Star Wars Battlefront!
So SWB is a first person shooter that takes place during the original trilogy. It includes all the game modes you’d expect from a FPS, plus single player/co-op games. Surprisingly it also includes an air superiority mode.
My first impression playing the full release was great disappointment. It seems they haven’t fixed any of the issues from the beta. Oh god, did I really spend $60 on this!? I’ve made a terrible mistake that has cost me almost a full day’s wage.
I say that but it isn’t all bad. The graphics for one are top notch. It has among the top graphics of all the games I’ve played, current gen. It’s a beauty to look at and the character models are top notch. Seeing Vader running into battle or seeing Leia waiting in ambush is quite the sight. The space fighters look awesome too. 3rd person view you get to really enjoy how they look. The cockpit view is under detailed but is still enjoyable.
They did a fantastic job on the sound as well. This is one of the first games ever where I don’t spend the first minutes of the game adjusting every sound option. When you open the game you’re rewarded with the Star Wars opening theme. The sound effects are very authentic. This will definitely be a game to play to get hyped before going off to see Episode 7.
The game mechanics leave much to be desired though perhaps I just haven’t unlocked enough of the game. SWB is tracking based shooter like halo, unlike games like Battlefield or especially Call of duty which are twitch based. Tracking based means you have to maintain your crosshairs over your target for longer than most shooters because targets take more than half a second to die. Unlike Battlefield, you can’t start off at level one in SWB and have the ability to harm vehicles. When confronted with a walker you have the options of running, hiding, or dying.
Battlefield spoiled me on air combat. The mechanics for SWB are too simple and feel unrefined. It feels like a space sim from the 90’s. Welcome back X-wing V Tie Fighter. The benefit is it takes no skills to have fun and get a few kills. The down side is because it’s so simple it’s harder to be a good pilot and stand out. There are AI fighters too which make for even easier kills. This translates to less accomplishment, less satisfaction, and less enjoyment.
Maybe I’m just getting old but I have a hard time seeing opponents. Seeing vehicles isn’t a problem though! (As it blows everything up) game balance is still an issue. I thought I wouldn’t like it but I do enjoy seeing the main SW characters arrive on in the battle and tear it up. I do have to say they’re too over powered though. And balancing is a constant issue in this game. Vehicles last forever because almost no one seems able to damage them. When there are people the vehicles are still there for a while tearing through helpless victims. Don’t get me started on how OP the Aluminum Falcon and Slave 1 are in the Air superiority mode. I’ve yet to see them blow up.
Over all I found myself quickly bored with this game. Take away the Star Wars theme, there’s not much left to this game. It really does leave so much to be desired. I highly suggest people not buy it for a month or 3. Once people get over that it’s Star Wars, the mediocre game play and mechanics will become more apparent. I suspect the player base with drastically drop after a month. By no stretch of the imagination is this game worth $60. It would be pure insanity to buy the season pass for another $50. You’re just buying more maps and more skins that no one will notice or care that you have. You don’t often see your own character so do you for $50 care what your avatar looks like?
Take my advice and wait until Cyber Monday or for some other deal when this game is sub $40.