with at least one person controlling the area. NPC's are most abundant it the game which you do 

not normally see in this type of game. Medical droids, ammo dispensing droids, Ewoks, Jawas, 

heck even Darth Vader will throw in an appearance in the game. Dislike those furry Ewoks? 

Well you can blast `em in this game.  The most fun in the game is to play against life breathing 

opponents. 

Multiplayer is what definitely Star Wars Battlefront is all about. Unfortunately, unless you are on 

a LAN or direct IP connection, you won't be able to play Windows users. Instead of Gamespy 

you are limited to the Mac only GameRanger, most likely for the high licensing fees of Gamespy 

reported before. Does this limit you in any way? Yes I believe so. You will have less hosts to 

connect to and less players to play with online, since Windows has the largest base of gamers 

between Macs and PCs. But understandably, we will probably see a lot of Mac developers using 

GameRanger instead of Gamespy. Of course I am getting a bit off topic. Multiplayer online is 

fast paced and fun. c\Competing with up to 32 players at a time is really cool in the Star Wars 

universe. Fulfilling the same objectives as single player will allow your team to conquer the 

enemy. When you look at it, it's just like the gameplay of Battlefield 1942. Is that bad? No, I 

enjoyed both immensely and if you are Star Wars fan like me, you will enjoy it to with all the 

vehicles and the variety of maps. 

Graphics 

Battlefronts graphics are really well done. 

Bringing you into the Star Wars galaxy with 

authentic looking ships, weapons, planets, 

and characters. Graphics are not awe 

inspiring, but they do the job well. From the 

small speeder bikes to the Imperial Snow 

Walkers, the vehicles look good and the 

characters look good as well, especially 

with the overdramatic rag doll physics 

when a person is killed, sending him rolling 

or flying in the air. For the most part, the 

background scenery is pretty nice as well, 

replicating well known areas in the Star 

Wars universe quite well. 

Sound & Music 

The sound and music of Battlefront is nonetheless a great feature.  We are treated to music from 

composer John Williams. The music from the original films adds some great atmosphere to the 

game.  Even the voices in the game sound authentic and the sound of the blasters sound like they 

come directly from the movies, giving a truly cinematic experience. Turn it up loud for full 

effect! 

  MPN, LLC 2005 macCompanion 

Page 72 

August 2005, Volume 3 Issue 8