Perhaps timed with the release of Star Wars: The Force
Awakens and to ride on its publicity train, Star Wars Battlefront was released
in November of last year.
Star Wars Battlefront is a predominantly multiplayer
shooter. It features a wide variety of
modes focusing on player versus player content.
It includes a “Fighter Squadron” mode where Tie Fighters pit against
X-Wings, “Heroes VS Villains” where some of Star Wars’ iconic characters do
battle, and “Walker Assault”, probably my favourite mode where the Imperial
soldiers protect the AT-ATs from being taken down by the Rebel scum. It also includes the standard modes that one
would expect from a multiplayer shooter like a team deathmatch (which they call
Blast), capture the flag (which they call Cargo) or capture the point (either Droid
Run or Drop Zone). There are also
offline “Mission” modes where you and one friend can do more simple missions,
like ward off a squadron of Stormtroopers or… ward off a squadron of
Stormtroopers (i.e. there’s not too much to do in Missions). It’s clear that the focus is on multiplayer.
In this game, since you’re firing off lasers instead of
bullets, you’re given unlimited ammo.
The only kickback is that your gun overheats if you fire too often
requiring a momentary and defenseless lapse before it cools down. So timing between shots is key, or else you’re
left with a firearm that’s too hot to handle.
You’re also given a “Hand”, with three cards that you’re allowed to
equip. Two of the cards you can pick are
item related, for example, a homing missle, or a sniper rifle or Chewie’s
bowcaster (!), to name a few. These
items can be used unlimited times in battle, with each having its own cool
down. The third card you get is a special
item that has a finite number of uses. When activated, they can do a number of
things, like takeaway overheating on your weapon or fire charged shots with
your gun. Each time you use this item,
it eats up a charge. You can gain more
charges by finding a thunderbolt like item on the battlefield (not too hard to
find) or by purchasing them with your in-game credits.
After each battle, you’re rewarded with experience points of
which 10% of it is awarded in in-game credits, which you can use to buy a
number of different upgrades.
The game has been criticized for the lack of depth. Although
there is a leveling and progression system in the game, there’s not much to be
done with it. The higher level you get,
the more opportunity you have to unlock items, appearances/skins and
emotes. You can get all the weapons once
you hit level 25, and all the useable items once you hit level 32. Everything after 32 are only cosmetic
upgrades making the leveling system a bit superfluous. And on top of that, even with the weapon unlocks,
with a dozen or so guns in total, very few of them feel different from one
another.
In some modes, you’re also allowed to play as heroes (Luke
Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo) and villains (Darth Vader, the Emperor,
Boba Fett) from the game. Unlike your
normal Rebel or Imperial footsoldiers, these characters have a life bar that
doesn’t regenerate, so although they are quite powerful, they are also disposable.
Technically and artistically, the game captures the sights
and sounds from the original movies very well.
When you’re running through snow with 19 other Stormtroopers on the ice
planet Hoth, you can’t but feel like you’re back in Empire Strikes Back. It’s made all the more exhilarating when you
run across Luke Skywalker or Darth Vader, fighting by your side.
Despite the criticisms, I’ve really enjoyed the game. I’ve sunk about 45 hours so far into it and I’m
still enjoying it. It’s true, the depth
isn’t there. However, it feels to me
that they traded in depth for a lower barrier of entry which is more welcoming
to players who aren’t as great at shooters.
And the team at DICE who developed it, pointed that out too. They wanted to make sure it was an experience
that could be had amongst a broader range of gamers. I just feel better hopping into these battles
than in Call of Duty where you could be decimated as soon as you step in the field.
I think my biggest complaint though is the matchmaking
process and the team balancing or lack thereof.
I suppose because the game wants to give you a chance at playing each
side, between rounds, you’re whole team is switched between Rebels and
Imperials. There is no auto-team balance
or any shakeups between rounds. This can
be frustrating as if you land on a bad team, you’ll likely lose and lose and
lose and lose. Conversely, if you find a
great team, you’ll roll over the competition round after round. I would prefer them to have an auto-team
balance instead of just switching your whole team en masse to the other
side. I don’t mind playing as a Rebel or
Imperial multiple times in a row, I’d prefer a fair game.
Aside from that, I’d still recommend the game. It’s not a hard recommend as the multiplayer
only focus stifles the experience and there’s the depth issue. However, if you want to feel like you’re part
of a Star Wars battle, then this is an easy one. Until next time, later geeks!
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