Star Wars Battlefront and its sequel Battlefront II were two of the best shooters of their time, and the best Star Wars related games by a long shot for those wanting to play the more “everyday” roles on the field of battle. Sure, there were hero characters, space battles, and more to be found but the core gameplay came down to the amazing gun play between differing character types. In 2014, EA revealed that DICE, the makers of the recent games in the Battlefield series, would revive the popular shooter after years of fans clamoring for a new entry in the series after Battlefront III was canceled around 2006. Is the reboot everything fans were hoping it would be, or just a really pretty Star Wars game? Let’s find out!
I’ll get this out of the way right now; Star Wars Battlefront is hands down the best looking Star Wars game ever. The graphics on every PC setting look amazing. From look of the Stormtroopers, to the lightsabers, to the blaster fire and even down to the scenery around you this game is absolutely stunning, breathtaking at times. I caught myself forgetting that I was playing a multiplayer game at times, staring at the sky to see what would fly past next, or staring at the battle taking place in front of me between an AT-ST and a pair of rebel alliance soldiers. It was glorious.
The game sounds just as good as it looks. Its obvious that DICE spent a massive amount of time getting the sounds of Star Wars down for the title. The blaster fire sounds real, the lightsabers sound incredibly powerful, and the TIE fighters and X-Wings blow you away when they fly overhead. Both the visuals and sound were obvious labors of love for DICE and EA, and it is still an incredible experience match after match.
With no campaign to speak of, Battlefront relies solely on (up to) 40 player multiplayer matches, and single or co-op “missions” that are mostly survival based missions set on various planets with you, or you and a partner taking on waves of enemies while gaining power up abilities along the way. If the visuals and sound were a labor of love, the gameplay overall feels like it was kind of an afterthought in some places. While the game looks great, and most of the game modes and maps are fun, its with a heavy heart that I say that the game feels like its lacking in some areas.
The main issue that I have with Battlefront is its lack of depth when it comes to character customization. DICE has long been known for its role based system in Battlefield and while this isn’t necessarily needed in a Battlefront game, a little more customization than they give you would be nice. Battlefront uses a Player Card based “Hand System” and also uses power ups that are sprawled throughout each map that can give you various rewards (a Smart Rocket, Orbital Strike, and Bubble Shield for example). All of the cards in your hand run off a timer so once you use them, you have to wait for them to cool down before you can use them again. The system works, but I just feel its lacking the customization I would have liked to see in a game like this.
In order to unlock new cards, character appearances, and more you’ll have to spend in game credits which are given to you after the end of each round and also can be earned by completing various challenges. This system feels a little favoring for the more skilled players, as I have seen some players have massive upgrades to their character loadouts just a few short days after launch while those who might not have the same skill level as them, or those who are new to the game are stuck with basic weapons. Battlefront is in need of some balancing STAT.
There are 10 game modes in Battlefront so far and each one feels like it belongs here. There are at least one or two modes for every player imaginable. Do you like larger scale, objective based battles? Walker Assault and Supremacy are your go to. Want a more rough and tumble, smaller match? Heroes Vs. Villians and Cargo are calling your name. Looking for something small, yet objective based like some of Battlefield or Call of Duty’s offerings? Droid Run and Drop Zone it is. Aerial battles even make an appearance in Fighter Squadron. Every game mode is exciting and a true thrill to experience so make sure you give each a fair shake before deciding on your favorites.
The game maps are varied enough, and through the different game modes you can access different “versions” of a map and that is a nice change of pace compared to Battlefield or Call of Duty. It’s a thrilling experience to play Walker Assault on Endor one match, then play a completely different version of that map on Supremacy the next. There is a massive amount of content to keep players coming back for more time and time again and with the announcement of the free Battle for Jakku DLC, as well as the upcoming four expansion packs, the overall lifespan of the game will only increase as they add new content.