Star Wars: Battle Front

Yes, yes, yes, this game was hot last year but it was finally released for the Mac and I have played it enough times (on Mac and PS2) to write a review to my satisfaction.

Personally, I hate first-person shooter games on my PS2 due to the controllers being overly complicated. When it came to Goldeneye and South Park, the titles should’ve been changed to, “Ethan (my friend) shoots everybody on the N64.” When it came to the legendary Medal of Honor, I ended up running around Utah (or Omaha) Beach with my rifle firing straight up so the Germans nailed me easily. When I have one of these games on my Mac, I can re-assign the keys to what I’m comfortable with and aiming is more precise through my mouse.

As a game, it’s pretty good. Most of the previous licensed games are just mediocre clones of other hits with Star Wars pasted on. Battle Front does lack originality since it’s pretty similar to the Dynasty Warriors series but where it differs from DW is what makes it great unlike everything else tied to SW. The premise is simply a first-person shooting game with you participating in the historical battles of the movies: Hoth, Endor, Genosis, etc. You can run through the historical campaigns or just duke it out with worlds and armies (Rebel Alliance, Clones of the Republic, Imperial Forces or Separatists) of your choosing. One recommendation though, if your opponent has Darth Vader or any force-using ally, stay clear. Shooting Darth Vader only makes him come after you and he kills you with little effort.

This game is for teenagers and up. If you have a young kid with a solid grip on reality (e.g. war isn’t a game), then this is okay too. The violence is tame. Robots explode, grenades go off and people fall down when shot. There’s no splattering or people screaming in pain but young kids have enough to deal with lately. Currently, it’s in the cheap bin for consoles yet has a pretty hefty price tag for the Mac ($50). If you’re a diehard, you’ll pay it, otherwise, you might want to wait for Battle Front to come down to $20 or $30.

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