20-Dec-2005 Does the PSP version of the popular SW shooter make the jump to light speed or is it stuck in the galactic hinterland? When Sony said PSP was going to be a pocket-sized PS2, they weren't lying. Just take a look at the incredible Star Wars Battlefront II - it shouldn't be possible on PSP, but here it is.
Apart from a couple of missing game modes, there's very little difference between the portable and nonportable versions. The visuals have taken a bit of a knock, with noticeably less detail and a touch more jagginess, but they still look beautifully crisp on that PSP screen.
The controls are a little different too. Due to the PSP's lack of a right analogue stick, the Square, Triangle, Circle and X buttons are used to control your character's facing direction (look up/down, rotate left/right), while the little analogue stick moves him forward, back, left or right. It's clunky and takes a little shine off the game, and although there are other control configurations available, it highlights one of the PSP's few design flaws.
Once the controls have been mastered, Battlefront II's two main styles of gameplay - the campaign mode of Galactic Conquest and the bite-sized Challenge modes - become a joy to progress through. Galactic Conquest plays similarly to its bigger brother (plough through the galaxy trouncing everything in your Star Fleet's path); Challenge modes consist of quickfire bursts of action, like killing 20 Gungans (the ones that look like Jar-Jar Binks) in five minutes, or hunting down Rebel officers before 'retiring' them.
Multiplayer, while restricted to four players, is Battlefront II's biggest strength. It's a smooth affair, with no downsizing of maps and all of the vehicles from the PS2 version included. It means that there's plenty of scope to be creative with your tactics, and if full-blown stellar war gets tiresome, you and your mates can get stuck into the Challenge mode instead.
Fiddly control issues aside, Star Wars Battlefront II on PSP is a miniature miracle. Along with GTA: Liberty City Stories, it's another sure-fire sign that Sony's handheld is a gaming force to be reckoned with.
PSW Staff
// Overview
Verdict
Battlefront II gives PSP a mighty workout, but delivers the goods in fine style.
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