Star Wars is a global franchise that is so recognized that it too falls victim in certain bad presentations, recently, the high-budgeted game, Star Wars: Battlefront. The game was released a month ago and is widely available for current consoles, the PS4 and Xbox One, and the PC. I had the opportunity to review a copy of Battlefront for the PS4, giving us a wide berth to see how the game is for the console and also for us to test if the hype is founded.
Sadly, it is not. You might find it odd that my tone is already apparent with my experience with the game. It is. Star Wars: Battlefront leaves a sour taste that permeates and makes you cry, “NOOOOO!!“.
Story
Sorry, there’s not story. You won’t find any concrete tale expanding the lore about the galaxy far, far away. Star Wars: Battlefront is a game made for multiplayer. Jedi and their eternal battle with the Sith? Screw that! Interstellar warfare and massive invasions? Let a Sarlacc eat that! Expansion and repulsion of the evil Galactic Empire? Who the hell cares!?
Despite the incredibly rich lore of the Star Wars universe, the developers decided to crap on all of it and go with a game without.
What we have is a coop wave mission that pits the player, together with his buddy, should there be any, against waves upon waves of enemies. If you finished it until the end, then well and good, here’s a cookie for you. And that my friends is the Star Wars: Battlefront singleplayer campaign.
Gameplay
THIS IS ENDOR!
For the fleshed out multiplayer aspect of Star Wars: Battlefront, the player need only to choose a game in the menu and play to their heart’s content. Selecting a game is so easy to do as the servers themselves choose the most viable room to play in. Just pick a game mode, wait for a couple of seconds, and BAM! you’re in the battlefield.
There are several modes to play with but despite their number, only a handful cater to a large population. Game modes are a mix of 8-player duels to 40-player wars. To save you and me time in writing/reading all of the modes and describing them, just click this link here.
I didn’t have the time to play all of them as certain modes are not populated and I found it hard to find a game with more than two players. EA’s servers generally cater to the handful popular modes such as Blast, Supremacy, and Drop Zone. If you fancy those modes, then you’re in good hands.
Gunplay
Initially, I never knew why players shied away from the speeders. They have always looked cool. After riding one and meeting a boulder face first, I then knew why.
For a first-person shooter, Battlefront works. It’s simple and easy to get into. However, you won’t see gun customization as deep as Battlefield and Call of Duty here. To give you an idea of how simple it is, just point your blaster to the nearest rebel/stormtrooper and shoot. There’s neither recoil nor shakiness that are usually present with current-day FPS games. Obviously, the first one to aim well is the winner.
Star Wars: Make Me Up
The selection of weapons is not impressive. Players have only a handful to choose from and most of which are the same (we are in a galaxy of blasters, baby!). These blasters have no need for ammo but do overheat should the player fire them for more than five seconds. Loudouts are chosen and equipped prior to every game. To add a semblance of player intervention in builds, the developers made it so that your player avatar’s head can be changed, with more to be unlocked. Hooray!
Credits are earned after every match. They can be used to get better weapons after you unlock them by leveling up.
Wish that the game is on a similar vein as Gears of War and other third-person shooters? Hold down a button and relive the adventures of your trooper by viewing the action from his/her shoulders!
Tired of recoil and the stress of bullet drops? Play Battlefront!
Call it lazy but riding the colossal AT-ATs and AT-STs can be done by picking-up powerups scattered across the battlefield. Yes, powerups. Pick them up and you ride a tank or a plane (galactic equivalent of both). Should fate be good to you, you can also be rewarded with control of one of the six heroes of the Star Wars franchise.
You’ll never spend a minute in front of the loading screens in Star Wars: Battlefront. Also, the maps are fantastic places to sight see and immerse oneself in the world of Star Wars. That until a blaster hits you square in the head.
Heroes are too good to be true as they are largely broken and can dictate the whole battle in favor of their teams, save for the two support heroes. I’ve encountered a player controlling a Boba Fett that was too hard to shoot down despite the whole team working together against him. His blaster’s too powerful for us to get close and his jetpack gives him an absurd amount of mobility. Too bad we’re just grunts, mere epitaphs in this galaxy far, far away.
Cards are also available for players to choose from and they stand as the player’s sidearms and inherent powerups. Some require charges for each use while others have cooldowns after using them. The choices in these cards are not that numerous and there are “go-to” cards that are generally essential. With this, each player is likely to be a copycat of another having the similar loadout and build.
Supremacy allows aerial units to join the fray. They’re usually used to Kamikaze into a hero.
Before I forget, the game also has a mode that puts players into the well-worn seats of fighter pilots. It’s not that deep and the mode is again a game of who shoots first survives. The game has the knack for putting in a button for quick U-turns, especially made for the convenience (not the ineptness) of the players!
Graphics and Audio
Graphics of Battlefront in the PS4. Note that I have encountered no slow-downs despite numerous characters and events happening in a single screen.
If there’re two things that can save this game, it’s definitely the audio and the graphics. Finally, now is the time where Star Wars games can mingle with reality. Thanks to DICE’s Frostbite Engine, Star Wars is brought to life complete with the laser scars and imposing figures. The maps selection, though limited, is enough for fans and would-be fans to get into the universe and taste a bit of what Endor or Jakku feels at breathes like. If we can grade it from zero to five stars, Battlefront’s score would be five in graphics.
Audio-wise, there’s nothing less to expect when it comes to Star Wars. Implosions and explosions add to the experience, peppering the battlefield and drawing the player in. The ever distinct blasters have been tweaked but nonetheless still have that “toy-like” sound.
Overall, plus points for the representation of Battlefront. It is their first foot forward but sadly, the first impression may not be enough to salvage the whole.
Conclusion
Maybe it might transcend and break the 4th wall, making you forget about Battlefront and replay it with glee. Again.
It’s hard to recommend Star Wars: Battlefront. The graphics and the audio may be more than enough to make you go “WOW!”, but it fails as a game. There’s just the husk. The fun factor decreases after a couple of hours and it gets dull to play with. It’s like hopping into an arcade machine. You’re just there for the momentary appeal and enjoyment. You’re not building a career rebel or stormtrooper, you’re there for the experience and wonder that retreats back into its cave after a couple of hours.
Star Wars: Battlefront is a game best taken in bursts. It’s not that careerism similar to, forgive me for comparing it yet again, to Call of Duty and Battlefield. Yes, those two franchises are altogether different, but they have that “pull” to get your attention, be they ridiculous knife-kills, obnoxious weapon tinkering, or exploding dune buggies. Although there are some modes to tinker with, most of them are mere ghost towns as players move to the more popular modes. Despite Dice’s direct control over the development, the game is sadly not on the same standard as their other works.
In short, what irritates me is the missed potential. This game should’ve been this and that. But it ain’t and would probably be thanks to the malpractice of cut content in DLCs. Oh by the way, it already has room and is ready for FIVE DLCs until the next Battlefront releases (most likely Q4 2016).
If you’re a fan of the franchise, then by all means give it a try. It might tickle your funny bone and give you the fun of playing a Star Wars game at its finest look. But if you’ve played countless of games, and have formed a catalog from the worst to the best ones, then you’ll most likely categorize this as one of the bad ones. Take note, bad and not worse. It’s playable but Star Wars: Battlefront leaves a gamer like me hungry, dissatisfied, and wanting for more.
Play it only on the Sony PS4 if you wish to full steam ahead as it isthe system with the most number of players are around. Check this site (http://swbstats.com/) to see if the player count is your deal breaker.
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