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October 12, 2007
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Battlefront: Renegade Squadron (PSP)
by JediJef
Ordinarily, uttering the words Sony and LucasArts in the same sentence within my earshot would earn you a swift kick in the nuts (or nethers, I guess, depending on your gender and species). After the colossal trainwreck of a game known as Star Wars Galaxies was bungled beyond all recognition by those two companies, I felt pretty confident that I would never again purchase a product with both their names on the box.
Happily, the two have managed to partially redeem themeselves with Star Wars: Battlefront ? Renegade Squadron, out this week for the Sony PSP game system. While its difficult to imagine ever forgiving the principals responsible for SWG (a game that, to the traditional SW fan, is about as pleasant as stooping to get the soap in a Gamorrean prison bathroom), at least the companies had the good sense to allow third party developer Rebellion to step in and deliver a game that puts the player smack in the middle of some gloriously authentic Star Wars carnage.
Despite the omission of a numeric title, Renegade Squadron is basically Battlefront 3, as it features many of the core gameplay elements from the first two titles in the series, while adding enough new features and polish to stand on its own as a full-blown sequel.
For those familiar with the first two installments, you?ll be easily acclimated, as the game still revolves around capturing and holding spawn points, depleting the reinforcement numbers of the enemy faction, and generally blowing stuff up.
The controls are familiar, with one notable exception: the omission of free-look. Coming from the PC versions of the first two games, I was initially thrown off by the inability to look in all directions. The PSP?s analog stick controls your movement, and by default, your viewing direction, and the only way to change it is to lock on to another target or turn your character?s entire body. It works well enough after a mission or two, but it will be an adjustment for veteran Battlefront players used to unlimited viewing angles via their mouse free-look. Also curious is the elimination of the first person perspective. While not a game-breaking issue, I do prefer to play in first person whenever possible, and, at least on foot, I grew tired of looking at the back of my character as opposed to seeing the world through his eyes.
Graphically, Renegade Squadron looks very much like its predecessor. Sony?s stated aim with the PSP was to replicate the Playstation 2 experience on the go, and Renegade Squadron fits this model, looking very much like Battlefront 2 did on the earlier console. The story cutscenes are a nice touch, despite being primarily still images. Most are conceptual-style paintings, and the camera pans and fades around them, Ken Burns-style, while the narrator tells war stories from his glory days during the height of the Rebellion.
The sound is also top-notch, which is old news in Star Wars games, as its rare that a LucasArts title doesn?t make superb use of John Williams? famous score and the extensive library of film sound effects maintained by Lucasfilm. Its all here, even the famous Wilhelm scream, and the soundscapes are surprisingly rich for a portable unit.
As before, the game features several play modes, including Instant Action, Campaign, and the return of the RTS-inspired Galactic Conquest. New for this installment is character customization and weapon load-outs, the former being entirely cosmetic (but a welcome addition nonetheless). In addition to picking armor colors, insignia, and body/head types, you also get to choose your kit, instead of picking pre-determined classes ala BF 1 and 2. You start each mission with 100 credits to spend tricking out your character, with the ability to customize primary and secondary weapons as well as abilities and power-ups. Finally, you can also change your loadout during the middle of a battle at a friendly spawn point, all of which adds a degree of complexity and strategy beyond the standard ?kill everything on the map? shooter mentality.
The multiplayer also shines, featuring support for up to 16 players via a Wi-Fi access point or direct connection between PSP?s. I had the chance to play with two buddies over our office Wi-Fi, and we each experienced smooth gameplay with very little lag or framerate issues.
As good as the gameplay is, Renegade Squadron isn?t without its faults. The story campaign seems rather generic, despite the nifty cinematics, and if you felt underwhelmed by Battlefront 2?s campaign (which basically consisted of in-engine cutscenes forming a loose narrative of the famed 501st Stormtrooper unit), you?ll find a similar experience in Renegade Squadron.
This time around, the protagonist is Col Serra, a mercenary who just happened to be present at nearly all of the iconically famous battles set during the original trilogy. Wink. Nudge. While some story is better than none, I would have preferred more of an attempt at originality than the recycled plotline that?s been lifted from any one of thousands of soldier-of-fortune pulp novels. That said, kudos for the aforementioned cutscenes as well as the gritty trappings that eschew the overused Jedi hero archetype in favor of rogues, smugglers, and scoundrels.
Space combat is also a bit problematic (and has always been a mixed bag in this series). While the visuals are great, the control is frustrating at best, and, even though targeting has been improved since BF2, I still found myself wishing I could quickly get past the space sorties and the all-or-nothing control scheme (flying manually with the analog stick is wildly erratic, and the only other option is an autopilot that takes you straight to the selected target). I don?t know whether it?s the poor implementation, or the fact that I?ve spent many hours in flightsim games such as X-Wing, TIE Fighter, IL-2 Sturmovik, and Flight Simulator X, but the arcade-style spaceflight in Battlefront has always bothered me. It feels, and plays, like an unnecessary afterthought.
The other major bone to pick is not really related to the game at all, but rather, its availability. The developers have taken the unusual step of building Renegade Squadron exclusively for the PSP, which deprives fans who may not have the means to shell out for a new console of a great franchise game. While there is precedent for platform exclusivity in previous Star Wars titles, doing so with Battlefront seems like a mistake, as the previous games in the series have been made available on all the major consoles, as well as the PC. Hopefully the game will sell well enough to merit a port, as there is nothing spectacular about the title?s technical achievements; it?s a PS2 game with a fresh coat of paint.
In the end, if you?re a fan of the Battlefront series, or Star Wars combat in general, Renegade Squadron is a must-buy. Despite its platform discrimination and crappy spaceflight implementation, the game offers substantial replay value and a polished presentation that makes great use of its license. Given the abundance of mediocre Star Wars titles released in recent years, as well as its own fun factor, Renegade Squadron is well-worth a Star Wars fan?s time.
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