Battlefronts among the stars

Review

Played on: Xbox One X
Released: 2017

Although I appreciated the large amount of modes and solid multiplayer gameplay in the 
first Battlefront, it always felt like it could've done with a singleplayer experience. Not that a game can't purely be multiplayer based.

Luckily, this time around EA's DICE have made a campaign mode for Battlefront II. Much the same way Titanfall did: multiplayer-only in the first release, then went with an excellent singleplayer in the second. But where Respawn nailed a great singleplayer, DICE struggles to make itself a unqiue singleplayer experience that doesn't just feel like a multiplayer experience expanded.

This review will be about that campaign, I've played some multiplayer and it's solid as usual from DICE. Gameplay is identical between the single and multiplayer though.



Gameplay is a solid, DICE quality, shooter experience, which you expect from the Battlefield franchise developer. Gunplay feels satisfying and the sound is rich with a heavy weight to explosions. The TIE fighters scream like they are supposed to, making the spaceship battles a joy to play. I really enjoyed the differences controlling various vehicles, like the X-Wing and TIE fighters, as well as the imperial,  two legged, walkers and four legged, giant AT-ATs.

The view angles, allowing to switch between third and first person when playing the main female character, Iden Versio, leaves me a little undecided. On one hand the third person view gives you a personalised approach to the main character, actually seeing her gives the player a better connection to her. However, the animation looks a little simple, with a less precise aiming feel compared to first person.

On the other hand, you can switch to a traditional first person view, probably the view intended when not playing the famous Star Wars heroes, whom are locked to third person. The first person mode is probably the best for the gun fights, but it takes away the experience of being Versio. I would've liked to see the third person view with more polished animation and settle for it as the default view.



DICE absolutely nails the visual resemblance of famous Star Wars locations: planet surfaces, small cities, space battles etc., it's a beautiful looking title and spot on with the movie aesthetics. The layout of the level design though, have this generic feeling to them and look like they're pulled straight out of the multiplayer levels.

The lack environmental interactivity is obvious too, when walking around in a walker or AT-AT blowing up enemies, but hardly making a scratch to the environments. Sure, there's a barrel here and there to shoot, but everything else feels like solid concrete you can't damage.

So, while they've visually made it incredible at first glance, especially in 60fps and 4K on my Xbox One X, combined with sharp image quality and detailed textures, the actual level design and interactivity needs work.



I went into this release well aware that it had a short campaign, and although I've complained a bit in this review, I ended up having a fun and exciting playthrough. Playing as the Empire, with Versio, is satisfying and the levels mixed between with famous Star Wars characters are refreshing and an entertaining distraction.

Although it should've ended at a certain point in the story, outstaying it's welcome with a stupid tie-in with the new movies right at the end felt forced, it's a solid shooter for Star Wars fans.

The way the game truly perfectly captures the visual style of the old 70's style of the movies is fantastic, combined with how sharp and smooth it runs and how well it plays, both as a shooter and in vehicele sections, is good stuff. There's nothing revolutionary, or out of the ordinary here, but a solid shooter at heart.