Real Talk By: KJ

The Fans demanded it for years.  EA would answer the call.  Finally, a new Star Wars: Battlefront (PS4, XO, PC) has arrived.  It is true, no campaign is present. We do however have survival and training modes that can be played in split-screen.  Both offer a handful of stages.  While a fun time is possible, neither are game-types that will have staying-power.  Since a story mode was never in the plans, a larger amount of wave-battling stages could have really helped out.

The maps look great and will certainly trigger your nostalgia.  Graphics as a whole standout.  There is a crispy shine to the visuals.  Whatever platform you’re playing on, expect awesomeness.

Competitive play was clearly the focus.  Here we have 8 game modes.  Blast is a standard 10 v 10 Team deathmatch affair.  The smaller maps play host to this one.  Cargo is capture the flag style mode.  Since everyone can run at a decent pace, this makes for some fun quick scoring opportunities if the other team isn’t ready.  Drop Zone has gamers grabbing 5 dropped pods around the area to win.  Droid run sees players remaining in control of 3 moving droids.  I did enjoy this one more than the others mentioned.  Camping is hard to do, when your objective is constantly on the go.

Heroes vs Villains is definitely my favorite of the competitive modes.  Which-ever side destroys all the main characters first is the victor.  Possible characters are as follows: Luke (Fast Mover/Slasher), Leia (Support) and Han Solo (long-range).  For the baddies we have  Darth Vader (Power), The Emperor (Support/Zapper), and Boba Fett (Fast). One thing to point out is that Fett’s Jetpack can certainly get him out of bad situations.  I’ve noticed in exploit that players will take him to a very high plane and just camp, waiting on teammates to wipe out the heroes.  Not sure if there is a way to fix this, but it can really get annoying.  Good thing each round people will randomly receive a different character.  You could be a regular solider, or a major one.  It all depends.

Hero Hunt is an extension of HvV.  For example, one person could play as Luke Skywalker.  The way to score is killing, and grabbing gold coins while in control of the Jedi Knight.  Everybody else is after him. Whoever takes out Luke, would then get the same opportunity.  Walker assault has to be a team effort (Cant have people running around thinking it’s a deathmatch!).  It’s all about doing damage to the big AT-AT.  Attacking it with Y-Wings.  The opposing side has to make sure the walker reaches the destination safely.

The dog-fighting (Fighter Squadron) mode is a fun diversion, especially when getting the chance to pilot the Millennium Falcon.  No space battles at launch, but I can’t shake the feeling it’s coming.  Supremacy reminds me of conquest mode in Battlefield.  Heroes, Ships, Walkers, straight chaos.  40 players are in this room.  Take Control of 5 areas on big maps. How about the characters?

I expected a lot more in terms of customization.  The fact you can switch to a third person view on the fly, your appearance should have been more of a priority for DICE.  The guns cannot be altered, there isn’t that many to begin with or to unlock. Player skins and suits too lack options.  For people who love to emote during fights, there’s plenty of unlockable animations at your disposal (if that’s your thing).  Also, connecting with players on my friends list was a challenge. Plenty of times we simply couldn’t link-up. If you’re going as a primarily multiplayer game, these are the things the need to be running properly.  No excuses for this company, or price point.

Long term fans who remember the old titles may want to hold out.  Star Wars: Battlefront is loaded with style, but really lacking substance.  Once the movie glitz and glamour wears off,  your stuck with a standard shooter raised by its namesake. Wait for the rest of it.

Star Wars Battlefront Gets

3 out of 5

 

What’s Legit?

+Playing as Iconic Characters

+Graphics

+Dogfighting has its moments

What’s Perpetrating?

-Lack of Content for Price Tag

-Flimsy Single Player options

-Limited Customization

-Party Connectivity Issues

 

#StarWars @Playlegit