It was an exciting time to be a Star Wars fan who enjoyed video games back in the late 2000s. While it wasn’t as packed with releases as even the mid-2000s, there were still some great experiences had with the likes of The Force Unleashed and the first batch of The Clone Wars games. But in 2009 would come the closest to Battlefront III we would ever get with Rebellion’s Elite Squadron on PSP. But, the game was also released on another handheld.

The DS was clearly never going to run a proper Battlefront experience, yet LucasArts wanted Battlefront III on everything. That fell to N-space, who focused on telling the story through various levels in a top-down perspective. They’d completed it before the cancellation of Battlefront III, so it was easy to rename to Elite Squadron once Rebellion were tasked with getting the PSP version ready for sale.

Now, having already played and enjoyed Renegade Squadron, it was obvious which of the two I would go for during its release. In fact, I can still remember that first day of getting it at Merry Hill and playing it until the power of my PSP ran out while at a pub waiting for a fireworks show. Marvelling at the additions made, and the battles that raged across ground and space.

Elite Squadron on the PSP had a campaign that was mostly told through narration, mirroring that of Battlefront II’s. Except for the cutscenes taken from Battlefront III that would end each act. It felt a great story, running from the Clone Wars to beyond the Galactic Civil War. A story of twins on different paths. One light. One dark. Though I always enjoy running through it, I do admit there’s a few weak parts. Mostly down to not getting deep into the characters of X1 and X2.

When it came to seeing and buying the DS version a few years later on a curious whim, I quickly put it down. It definitely wasn’t the Battlefront I knew and loved. It was a top-down shooter through various levels, with extra parts scattered throughout. Such as turret shooting or spaceship fights. While it also had what it called Instant Action mode, it was nothing more than a deathmatch on a few samey arenas.

Earlier this year, I felt it was time to give it a chance again. To see if there was enjoyment to be had with this Battlefront in anything but name. That for years I said shouldn’t exist. When given a fair chance, I was liking what I was playing. Sure, there were still a few issues I had, namely with the sections that weren’t top-down. And the simplicity of its combat. But I had fun enough to run through the entire campaign. And in doing so, had new perspective on the story of these two Force-sensitive clones.

There is a lot more interactions found with the DS version of the story. It allowed the bond between X1 and X2 to greater shine before Order 66 shattered it. A greater understanding of who Falon Grey was and his legacy. And also connecting a few other parts of the story, such as why Shara had a large role in events X2 was a part of starting with the evacuation of Yavin IV. There’s also a fair few extra events compared to the PSP version, with locations such as Geonosis and Dathomir in the mix.

As said, the combat is simple. The limitations of the DS means an auto-lock-on to enemies is all the aiming Elite Squadron allows. There’s multiple weapons across four classes, split between primary, secondary, and explosive. But when the primary is the only one with unlimited ammo, it makes the most sense to keep to it. As such, the only reason to swap between classes, or even use explosives, is when the game forces it. Such as a boss battle with General Grievous.

Once the story progresses beyond the Galactic Civil War, X2 gains a lightsaber and Force powers. These aren’t a separate class, which I love. Instead, the lightsaber becomes a third weapon to swap to. While holding it, Force powers are used instead of other actions. And once the story has been completed, New Game+ means everything is available right from the start. So X2 can perform Order 66 the Skywalker way. Although that is more difficult that you might think.

Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron on the DS might not be anything like a regular Battlefront, and I certainly wouldn’t treat it as one. But there’s no denying there is a fun time to be had with it. Not as fun as on PSP, with the regular Battlefront experience. No longer will I be saying the DS game shouldn’t exist, though. It has its good points, despite the bad. And though I’ll never touch its Instant Action mode, I’m sure people had fun with it on local multiplayer matches.

Images Taken From:
Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron [PSP] | RetroArch
Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron [DS] | RetroArch
–Star Wars Battlefront: Elite Squadron | Wookieepedia