Imperial probe droids have finished their scans, S-foils are locked in attack position, and AT-ATs are beginning their forward stride. Star Wars Battlefront is upon us.
Although EA Access members have 10 hours to spend with Battlefront on Xbox One, the shooter doesn't release in full until Tuesday, Nov. 17. I've already played 11 hours at a review event, but I'm planning on spending more time with the retail copy before offering an in-depth assessment of everything at play.
In the meantime, I can tell you that, first and foremost, Battlefront exudes Star Wars. It's littered with small details and nostalgic easter eggs, from the sound of Han Solo's blaster to the glowing coils of Endor's shield generator. And I can't help but smile as I glide over Hoth's frozen terrain as an AT-AT crashes to the ground.
Developer DICE amplifies this absorption with breathtaking environments. Lighting is dynamic, textures are vivid, and each planet's chromatic palette is unique. But as stunning as these vistas are, it's Battlefront's sound design that envelopes you. It speaks volumes that at one point, I turned off John Williams' iconic score, to better hear the wildlife as I waded through Endor's undergrowth. Star Wars Battlefront demonstrates a strong sense of place: I can imagine Sullust's ashen smell, the crunch of sand beneath a Stormtrooper's boots.
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But from a design standpoint, Battlefront's maps aren't always as engaging. Because of the focus on natural formations and more contextual pathways, firefights aren't always compelling. There are heated engagements around objectives and control zones, of course, but I often traversed the entirety of one of these huge maps without seeing another player, enemy or ally. When I did run into an opponent during these solitary treks, there wasn't much weight to it. We exchanged blaster fire, and one of us went on our way.
Ships and vehicles, on the other hand, lend a little variety to proceedings. By grabbing certain power-ups, you can even enter the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon, or Boba Fett's Slave I ship. While dogfighting feels smooth, and can be thrilling when battling another player, ships are rarely useful against ground troops, as they fly too fast over maps that feel too small in comparison. Fighter Squadron is the only mode that actually embraces ship combat. It pits your team against enemy AI and human players. You will be fighting AI for the majority of the time, however, and they don't shoot back.
That being said, there are a lot of modes, each with its own take on the vanilla Battlefront formula. My favorite is Cargo, a capture-the-flag variant that leads to some of the game's more engaging tactical situations. Walker Assault is also a standout and the most unique, as the Rebellion fights to repel Imperial invaders and their quadrupedal behemoths. Since the open beta, DICE has implemented balancing tweaks to ensure the Rebels have more of a fighting chance in this attack and defend scenario. It leads to some of Battlefront's more unique skirmishes and vehicular encounters.
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Upon ranking up in Battlefront, much like other modern shooters, you'll unlock new item and ability cards to outfit your character's loadouts with. These include the Jump Pack, homing rocket launcher, explosive blaster rounds, and more. There are also character traits to equip, which mask you from enemy radar or increase your resistance to explosive damage. As of the first 15 levels, the items and improvements don't unlock all that often. After more time with the game, I'll have a better understanding of how the experience-based progression system affects the overall Battlefront experience.
As of now, it's clear Battlefront has nailed Star Wars from a presentation standpoint. Everything from the detailed visuals to the engrossing sound design leads to several hours of stunning spectacle. But it's unclear whether the combat and game modes will extend Battlefront's appeal past those initial hours, and dig deeper than the surface. Keep an eye out on for our full review.
Mike Mahardy on Google+
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