Features and Opinions Editor
Star Wars is about to invade lots of people’s live, and it seems like the video game version, Star Wars Battlefront, is poised to take a large part of the holiday market after it ran a free beta over the week of Oct. 8-13
Developed by DICE, the studio behind the hugely popular first person shooter games Battlefield 3 and 4, and published by Electronic Arts, the game just underwent a massive free early build of that was showcased to players on most major platforms. While only a small piece of what is promised to be a much larger game, it still held a lot of fun and presented some really interesting features.
Two different modes were available to players, a small and large competitive multiplayer mode, and a cooperative survival mode. The large 20 versus 20 map had players as Rebels of Imperials fighting for control of a gigantic “Walker,” the familiar brontosaurus-like AT-AT. Rebel players are tasked with defending certain control points, while Imperials are set to mow them back, all set on everyone’s favorite ice planet Hoth.
No matter the faction a player randomly gets assigned to, there is plenty frantic action in which to participate. Like many of DICE’s past games, there is plenty of room and freedom to play as many different roles for your team. While much of the load out for your character was restricted in the early version, I found myself switching between playing support role trying to hold the key positions and provide covering fire, and actively trying to hunt enemy players down before they could reach a check. Meanwhile, a massive walker is barreling down a snowy canyon.
The innovative way they have dealt with power-ups is refreshing. Instead of having players earn a specific score to receive game changing power ups like a rocket launcher, Battlefront randomizes when and where the power-ups will drop. No longer are the days of only the highest scoring players getting the coolest rewards. If you happen upon a power-up token, it could be anything. At least in this early test of the multiplayer, it seemed like the entire had just as good a chance as using one of the heroes as anyone else. Players can randomly take control of the vehicles in the level as well like making a bombing run for the Rebels, or piloting an AT-ST for the Empire.
Playing as Luke Skywalker or Darth Vader, it seems each map will have respective good guy/ bad guy heroes to play, is a blast. Not only are the heroes easy and fun to use, they can be a tide turning upgrade for one side. There is nothing quite as satisfying as watching a squadron of 10 players scatter when they see a hero, and then Darth Vader slicing through that squadron on the run.
As to be expected from a powerhouse development team like DICE, the mechanics and core gunplay of Battlefront is solid as a rock. Shooting and traversal are easy to pick up and go, and being able to switch from first-person to over the shoulder is done smoothly on the fly while playing.
If this early taste of what Star Wars Battlefront has to offer, copies of the game will soar when it releases in November.
