From the sparking blue waters of the grand lake came the synthetic sounds of crafts approaching quickly and before the grand droid army of the CIS hit the shores of the lush green mainland the various Clone Troopers on the beach aimed their rifles and joined the even grander army of the Wookies in a massive battle that became well-known throughout the history of the Clone Wars. The grand battle at Kashyyyk is but one of many of the battles gamers will get to play out in Star Wars Battlefront II, sequel to the best-selling and memorable original.

The first game allowed Star Wars fans to recreate familiar battles from the first three original movies and the last two George Lucas prequels, while offering the chance of play out fantasy battles that never took place but can be brought to life nonetheless in any of the available familiar locations. With the prequels now finished, Battlefront II is able to introduce battles and locations that span all six films as well as drop in a few from the original thanks to a new addition to the series ... but we will get to that in a minute.

You will still get a chance to simply jump into the fray with Instant Battle, picking and choosing from any of the available maps. The best part is that there’s now an even better variety of game types available such as 1 or 2-Flag CTF, Hunt and Assault as well as the usual conquest mode (that has you attempting to take control of all Command Posts). Hunt has you hunting down a team selected as the hunted and thus has the hunted team attempting to stay alive until the time runs out. Assault has gamers destroying as many of their enemies objects as well as enemy units as possible. It’s great stuff, indeed, but if you want to unlock various extras it is done in the game’s two single-player modes Rise of the Empire and Galactic Conquest.

Rise of the Empire not only chronicles the rise of the first Galactic Empire and the beginning of Palpatine’s rule as Emperor but it also allows us to witness the history of the Clone Troopers. We are introduced to the 501^st infantry division on the planet of Geonosis during what will soon come to be known as the start of the Clone Wars. This  being their first time being field tested (as it was seen in “Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones”), we go through a short tutorial that introduce basic movements as well as the various useful classes. Different situations arise in the game that allow us to switch classes, putting us in the role of sniper and an engineer (a class that specializes in repairing gun turrets, repair and medical driods) but as an infantry trooper its all about the fighting. From there we follow the career track through the eyes of a Clone Trooper that is witness to his clone brothers’ need to follow Palpatine’s every orders including the one that leads to the eventual fall of the Jedi order.

As deep as the Rise of the Empire mode is, however, Galactic Conquest is a turn-based game that has you moving your side across a map and matching up in battle whether it takes place on the surface of a planet like ice planet of Hoth or the watery planet of Kamino. Then again the battles can also take place in space, meaning you will get to pilot your side’s various ships whether it’s a TIE Fighter or a TIE Bomber. Space battles look and feel epic since you will be surrounded by fighters battling it out. These missions have you attempting to destroy your enemy’s massive destroyer ships either by taking out the life support system or engines and communication devices. These battles are actually quite thrilling once you get the hang of the awkward flight controls. 

The ground battles still feel the same as the original and if you’re playing the game using the computer-controlled bots they still make some pretty questionable decisions on the battlefield. You will, again, die quite often since the enemy still has the habit of ganging up on you. This time, though, the game introduces heroes. Since there are heroes on both sides, the good guy list ranges from young Obi-Wan, Mace Windu, Yoda while the bad guy list of heroes range from Darth Maul, Darth Vader and his still human incarnation Anakin, Boba Fett and even the Emperor. The problem is that controlling them is not as smooth as controlling a Clone Trooper, Rebel or CIS battle droid. When the enemy takes control of their hero it usual means you’ll be chopped up pretty quickly when you come face-to-face with a Jedi or Sith Lord.

As for the multiplayer aspect of the game, which is one of the reasons you will still be playing the game long after you finished the single-player modes, it is still just as great as the original. You can still play the game using a single Xbox (in which case it’s a four-player affair) but it can also be played using a System Link setting or online through Xbox Live that will allow up to 32 players on screen at once. Most of the issues with the AI are gone thanks to actual players taking control and, for the most part, the game runs at a steady framerate. The only slowdowns you will encounter come from the heavy explosives but the slowdown does not cripple the overall experience. If you don’t have Xbox Live, this is the game that will convince you to consider signing up.

The game’s visuals have been upgraded just a bit when it comes to the environments and certain characters but other than that the game looks much like the original. The various locales look nicely detailed and places like the Wookie planet as well as Yoda’s chosen exile planet of Dagobah are particularly easy on the eyes. What still steals the show visually, though, is the visual effects. The allies and enemies still fill the screen beautifully and the explosions, laser fire and lightsaber look amazing. While the CIS droids and Clone Troopers look great, the game is still not able to properly render faces human or otherwise.

The game’s sound still gives each battle its feeling of grandness. Every sound you hear in the game comes from the movies and it will certainly have you turning up the volume or playing this one with a good sound system. This is topped off by John Williams’ amazing score that punctuates each battle perfectly. Even the voice acting is handled right, with the Clone Troopers sounding a lot like the actor that portrays them all (they’re clones of one person, after all). Darth Maul sounds great but Yoda and Darth Vader could have used better voice actors.

In the end, the game has not changed dramatically nor will it feel like a new game but Star Wars Battlefront II is still the best time you’ll have offline or on. The new features are nice additions to an already action-filled game with battles any Star Wars fan could possible ask for in a game. There are just a few things that could have been done a bit better (better handling of fighter ships and heroes for example) but overall this is a game you won’t want to miss out.

Gameplay: 8.0
Control-wise the game hasn’t changed from the original and that’s not a bad thing at all. Space battles are fun once you get the hang of the awkward control scheme but the Jedi and Sith feel a bit clunky. The maps cover everything from Endor to the volcanic planet of Mustafar. Both Rise of the Empire and Galactic Conquest are delightfully deep and the Instant Battle mode contains a nice variety of modes.

Graphics: 8.5
The visuals have been slightly reworked and on the Xbox the game just looks a lot sharper and the character and backgrounds a tad more detailed. Some characters don’t look so good, such as Mace Windu or Han Solo. The visual effects, though, still look amazing.

Sound: 9.2
Nothing says Star Wars quite like John Williams’ gorgeously epic soundtrack that covers all six films throughout the game. The sound effects are straight from the films and hearing a lightsaber slash through enemies still brings a smile to my face. The voice acting is also well done, although Yoda doesn’t quite sound right.

Difficulty: Medium/Hard
You will die many a death in this game and once again it could be a bit frustrating at times but then again it adds to the challenge. Going up against Jedi Knights or Sith Lords mean instant death in most cases. Rise of the Empire and Galactic Conquest are wonderfully deep and challenging game modes.

Concept: 8.0
Aside from a few cosmetic changes the addition of heroes like Yoda and villains like Darth Maul spice things up a bit. The dogfights are particularly tasty with both Clone Wars era ships and the oh-so familiar Republic X-wings and TIE fighters from the original movies.

Multiplayer: 8.5
Once again the online multiplayer is the star of the show and with up to 32 players battling it out in the various familiar locales there is very little to complain about. The framerate does dip a bit, especially when there are multiple explosions occurring at once but it does not slow the action down or keep the epic battles down.

Overall: 8.2
If it’s more of the same action-packed battles you crave, Star Wars Battlefront II for the Xbox will not disappoint. With more playable maps, including the excellent space combat battles, and the inclusion of heroes and villains makes this a particularly satisfying Star Wars games fans will love.