Now every Star Wars fan can star in their very own battle scenes from any perspective!
Gameplay - controls are easy to learn & players can fine-tune them for every controllable aspect of the game from people to vehicles to turrets. Controls, vehicles & playable characters have all been expanded upon since the first BF; for instance, players can now dash for a time (there's a meter) & roll in any direction instead of just sideways.
Movement in-game is very fluid, aiming isn't laborous or difficult & physics are decently logical. A shotgun is only good at close range, standard rifles are only good at mid-range & sniper rifles are obviously most effective at long range. Rockets & grenades are well done, with damage varying depending on distance. Headshots are also represented as instant frags. Death animations are awesome & sometimes comical, although exploding a dead body is questionable because it's like they go into instant rigomortis (thankfully they disappear within seconds to allow quicker rendering).
This time around, they've added the epic space battles that many people wanted in the first BF and they did a pretty good job. The space environment isn't as vast as, oh, SPACE, but the battles are exciting nonetheless. And surprisingly indepth. Players can either grab a fighter or scout & get mixed up in dozens of dog fights, grab a bomber & lay the smackdown on the larger ships or test their luck with any ship to BOARD the large enemy craft for some sabotage action.
Oh, and they included Leaders that you can earn in the story line or "purchase" in the Galactic Conquest mode. Leaders include key characters from the movies like Obi Wan, Bobba Fett, Darth Vader & Yoda, to name just a few. Time is limited with these characters (more enemies you off, the longer they last) but when you've got em, you can do serious damage. In fact, earning a Leader is almost excessive because of the sheer rampage you can go on with any of them.
Graphics - not a major step up from the first but they're still really good. And the game still flows well despite the mass amounts of individuals that can be on the battle field at any given point. Explosions are impressive and lazer battles can get intense with red, blue &/or green beams shooting all over the place.
Sound - it's just great. Everything sounds as it should - lazers, explosions, voices, etc. Nothing is sub-par.
Value - well, now with the next-gen consoles out, expect to find BF2 for $20 new!