Star Wars Battlefront E3 2004 Preshow Impressions

One of LucasArts' titles on display at the 2004 Electronic Entertainment Expo is Star Wars Battlefront, a multiplayer-focused first- or third-person shooter slated for release on the PC, Xbox, and PlayStation 2. The game will offer voice chat support on all platforms and 16-player action on consoles or 32-player action on the PC. Though the game will emphasize multiplayer, computer-controlled bots will also be available for target practice. Those technical features do sound nice, but the abilities to play as multiple types of Star Wars characters, wield dozens of different authentic Star Wars weapons, and pilot dozens of different Star Wars vehicles are going to be the main attraction here.

Battlefront, which is being developed by Pandemic Studios, will feature 20 different playable character types spread across the game's four distinct factions: the Rebel Alliance, the Galactic Empire, the Republic Clone Army, and the Separatist Battle Droids. Indeed, Battlefront will allow you to relive battles from all five Star Wars films, plus the upcoming sixth one. Character classes include infantry, scouts, pilots, heavy-weapons experts, and more, so the game should offer considerable variety even just on foot, with around 30 weapons to choose from.

But the vehicles should be where the real action is. From the speeder bikes to X-Wings, from the Empire's versatile AT-STs to the Republic's powerful gunships seen in Episode II, Battlefront is going to offer players a chance to pilot pretty much all of their favorite Star Wars craft. This is the game's big opportunity, and if it can match the visceral vehicular pick-up-and-play fun of Battlefield 1942, then it should make for a very entertaining experience. Also, the presence of several distinctly different single-player modes, ranging from instant action to historical campaigns, should make Battlefront a robust shooter.

The game is slated for release this fall on all three platforms. We'll be bringing you more information on Battlefront as soon as possible.