Graphically the game is only a slight improvement over last year’s offering. Of course that was really good so no complaints here. As I recently moved to reviewing on a 16x9 ratio screen LCD flat-panel HDTV in anticipation of the next generation of consoles, I can say that the game looks incredible in 480p resolution. The audio is right up there with the high quality that has always been expected in Star Wars offerings, with authentic sound effects and liberal use of the John Williams score. Presented in Dolby Digital, it really has no peer.

So does Star Wars Battlefront II score better than its predecessor? Not really. I rated the original at an "A" and this one receives the same. No "A+" this time. There are still some small problems. Should Star Wars fans buy it and savor all the goodness it has to offer? Absolutely! Nothing gets the gamer closer to experiencing the epic battles of Star Wars than this game. The improvements to the Link play mode are also going to make it a darling of the LAN party crowd (myself included) and it may even supplant Halo 2 for a few games. So what is my biggest disappointment with Star Wars Battlefront II? If you must know … I still can’t bludgeon an Ewok to death with the butt of my blaster rifle. Maybe next time.