army game “Socom, Navy Seals.” In each battle you can choose between CIS, Republic, Rebels or the Empire. Each team has a regular trooper, a shock trooper, a marksman, a despenserman (gives you ammo/health) and each has their own special person. The Empire has a Dark trooper, which has a shotgun, and a jetpack. The Rebels have a Wookie, which has a bowcaster and a grenade launcher. The CIS has a Dstroyer Droid, which has a shield, rapid firing, and can roll around. Lastly, the Republic, they have a special clone trooper, he has a jetpack and a grenade launcher. Each solider also has a secondary weapon and grenades. Also you can enter ships like the Republic Gunship or a Tie bomber. You can also get in turrents and blast everything around you! You can choose between historical campaign or Galactic Conquest. In historical campaign you can play in the Clone Wars era as the CIS and the Republic or play Galactic Civil War as the Empire and the Rebels. In historical campaign you play what really happened, winning the battles the army was meant to, for example: Empire wins Hoth and the Rebels win Endor. For Galactic conquest you can choose between Clone Wars or Galactic Civil War but this time you only choose one team to rule the galaxy. You go planet to planet, defeating each twice until you conquered every planet. You also get bonuses for conquering a planet like Jedi hero, which a Jedi will fight with you (CIS: Count Dooku, Republic: Mace Windu, Rebels: Luke Skywalker, Empire: Darth Vader). Also in certain levels, you run into Tusken Raiders and Ewoks.

WedgeWannaBe: While I love using the vehicles to dispense death, thus earning the reputation for living in the gunship, I think they could have done more for the layout of the game. The whole capture-the-flag type of style could be replaced with a Rainbow 6: III-Type of game play where it’s a basic seek-and-destroy type of mission. I feel that taking command posts detracts from the overall authenticity of the game. On Hoth, it’s all about taking out the AT-AT’s so that the transports can escape, not about taking the forward command post and holding it the remainder of the game. I would have much preferred a more mission based game. We see glimpses of this when playing as the Imperials and being ordered to take out the Shield Generator on Hoth or to protect the Bunker on Endor. I think the developers of the game were going down the right path before getting distracted and chasing the ewok into the bush. The bonuses are a very nice feature and I give credit where it is due. This does add a certain fun factor to the game when you blow up a planet or incite a rebellion. Once again, the movie footage puts some nice frosting on the cake. As for which trooper to use, I’ve developed a personal favorite on each team. For example, early on it was the ARC trooper, but soon discovered that the missiles just don’t do the damage one would expect. I soon switched to going for maneuverability or range. The jump jets enhance your effectiveness when you can get past obstacles or enemies by going over them. Of course, nothing still says “Hello!” like reaching out to touch someone with the sniper rifle. This comes in quite handy for wide open boards where you can get clear shots. The one level on Kashyyyk is built perfectly for this as you take aim from elevated platforms. Say hello to my little friend.

MULTIPLAYER GAME PLAY
Sand Snipe: This is probably the game’s strong point. You can play Historical Campaign and together you defeat the whole thing or play Galactic Conquest. What’s different about playing with a friend is that in most vehicles can be controlled by two or more people so one can drive while the other is the main gunner. In galactic Conquest you and your friend can rule the galaxy or you can battle each other for the galaxy. If you are the Republic, your friend is the CIS and you try to take them over. Online, I hear, is very fun. I haven’t tried it personally but I hear it’s great.

WedgeWannaBe: Agreed, this is what the true vision of the game was all about. While the split-screen version is fun, nothing beats jumping in a Rebel Snowspeeder with someone on the other side of the country to go AT-AT hunting. You learn to communicate real quick on matters such as what side the AT-AT will be on when you pass it. Comical lines such as “Is that your left or my left?” are quite commonplace. There’s also the frequent “Oops!” after a teammate puts a thermal detonator between your legs while you are blocked in behind some barrier. All in all, those not playing the game online are missing a lot.

REPLAY VALUE
Sand Snipe: I suggest, unless you can play online, rent the game. The game is very short, I beat in less than a week. The special features suck, unless you like stills and concept.

WedgeWannaBe: The online version adds so much to the replay value of the game, especially if you can get a group of buddies all playing it at the same time. The bragging rights alone justify the cost. Besides that, the various setup with the four different teams offers a nice replay value for those rainy days.

FINAL JUDGEMENT
Sand Snipe: Exactly, if you have the money and a internet hookup then buy this game. It is also a great muiltiplayer game so, if you have a lot of friends come over, then buy this game too.

WedgeWannaBe: If you’ve got the money available and a few hours a night to toast your best friend, then by all means pick this up. While they could have put a little more time into certain aspects, the game did deliver quite a bit of entertainment value and was brought to us in a lot less time than Halo II. I say “Rock On and pass the ammo!”