As you progress further into the game you’ll be able to give your AI squadmates command via the control pad. It works much like it did in
Rogue Leader as you’ll be able to issue commands such as attack and defend. Your squadmates aren’t exactly the brightest individuals on the planet but they’re still able to get the job done. It’s the dynamic of finding alongside a group of friendly units that really makes this game quite excellent.
Clone Wars succeeds because it gives the feeling that you’re part of a grand scale war. The atmosphere is just excellent as you rarely go at it alone and are often flanked by friendly troops who will fight alongside you. There are just plenty of memorable moments in the game that come from taking part in some huge battles. One early incident has you piloting a tank as you defend a convoy of heavy vehicles. While they rain heavy fire upon buildings and heavy units you are ordered to protect them from the more agile and quicker vehicles that prove to be a menace to their slow mobility. So you work as a team and watch the battle unfold around you. This makes you feel like you have a direct result in the mission’s success without having the mission revolve around you, it’s an immersive feeling that isn’t often produced in today’s games.
The voice acting is quite good but the impersonators are well off from what their movie counterparts have to offer. This game features a poor man’s Obi Wan who sounds like he used to do some vocal work for the TV show
South Park. He has that nasally voice about him and though his lines are delivered quite well, I found it to be kind of an annoyance. Especially since we’ve already had two competent actors portray the character, it’s just way off here.
Everything else in the game just sounds excellent. Clone Wars continues the long-standing tradition of audio excellence in LucasArts games. All of the sounds come in crystal clear and best of all; the game supports Dolby Pro Logic II. Audiophiles prepare to be engulfed in the sounds of war.
Visually the game is excellent all around. It’s not going to blow your senses away but the look gets the job done. There are some nice touches around the levels that will easily go un-noticed by the untrained eye. Especially noteworthy is the destruction of enemy vehicles, you’ll see them collapse and explode into a mass of metal and fire. A lot of effort was directed towards making the game look as true to the saga as possible and for the most part, it succeeds.
Also included are some excellent multiplayer modes that bring some excellent replay value to the table. In addition to the usual death match and team death match modes, there’s an excellent mode called Conquest where two teams fight to destroy the other’s base. You can build turrets and such to help defend your base as your enemies try to attack you. Surprisingly, multiplayer is just excellent but limiting it to only 4 players really hurts its effectiveness. I really wish that the programmers had allowed for bots to be included in the battles. That way, the gamer would able to wage grand scale wars against each other.
Clone Wars is an excellent title that will appeal to the die-hard Star Wars fan as well as the casual gamer. There is plenty of action to be had within the title and best of all; it works quite well with the clunky Game Cube controller. This is definitely one of the best surprises of the year and if you’re in the market for an excellent shooter, look no further than Clone Wars.
Is the force weak in your living room? The Jedi Council recommends that you pick up Prima Games' excellent strategy guide to help you through your trials. You'll get in-depth descriptions of every mission as well as winning strategies in the multiplayer levels.
B-
Clone Wars is an excellent game that will probably surpass the expectations of many. There are some technical flaws in the game but for the most part, you get your money's worth.
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