After the destruction of the first Death Star at the hands of the Rebel Alliance, a man who was once a known smuggler had become a man of great importance to the cause against the Empire. Suddenly, it didn’t matter what you were at this point in the war and those who joined the Rebels have fought alongside this smuggler turned General. Col Serra is one of these men who followed Commander Han Solo and his Wookiee companion into the biggest battles and on to the historical archives that are reserved for heroes. Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron for the PSP takes us back into the battlefield but this time we get a taste of taking part in Han Solo’s army against the Empire.

Renegade Squadron brings back all the elements found in past Star Wars Battlefront games and much like Star Wars Battlefront II  for the PSP there’s the added benefit of the Anakin/Luke Skywalker having already come to an end. Still, Renegade Squadron’s Campaign and Galactic Conquest modes concentrate on the war against the Empire rather than the Clone War era that made heroes of Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi. Campaign mode has a story that revolves around an archivist on Corsucant interviewing Col Serra, a hero who aided Han Solo on various battles that led up to the final battle on the planet Endor. Serra recounts his first mission on Yavin 4 as a member of an unknown Rebel force named the Renegade Squadron. It is under the direct orders of Commander Solo and General Dodonna that you follow Serra through space battles over Alderaan to retrieve an artifact left behind by Bale Organa (Princess Leia’s adopted father) and into ground battles in places like Echo Base on the ice planet Hoth.

While the story in Campaign mode isn’t incredibly deep nor is it told particularly well, it offers the typical Star Wars Battlefront ground and space battles that now have something of a meaning thanks to Serra’s account of the situations leading to the battles seen in the original trilogy. Galactic Conquest makes a return, bringing back a turn-based strategy mode that has you playing either the Rebel Alliance side or the Imperial forces. As the Imperials, you’ll get to control your fleet using three commanders like Darth Vader, the Emperor and Admiral Thrawn. The Rebel Alliance gets commanders like Han Solo, Mon Mothma and Leia Organa. You’ll be given only a few strategic options, sure, but at least you’ll be able to outfit your unit, purchase upgrades (unlock heroes to fight alongside your troops) and advance your troops to engage in battles. Much like Campaign mode, it isn’t deep but it’s perfect for the portable medium.

THE LIGHT SIDE

Renegade Squadron has a few changes including additions to the arsenal like a better chain gun, an Incinerator and a Carbonite Freeze Gun. You can even customize your load-out equipment as well as customize your characters to reflect the look you want. For example, if you like the Clone Trooper outfit better than the Imperial Stormtrooper armor you can make the changes despite the difference in the era. You can even add special items like recon droids, jet packs and stealth suit. There are even some new maps to play in Instant Action such as Boz Pity, Ord Mantell as well as Korriban (which, if you’ve played the Knights of the Old Republic games, is the Sith homeworld). All the old maps are also back so you can play through Naboo, Endor and Hoth.

What’s a Battlefront game without a multiplayer? Renegade Squadron allows you to play against eight players using an Ad Hoc connection or 16-players online via Infrastructure mode. Online the game runs wonderfully smooth, handling the maximum number of players without slowing down. While the single-player mode isn’t bad, it’s the multiplayer game that gamers will be playing for a long time to come and believe me when I say you’ll find enough Star Wars fan boys and girls to play against.

THE DARK SIDE

Unfortunately, the game’s controls are way too awkward to make this the type of game you can pick up and play. Simple actions like aiming and jumping become something of a chore here and what was easy in the PSP version of Battlefront II is just too frustratingly difficult to pull off in this game. I have lost count how many times I was killed thanks to fiddling with the camera or trying to aim my chain gun at a turret. Then there are the space battles that use to be fun in the last Battlefront game. Here, dogfights are just plain unplayable. The heroes feel a lot weaker this time as well so even if you’re playing as Vader or Darth Maul you’ll be wiped out easily.

Graphically speaking, Renegade Squadron isn’t even as pretty as the city of Naboo. In fact, the game looks like a PSOne title … which is a large step back seeing as Battlefront II for the PSP looked as close to the PS2 version. The muddy textures make the backgrounds look a bit ugly and while you can tell your side apart from the enemy, the character models could have been a lot better than this. Still, the story mode is accompanied by some nice graphic novel-styled art. At least the John Williams’ Star Wars score is back and it’s still just as good. There’s voice acting for the Campaign mode and it’s good but somehow it doesn’t come out as clear through the PSP speakers.

Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron is far from the perfect PSP Battlefront game but among the things that hold it back there are a number of other things that will make this a good game. While the single-player aspect of the game feels a bit awkward thanks to the poor control scheme, the game’s multiplayer mode alone is the reason you should play this game. If you can look past the game’s weaknesses, this game will show Star Wars and Battlefront fans a good time.

Gameplay: 8.0
The game’s controls have taken a step backwards and make flight combat feel a bit too awkward to be much fun. Still, the more you play the more you get used to the controls enough to make the ground battles entertaining. Campaign mode has an actual story this time around and there’s online multiplayer and it’s hot.

Graphics: 7.0
The game isn’t very pretty compared to Star Wars Battlefront II and the muddy textures give the game a PSOne quality that has no place on the PSP. Still, the game is able to display a lot on the handheld’s widescreen and when a hero jumps into the fray you’ll instantly recognize them before they’re announced. Even the various locales will be instantly familiar.

Sound: 7.5
The soundtrack, as always, is excellent thanks to the fact that the John Williams score from both trilogies play throughout the game. All the usual sound effects are also present like lightsabre sounds and that cool sound Tie Fighters make when they’re flying. The voice acting is decent but it doesn’t come out very good through the PSP speakers.

Difficulty: Medium
Anyone who has played a Battlefront game can tell you how chaotic it can get and you’ll often be outmatched and outgunned. The flight combat can get a bit hard but not because of the enemy AI but rather from the iffy flight controls.

Concept: 8.0
There are many new additions to the series and even cooler weapons but certain things are sacrificed along the way. Galactic Conquest is still a fun and deep game, and Campaign actually offers something of a story told through a series of graphic novel-inspired art. There are also numerous maps and all the trilogy heroes are present. What really makes this game worth the price of admission is the multiplayer mode.

Multiplayer: 8.5
The game runs at a rock-steady framerate that seldom dips or takes you out of the game while playing via Infrastructure more or through an Ad Hoc connection. Online, the game allows up to 16-players and handles it really well. If anything, this is the reason you will still be playing this one for a long while to come.

Overall: 8.0
Star Wars Battlefront fans will certainly find a lot to like about Renegade Squadron and, even though the controls can be a bit frustrating at times, all the changes and fun game modes make this one worth a look. It’s a bit hard to really look past some of the issues that befall the game thanks to the PSP limitations but with a fun multiplayer mode and plenty of game modes to play, Star Wars fan boys and girls will not want to miss this one.