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Star Wars is
one of those rare franchises that inspires game after game, and can
sell all of these games with just the name alone. Within the rich
and growing world of Star Wars, there are seemingly endless
possibilities and the (usually) watchful eye of LucasArts ensures
that the finished product is in tune with the rest of the franchise.
While not every game is a jewel, a Star Wars game is generally
better than your average licensed game, designed to make money first
and entertain second.
That said, I was still a bit cautious when I approached Star Wars:
The Clone Wars. Perhaps it was the fact that the last vehicular
combat game I played that bore the Star Wars name was Star Wars:
Demolition, easily one of the worst Star Wars games ever made (yes,
worse than Jedi Power Battles). Or perhaps it was the fact that
Rogue Leader, the next most comparable title I’ve played in recent
history, was easily one of the most frustrating games I have played
in quite a long while. In any case, I slipped that little Clone Wars
disc into my Gamecube, unsure of what to expect, but ready for
anything.
Star Wars: The Clone Wars, simply put, picks up where Episode II
leaves off. The game begins with events leading up to the epic
battle on the planet Geonosis at the end of the movie (only from
Mace Windu’s perspective), and continues past the end of the film
and on to the battles that would follow. The game is mission-based,
and is broken up into sixteen such missions, each of which contain a
number of different primary and secondary objectives to complete.
You can also choose from three difficulty levels for each mission,
namely Padawan, Jedi Knight, and Jedi Master.
Each mission involves piloting a number of vehicles, including
assault tanks, gunships, speeder bikes, and walkers, to name a few.
Several missions even have your Jedi jumping out of his vehicle and
mixing it up with a lightsaber, just to keep things interesting.
While each vehicle has its own set of weapons and abilities, for the
most part they all control the same, which keeps the game from being
an exercise in memorization. Unfortunately, the designers did not
take into account those who might be renting the game (which usually
means that there is no manual included) and, as a result, would have
to resort to trial and error in order to figure out how to play the
game. There is very little explanation of any of the vehicles or
controls, and there isn’t even a control configuration screen to
reference, in order to get a clue of where to start. While the game
doesn’t take very long to get the hang of, even a simple tutorial
mission would have helped in this regard.
 The missions themselves are enjoyable for the most part, and no two
of them feel alike; I never found myself saying, “Oh, no, not this
again…” Even the two speeder bike missions, while fundamentally
similar, are set up such that they feel completely different. The
missions are also quite clear in what you are expected to do; only
rarely did I find myself scratching my head, and that was usually an
indication that I had been playing too long. In all, while there
really aren’t enough of them, the missions themselves are fun, and
even on Padawan difficulty, provide enough of a challenge to ensure
at least a few hours of gameplay the first time through. Another
nice feature is the addition of checkpoints within the longer
missions, so if you fail the last part of a mission, you don’t
necessarily have to play through the entire mission (some of which
can take upwards of fifteen minutes) all over again. This kept me
from putting the game down permanently in frustration, even though
there was some occasional temptation to send the controller
airborne.
Control varies somewhat from vehicle to vehicle, but there is enough
common between all of them that there isn’t too much time wasted
relearning how to play the game upon encountering each new vehicle
for the first time. In general, big A fires blasters, little B fires
missiles, and Y executes some sort of special ability, like a speed
boost, shields, etc. For the non-airborne vehicles, L and R strafe;
for the airborne vehicles, L and R control your speed. In all,
control takes a bit to learn, especially without a manual, but it
works, for the most part.
Graphically the game is up to Gamecube standards, but nothing really
special. There are some occasional framerate issues, especially in
big battles with lots of vehicles roaming about and lasers flying
back and forth, but the game runs fairly smoothly when you’re not
engaged in a battle royale. The camera does a good job of staying
behind your vehicle as well, though it can change quickly and
dramatically. This can be extremely disorienting; I noticed this
mostly when piloting the gunship and running into the ground. The
actual vehicles and characters are modeled well and easily
recognizable; while you won’t be fooled into thinking that you’re
watching Episode II, you won’t be mistaking these vehicles for
cardboard boxes, either.
 Sound is actually quite well done even by Star Wars standards. Of
course, part of this is due to the fact that the game doesn’t stray
from Episode II’s soundtrack, which is quality music in any setting.
While not all of it fits (why is the Imperial March playing when
there are no bad guys in sight?), it does help generate the feeling
that you’re playing through a scene that could have been in one of
the movies. What is really impressive, though, is the voice acting.
I actually had to check the credits to see if Hayden Christiensen,
Ewan McGregor and Samuel L. Jackson were doing their own voices
(which they weren’t). The gentlemen who performed those voices did
an excellent job in imitating these actors (even down to Anakin’s
wooden manner of speaking).
If you are a big fan of vehicular combat games (like Twisted Metal,
for example) or just plain loved Star Wars: Episode II, then The
Clone Wars may be right up your alley. Otherwise, The Clone Wars is
worth a rental, but there may not be enough here to justify a
purchase. Playing through on Padawan level will only take the
average gamer a few hours at most, and subsequent difficulty levels
are mainly more of the same. Despite the length, though, the game is
fun while it lasts, and the atmosphere is done well enough to
satisfy fans of Episode II who wanted more than what the movie
provided.
All in all, while Star Wars: The Clone Wars may not be the best Star
Wars game ever made, it’s also far from being among the worst. Rent
first, and may the Force be with you.
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