Star Wars Battlefront

We haven’t been sure what was happening to Battlefront as many of the planned games from Lucas Arts have disappeared with the take over from Disney. Yet Battlefront has managed to survive and has made a glorious return to next gen consoles after ten incredibly long years. Myself and my older brother Simon were huge fans of the series when it first came out and when it was announced Dice were making this new instalment, we were hyped. Did it last?
No.

What I can tell you about Star Wars Battlefront is that it’s an impressive marvel at capturing the best portrayal of the Star Wars universe in a game to date. It’s truly beautiful, with every inch of the expertly crafted worlds obtaining high levels of detail, from the ambient lighting to the impressive photo-realistic texturing thanks to Dice’s Photogrammetry techniques. From Hoth to Endor, each of the four planets are extremely organic and feel like something pulled straight from George Lucas’ mind. Dice have captured in such refined detail what experiencing Star Wars in first person should be like. Along with some impressive sound designs that pull you further into the atmosphere and immerse players into the Battlefront experience. Aside from some terrible voice overs from Darth Vader and Han Solo, the sound design is purely excellent.

So, Battlefront looks and sounds the part for definite. But where the game lacks in accomplishment for satisfying long-time fans is at its very core. For the best part, the gameplay is amusing but shallow, never living up to a great multiplayer experience, and without a proper campaign, much of its weight relies on the multiplayer. The single player campaign consists of a few of the multiplayer modes but offline (and even then, the ones that aren’t the most captivating). As for the online segment of the game, you’ll have nine modes to choose from including Walker Assault, Hero Hunt, Droid Run (capture the flag) and Blast (5 v 5). Having played all nine, I can tell you only four of them carry any merit or substance for the hard-core gamer.

Walker Assault is by far one of the more engaging modes. Others, including Supremacy, Hero Hunt and Heroes vs Villains, also make for some pretty good entertainment. These modes offer interesting dynamics to enhance the Battlefront experience, whereas the other modes feel just like simple fillers. That’s to say, nothing particularly bad, but nothing that really brings anything new to the table. Unlike previous instalments which saw the likes of Galactic Conquest and a more engaging story mode.

One new addition to make up for the lack of story mode is a survival mode where a player and buddy can fight off waves of increasingly harder enemies, complete with the addition of handy perks. Sadly, the survival mode lacks in any real progression or advancement over the rounds. You’ll see a few extra enemies pop into the map and an AT-AT every so often. But what you don’t see is a diverse mixture of enemies that feels like a true progression, along with no challenges, boss waves or dynamic events that change the fight altogether. Other games such as Gears of War featured modifiers, bosses and defences that grew over the course of the game, allowing the gamer to feel as though they are actively engaging with the mode.

There are some balancing issues to contend with as well, including pin point accuracy with a majority of weapons and certain unlockable firearms being way too over powered for their own good. Sure, you unlock the DL-44 at level 50, but you become an unstoppable death machine when you do get it, and for those who buy the season pass, they’ll get this straight away. Along with Boba Fett being pretty much the strongest special character in the game, while others have nowhere near the same strength or stopping power. These factors, as well as some poorly placed spawn points, make you question the framework of balancing.

Star Wars Battlefront sadly doesn’t capture the magic of the original games. Where it does impress is with the stunning visuals and amazing sound design. Much of the game is, unfortunately, shallow and lacking in any real commitment to play for more than ten hours. Some game modes are fun, such as Walker Assault, Supremacy and Hero Hunt, offering new angles on the Star Wars experience; many other modes are cheap standards found in every other FPS. The balancing in this game is very questionable and the lack of campaign is a sad sign, when looking at what replaces it. Dice have excelled in some areas and with more time in development we could have received a game worth the ten year wait. A fun game for casual play but the hard-core gamers and original fans of the series might be let down overall.

+ Graphically the game looks amazing
+ Some fun game modes that capture the essence of Star Wars
+ Excellent sound design

- A number of game modes are dull fillers
- Absence of single player and survival mode is tedious
- Some balancing issues