Sound:  
Sound is almost always a very strong aspect of any star wars game, and Clone Wars follows in that tradition. The sound effects are grabbed straight from the movies, and definitely add to the immersion in the game. Blasters fire, lightsabers hum, tons of things explode, and they all sound like they should. It’s a very tight collection of audible treats.

The only complaint I have is in the voice acting. The guy who plays Obi-Wan in the game sounds less like Ewan McGregor, and more like me doing my Ewan McGregor impression. (Which isn’t that bad, actually.) Same goes for Sam Jackson, I mean, Mace Windu. It does sound a lot like Sam Jackson, but at the same time, you just know that it isn’t. Despite this one little flaw, which isn’t all that important, the sound remains great throughout. The music is great, the sound effects are great, and when you hear those blasters fire, you’ll feel right in the thick of things.

Gameplay:  
The bulk of Clone Wars lies in its single player game. It is in a campaign style format, where you’ll fight a series of battles, each leading to the next and with a story tying them all together as you go. There are also multiplayer modes to partake of, should you happen to have a few friends in the market for some Star Wars shooty fun.

The single player game is where you’ll go through most of your play time. The missions are very varied, and can range from challenging to occasionally frustrating. They will range from the typical “destroy all the bad guys” type to the “protect these worthless vulnerable transports from hordes of enemies” type. Pretty standard stuff, but it executes the levels very well. The action remains fast and furious throughout the levels, and will definitely leave your thumbs hurting from frantic usage after some of the more intense missions.

As an added incentive, there are certain bonus objectives on each of the single player missions, which, if completed, will unlock certain bonus features. For every five you finish, you’ll get another bonus feature, and if you get all 48, (I can’t confirm this) I think Samuel L. Jackson will come to your next birthday party. The features that you unlock range from new boards for the multiplayer, to movies about the making of the game. The bonus objectives are very tough to accomplish, so it will take even the most seasoned gamer veterans a while to get all of them completed, adding to the replay value of the game.

If I had to compare this to another Star Wars game, Clone Wars is most comparable to another great game on the Gamecube: Rogue Leader. There is a lot of fast, frantic vehicular action, (no, not THAT kind of “action”, sicko) and the story is original, so you don’t always know just where it is going. Clone Wars delivers a very solid single player experience, and ends up as just, plain fun in the end.

Control:
The controls vary according to whatever craft you are piloting, so I’ll try to cover the two main ones, the tank and the troop ship. (You’ll have to forgive a little bit of forgetfulness on my part, since it has been a few months since I have played the game. This review was planned for that time, but computer difficulties have prevented it from being finished. My deepest apologies.) On the tank, the A button is to fire your lasers, the L and R buttons strafe, the Z button brings up your zoom function, the directional pad assigns orders to the other craft in your group, and B fires your missiles. (The functions for X and Y escape me at the moment.)

In the troop ship, L and R serve as your throttle. R is to accelerate forward, and L is to decelerate. A is again the main laser button, B is to fire your clusters of missiles, Y fires the beam lasers on the side of the craft, and the D-pad is used to assign orders if you happen to have wingmen. (X and Z again escape me. I again apologize.) The schemes for the different vehicles all fit together nicely, and allow for a different feel when using each. It definitely keeps the boards feeling like completely different experiences depending on what craft you are using, which is a great testament to the variety in the gameplay. Thumbs up here all the way.

Multiplayer:
OK, Clone Wars definitely has multiplayer options, but I unfortunately wasn’t able to play them during my rental of the game. It was due to a mix of my unwillingness to stop playing the single player game (due to the fun content involved), and the lack of a second player to try it out with during that time. However, I can safely say that it is typical deathmatch fare, and I would have to venture a guess and say that it would indeed be quite enjoyable, given the enjoyable nature of the single player game.

OVERALL:
Clone Wars is another solid video game installment in the Star Wars universe. It provides enough action to satisfy fans of shooters, and enough Star Wars for fans of the Star Wars series. If you enjoyed Episode II and want to see where it went after it ended, definitely pick this one up and see for yourself. If you DIDN’T like Episode II, well, pick this up anyways, because you’ll probably still have a buttload of fun, since it’s actually a really good game. So, go my young Padawan, and pick up a copy of Clone Wars. It will definitely keep you one step further from the path of the Dark Side, and you can kick some droid army ass at the same time. May the Force be with you.

 

The Lowdown on  Star Wars: The Clone Wars Aesthetics: Very Good Control: Very Good Gameplay: Awesome Multiplayer: Above Average Sound: Awesome Innovation: 3/6 Lasting Appeal: 4/6 Overall: Very Good! "A Must-Buy"