Star Wars Battlefront II originally came out for the XBox system. I played it back in its release days on the XBox platform. I've long since traded in for an XBox 360, and was curious to see how well it had held up.

The most important thing to know here - the game plays just fine on the XBox 360! I had no problems at all playing on the newer platform. And even better, SWBII still provides great, engaging gameplay.

Where many games from the XBox era feel dated and old on the XBox 360, Star Wars Battlefront II manages to hold your attention and keep you engaged. The training section is great. It avoids the "shoot at targets. Now move to station 2" start-up that many games force you to slog through. Instead, you're tossed into the action, get to try out a variety of options, and you keep wanting more.

The game provides a wealth of combat styles. You get to run around on foot with guns, with a variety of character classes. You hop into various vehicles and explore locations which show an attention to detail in their design. There's space combat as well, if you've always wanted to fly a TIE fighter.

It's amazing to think this game was released in 2005. So many games from 2005 are painful to play - and yet this one draws you in right from the start.

Now, of course, the game does show its age. The graphics aren't quite as sharp or crisp as the latest games, as one would expect for a game designed for the XBox. Certainly there's areas of the game that you might wish played more smoothly. We've learned a lot about game design and user interface in the intervening years.

With all that being said, though, the game absolutely deserves a "classic" title. If you're a fan at all of the Star Wars storyline, and if you enjoy combat style games. I highly recommend you give Star Wars Battlefront II a try. You might find you play it far more than the latest releases on the market.

Rating: 5/5

I purchased this game with my own funds in order to do this review.

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