Star Wars Battlefront

By: Robert Murphy

Ever wondered what it was like to be on the front lines of Endor or were you ever curious about what it looked like to stare out into the frozen wasteland of Hoth and see Imperial Walkers heading towards you? Well Star Wars Battlefront is perhaps the closest players will come to experience all of that and more first hand. 

If this particular Battlefront saga were to take place in any particular timeline it would be during the original Star Wars films, no prequel nonsense here, and tells players of the struggle between the Empire and the rebellion across a variety of online game modes. It's also simple for anyone out there who is not familiar with the massive following or lore to pick up. This is great considering a whole new generation of Star Wars fans is being spawned with the anticipated new film coming out in due time. Players will simply pick whichever game mode they would like and be placed on either side of the battlefield and armed with a blaster, some grenades and their skill.

It really is that simple when it boils down to it since the online mechanics are not that complex compared to any other heavily based multiplayer game on the market at the moment. Games like Call of Duty and the like have come so far that their multiplayer experience involves hours of tweaking to your particular class skills, weapons and abilities but Battlefront boils down to a simple assortment of blasters and grenades that all work in similar fashion to one another. Once you're in the game no blaster or weapon is particularly different they all have the same odd firing mechanic, shots going every which direction at times (no wonder the empire couldn't hit anything), but it's all very refreshing and fair when it comes to gameplay. Player cards and limited character customization making earning points through matches worth the effort, I particular oozed enjoyment when I finally got my jetpack and soared through battlefields like a Dark Trooper from the original Battlefront games.

That being said things can be fairly basic because of all this. Since the game is so accessible for anyone who would like to play it, it doesn't delve too deeply into the Star Wars lore. All of the major vehicles, characters and iconic landmarks are present but there is no real voice to the game that lends more in-depth development for those hardcore fans or those looking for something more. This may partially have to do with the games lack of a single player story experience. The game offers a week solo experience that boils down to nothing more than Training Missions or fighting waves of enemies in a Survival mode against AI. So bottom line is there really is no sense in buying the game if you won't play it online but for a series with such a rich universe this is a sad statement.

Getting back to the good stuff, there is a variety of different experiences to be had for whatever players might have been missing from the golden days of the first two Battlefront games. It's hard to beat the classic game modes such as team deathmatch, hero hunt or even capture the flag (which is capture the cargo in this case) which are spread across thirteen different maps set on four planets, Hoth, Endore, Tatooine and Sullust. Each of which is highly detailed and balanced well for any game mode that you plan to choose from while allowing you enough time to both shoot your enemies and enjoy the fact that you are in an insanely well adapted Star Wars environment. 

What really puts things in perspective though are the heavier game modes that take things to a whole new level with massive battle scenarios such as Walker Assault, Fighter Squadron and Supremacy. These game types are insane and filled with nonstop chaos coming at players in every direction you can possibly think of. Massive walkers stomp across the battlefield while Rebel X-Wing's try to ensnare them with hooks and tiny soldiers drudge across the battlefield taking one another out until you see Lord Vader come in and chuck a few in different directions. It's amazing and that's where Battlefront gains back some of it's replay factor, by simply pushing your nostalgia for the Star Wars series to the limit. Between flying the Millennium Falcon across a sky filled with enemy combatants to reenacting the triumphant victory over the Empire on Endor, your inner fandom self will be screaming outward. 

It's long been said that video games don't do well when they're adapted from TV shows or movies, Star Wars Battlefront is one of those game series that has stood out as being one of the exceptions. While no other game series out there can do more for offering up such a rich and immersing experience into it's lore, there is still something to be desired here. There is plenty brought forth here for any fan to love but it does miss an underline voice to it's narrative and something truly compelling to drive everything it has home for it. But, where it is succeeds is in recreating some of the fondest memories from my childhood and will hopefully inspire newcomers as it did for plenty of hardcore fans.

Good:

- An easy to jump into multiplayer experience for all game modes

- A true to form Star Wars recreation

- Big battles such as Supremacy, Walker Assault and Fighter Squadron

Bad:

- A poor single player experience

- Lacks a certain drive that prevents too much replayability

Scully Rating: 7.5 out of 10