Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron

Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron is a video game in the Battlefront series for Nintendo DS and PSP. It was officially announced on May 26, 2009 and was released on November 3, 2009.

Summary
In the campaign mode of the game, you play as a force-sensitive clone, X2, who is assigned to Jedi Master Ferroda along with his brother X1. The two are charged with the duty of training clones before and during the Clone Wars for a short time. Their missions included defending a training camp on Tatooine, The Battle of Coruscant, and the Battle of Cato Neimodia. During the Battle of Cato Neimodia, Order 66 is issued and X2 is forced to kill Master Ferroda after Ferroda injures X1. After the Clone Wars, X1 joins the Galactic Empire, whereas X2 goes rogue, forever haunted by the memory of killing Ferroda during the giving of Order 66. He meets his genetic father, Falon Grey, shortly before his death at the hands of X1. Years later, Rahm Kota finds X2 and inducts him into the Rebel Alliance. After the battle of Dantooine, he forms the Grey Squadron. Before the Battle of Yavin, Kota inducts Shara, a former Bounty Hunter into Grey Squadron. At the Battle of Hoth, Shara and X2 board the Star Destroyer Avarice. While on board, X2 encounters X1, who has turned to the Dark Side. After their duel, X1 and X2 flee from the Avarice. After the Battle of Endor, X2 is given a lightsaber by Luke Skywalker and he begins training for the battle against his brother. He, Shara and the rest of Grey Squadron locate X1's base on Vjun. After exploring the Bast Castle and acquiring Falon Grey's lightsaber and X1's holocron, X2 manages to track X1 to Mustafar, where Luke gets captured by X1 and Wookiee clones were being produced using Luke's genes as the template. X2 faces his brother one last time. After defeating X1, the Rebels leave Mustafar and the story ends with Han Solo reminding the band about the new hardships they would have to face in the future.

Gameplay
The game introduces multi layered maps, allowing transition from ground to space, and allowing the player's actions in both layers affect the whole battlefront. While the PSP version features character customization, the DS has preset classes.

In an announcement on starwars.com, which announced the story of the game, the platforms, and several other aspects of the game, it was also mentioned that the game will feature events from the original Star Wars Saga and beyond. This includes the game's storyline, but may also include events from other parts of Star Wars history.

PSP version
The PSP version of the game was developed by Rebellion Developments, who also worked on the previous title in the series, Star Wars Battlefront: Renegade Squadron.

The final game itself includes three singleplayer modes; Instant Action, Campaign and Galactic Conquest. The Campaign mode includes three acts. The first act covers the Clone Wars and the rise of both X1 and X2, as well as the issuing of Order 66, the second act is set during the rise of the Galactic Empire, and during the Galactic Civil War, and the third act is set after the defeat of the Empire, when the remaining forces of the Empire are struggling to survive.

Instant Action includes three different capture-the-flag modes (1-Flag CTF, 2-Flag CTF and Hero CTF), and a Heroes vs. Villains mode (similar to the Hero Assault mode of Star Wars: Battlefront II), as well as the standard "Conquest" mode. Galactic Conquest mode now allows players to connect and play with another PSP.

The customization feature is deeper than the previous game, Renegade Squadron. Unlike the previous game, Elite Squadron also has 'classes', although they can be customised.

Conquest
The Conquest Mode has been altered. A points-based system replaces the reinforcement counter. Capturing command posts is still one of the main objectives, but players must now also destroy the shields of the enemy capital ship (in space), either by securing the planet's Ion Cannon and firing it on the enemy's ship to deplete shields, or by flying into space and attacking the enemy ship. Once the enemy ship's shields have been depleted, players can board the ship to destroy the ship's main reactor to bring it down.

Heroes vs. Villains
Similar to the "Hero Assault" gameplay mode in Star Wars: Battlefront II, players can choose any of the game's playable heroes or villains to fight multiple copies of other heroes or villains, although instead of all dwelling in one era, players must choose an era to play.

DS version
The Nintendo DS version was developed by n-Space, known for the DS installments to the Call of Duty series, World at War and Modern Warfare. It features eleven campaign missions and up to four players via wi-fi connection. The game features no customization, but instead uses the traditional class-based system. It uses an isometric view, similar to a modern dungeon crawler.

The campaign mode follows nearly the same story as the PSP version, the only difference is the fact that it has one level less (Bespin's campaign is missing, and players attack X1's fortress on Dathomir instead of Vjun).

Instant Action
Unlike classic Battlefront games, Instant Action is played with only four players, usually one from each faction. There are three modes - Free-For-All, Team Game and Hero Mode. Games are won in space by destroying enemy ships to earn points, in capital ships by collecting R2 units, and on the ground by capturing command posts and killing enemies. There are four classes to choose from: Heavy, Assult, Engineer and Spy. The Heavy class is armed with a Chaingun, Missile Launcher and Detpacks. The Assault class is armed with a Blaster Rifle, a Shotgun and thermal detonators. Engineers are armed with ARC casters, grenade launchers and Autoturret Droids. The Spy class is armed with dual blaster pistols, a energy launcher and cluster grenades. The four factions to choose from are CIS, Republic, Rebellion and Empire.

Reception
Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron has received mixed reviews on both platforms. IGN gave the PSP version a 6 out of 10, stating that it was "Hampered by bland, repetitive play and old control issues". Gamespot gave it a 7.0 out of 10, commending its campaign mode and its three linked battlefronts, as well as the customization options it provides. Gamespot, however, criticized the little impact that the space battles had on the overall outcome, and the controls, calling them "stiff and awkward".

The DS version received a 6.9 out of 10 from IGN, praising the single-player storyline but stating that the Instant Action feature "leaves a lot to be desired".