At the Battlefront

As you make your way through the dense foliage on The Forest Moon of Endor struggling to hold back an AT-AT assault by the Empire and just as you are about to lose faith, John Williams’ score kicks in and you hear that unmistakable sound of a lightsaber as Luke Skywalker enters the fray. Yes, Star Wars Battlefront is everything you’d want from a Star Wars shooter, but not much more.

EA and DICE have done a remarkable job of recreating the Star Wars universe for Battlefront with gorgeous maps across 4 planets; The Forest Moon of Endor, Hoth, Tatooine and a volcanic planet Sullust. Each planet plays host to multiple maps across various game modes, so while they are different maps you do see a common theme across maps on the same planet.

The gameplay focuses more on the infantry side of Star Wars combat with hero and vehicle power ups allowing you to change things up. Players can pick up special vehicle powerups for AT-AT’s or X wings or even take on the role of Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker. The game’s unique game modes like Hero Hunt, Heroes vs Villains and Walker Assault are where the title really shines. Unfortunately when you move on to smaller modes like Blast (basically team deathmatch) and Cargo (CTF) you begin to realise the game doesn’t really do much. Except for the glamour surrounding the Star Wars universe it is a slightly bland shooter. Even the special Fighter Squadron mode feels a little dumbed down and simple; Yes it brings to live the chaos and awesomeness of X wings and Tie Fighters but feels too simplistic to be taken seriously. And even though there isn’t a singleplayer mode, it does come with ‘Missions’ which can be played solo. These are all about surviving waves with collectables scattered across maps.

While the look and feels of Star Wars Battlefront looks absolutely spot on, the gameplay itself doesn’t do justice to the franchise or universe. Star Wars Battlefront isn’t boring, but your excitement might not last as long as you had imagined. Despite everything though, it is an amazing trip down memory lane and probably the best presented Star Wars gaming experience you can find, but take my advice and play it with a friend and not alone.

 

 

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