Star War Battlefront (Mac) Description:

Star War Battlefront (Mac) review:
3 stars (Review for the Alaskan Apple Users Group) - Hoth. Naboo. Geonosis. If you recognize those names, you're familiar with some of the biggest Star Wars battles. With Aspyr's release of Star Wars: Battlefront you can now join in these and other epic campaigns spanning five of the six Star Wars films.



Battlefront let's you play on either side of all the major land battle in Lucas' famous movies as well as a few extra battles that fill in the gaps. It's upcoming sequel ([...]), which may or may not come to the Mac, will include content from the final film. This game does the best job yet of tying the whole series together which is nice since the DVD set containing all three movies won't be out for a while.



Unfortunately it spans the story with no real narration. Despite mood-setting clips from the movies and mission briefs in the voices of film characters, there is no real plot explanation as you play. So unless you're a Star Wars fan the game plays as a bunch of loosely related skirmishes with no real continuity.



If you are a fan though, the sound effects, units, and settings straight from the films will make every battle an exciting exploration of the saga's most memorable elements. The game has a grand scope, but it trades that content for less satisfying gameplay than some other Star Wars games.



In addition to lacking a rich plot, which is a hallmark of Star Wars, there is no character development. Each battle is isolated and is a simple game of territories where you must help your side gain and maintain control of several landmarks while fending off the enemy. Hold those key points long enough, while inflicting more damage on your foes than they do on you, and you will win.



While this is a thoroughly enjoyable multiplayer game model, it doesn't work well as a single player game. The "galactic conquest" mode compensates a little by adding a strategic element to the selection of your battles, but the game still plays like an online game against bots all the time.



So you would think the online play was better. Generally that is true. The opponents are more challenging and everything else plays exactly the same. Unfortunately, while Mac-to-Mac online play is supported via GameRanger, PC/Mac play is only available in direct IP or local LAN games. This severely limits the potential of this network-centric game.



Ultimately Battlefront could be an addictive online game, but the Mac-only online play cripples that potential and leaves the game with little replay value. Still, it's really fun to explore the universe, weapons, and vehicles of Star Wars.



If you're a Star Wars fan who has been waiting for a new Mac release, go get this one right away. If you're just looking for a fun game to invest in, keep shopping.
4 stars (Great fun - but expensive) - Star Wars Battlefront - especially due to the notorious lack of a broad variety of games for the Mac - is a great game. Of course, you need a 128 MB Ram Video Card to enjoy all the little bits and pieces, but in general it is the kind of easy play you would like to have after work...



...but dare you to play the game on holidays - like I did. I got it in the morning - and got instantly addicted to it. I played it on "medium" difficulty. Not eight hours later, I was done with both Solo-Campaigns and the good side "galactic conquer". On this speed I will have completed the game within another 2-3 hours.

Then I will be forced of either playing it again (difficulty: hard) or do instant action games...



So, Star Wars Battlefront is a must for the Mac (if you have the "recommended hardware" to fully enjoy it). BUT it is neither a real challenge for the experienced gamer nor a long-lasting investment. Five for being a Star Wars with great graphics and the great shooter - but four in total.



And by the way, in case you have purchased the game and found yourself with an invalid registration code on the back: don't panic. On the Aspyr Homepage (Battlefront, Support) you will find an auto-completion tool.
4 stars (Great Game) - After playing the PC version on a friend's computer so long ago I was shocked to see Battlefront coming out for the Mac platform at a very retail price of $49.99. After waiting a year to port the game is almost seems too little, too late, too expensive. Oh well, I'll probably end up buying it anyway. It just seems a slap in the face to sell it to us Mac users for $50 when it was released for PC over a year ago and now sells for them at $20. Not to mention the fact that Battlefront 2 is coming out for PC soon. Ouch.