Star Wars Battlefront (Beta)

Never played Battlefront you have? Then this preview read you must! Star Wars Battlefront is not Battlefield in a galaxy far, far away. The Developers at EA Digital Illusions CE (DICE) have made that clear from the beginning. The open beta testing phase has given us a chance to see this highly anticipated, yet already controversial game with our own eyes for the first time. Keep reading to find out what you should actually expect from Star Wars Battlefront.

Great Expectations

During the beta, participants were able to test out the multiplayer scenarios “Walker Assault” and “Drop Zone”, and also the first single-player survival mission. Star Wars fans will get the chance to encounter well known vehicles, weapons, and worlds from the Star Wars movies and even some of the Expanded Universe.

Vehicles and Controls

The one thing that really separates this game from the Battlefield series, however, is that you can’t start a match inside a vehicle, or just find them sitting by the roadside. Vehicles, as well as special weapons, are found in the form of small tokens spread across the battlefield, which have to be activated by the player. On the ice world of Hoth, as an Imperial soldier you can take control of an AT-ST, a TIE Fighter, a TIE Interceptor, or the guns of a huge, auto-controlled, AT-AT. Rebels on the same map can access Snowspeeders, X-Wings, and A-Wings.

While they did a great job designing the controls for the relatively small AT-ST, the controls for the flying units are rather crude, and don’t compare with classic Star Wars space combat sims like X-Wing and TIE Fighter. Limited thrust controls, stock maneuvers performed with the simple push of a button, and rather odd in-flight handling is sure to leave many X-Wing veterans pining for the gool ol’ days. We were able to try out the purely aerial combat-oriented “Fighter Squadron” mode at gamescom this past summer, and we weren’t all that impressed. Without the epic space battles with huge starships that are so integral to the Star Wars experience, and featuring drastically simplified controls that don’t even compare with quality of 90s-era space combat sims, real fans are just going to have to accept some pretty major limitations. In any event, the aerial combat stuff is a nice change of pace, but it’s clear that the real focus of Battlefront is the battle raging down on the ground.

In addition to the vehicles, there are also hero tokens, which the player can collect to step into the role of (depending on the faction) Darth Vader or Luke Skywalker. Both of them possess a variety of special abilities, and are really hard to defeat using regular weapons. They’re apparently planning to add additional characters. Any player can pick up the tokens used to activate these heroes, which raises the question as to whether control over such powerful heroes should really be left to chance, or would it be better to have some kind of rewards system, like for completing a mission objective or something. At the time though, it looks like players are going to have to rely on the luck of the draw.

Power-Ups and Star Cards

But most extra weapons and gear rely on a rather unusual system. DICE has more or less completely done away with the class system typical for the genre, instead allowing the player to create a deck of “Star Cards” consisting of previously unlocked weapons and equipment items. A deck consists of three cards: a primary card that has to be charged by collecting energy tokens on the battlefield, such as a personal shield, and up to two secondary cards. These secondary cards can be grenades of various types, or a Jump Pack. You can use them as often as you like, and the only limit is a short cooldown time. If you throw a grenade, you’ll be able to throw another one a few seconds later. These unlimited weapons and supplies do have an effect on the gameplay, of course, significantly reducing the game’s level of realism. Items like defibrillators or ammo packs that force you to work together on a team are not available.

In addition to the Star Cards, there are also a variety of firearms and clothing options to choose from, though the latter was not available during the beta. At this point there are four different kinds of guns available corresponding to the assault rifles, machine guns, etc. in other games. Each has its own strengths and weaknesses in terms of accuracy, fire rate, and other factors that are important to think about when choosing a firearm. But in contrast to real-world weapons, which use projectiles, blaster rifles are relatively accurate, even over long distances. Distance isn’t really an issue when you’re using laser bolts, which really makes aiming at long range a lot easier. You also get unlimited ammo here, too, and you don’t every really have to worry about reloading, either, as long as you work with short bursts of fire. If you decide to just open up and unload your weapon though, all it takes is a short cooldown time before your blaster is ready to use again.

We really didn’t notice any significant difference between the two available factions in terms of the weapons and equipment they can use. And it also doesn’t seem like they’re planning to add any kind of system allowing you to upgrade weapons by say, adding a scope or something. Imperial Stormtroopers really only differ from Rebel soldiers in their appearance. While this does guarantee a balanced playing field in terms of each team’s respective firepower, it still comes off as rather uninspired. Just a few faction-unique attributes or abilities could have made for a more interesting game.

Multiplayer Mode: “Walker Assault”

On the other side, the Empire does their best to deactivate the uplink stations, or prevent them from being activated altogether, to protect the AT-ATs. The battlefield includes a Rebel hangar facility as well as a vast system of trenches and various gun towers that both sides can use to their advantage. The graphics are excellent, and the whole thing is obviously based on the finale of the first act of The Empire Strikes Back. Much of the level design should make fans of the movies feel like they’re right at home, but in terms of gameplay, the map’s got some significant drawbacks. For one thing, the trenches aren’t deep enough to really offer any cover. And another major problem are the spawn points; specifically on the Rebel side, there just aren’t enough of them, and the ones they do have are very predictable. This makes it really easy for Imperial troops to cut down Rebels right after they spawn. Another drawback to “Walker Assault” is that the scenario is really unbalanced. Only in the rarest of cases are the Rebels able to hold back the advancing AT-ATs. This mostly has to do with the fact that the walkers, both big and small, offer enormous advantages, and there’s very little that can be done to stop them.

Multiplayer Mode: “Drop Zone”

The setting is the rocky planet of Sullust. The small map is full of cliffs and ravines, resulting in a winding, labyrinthine terrain that makes it hard to get your bearings. The landscape is littered with crashed X-Wings and TIE Fighters, as well as an Imperial Shuttle. Among the rocks you’ll encounter creatures that crawl back into their holes immediately upon seeing you, as well as small, toxic pools you’ll need to avoid if you don’t want to take any damage.

The combat in “Drop Zone” is really fast-paced, and teams have to act with tactical sense and know how to react quickly to the changing conditions of the battlefield. Star Cards take on a greater importance here than in “Walker Assault”. The Jump Pack allows you to master the rocky terrain a bit more easily or find an elevated firing position. Grenades are really useful for stopping enemies moving through the narrow ravines, and the personal shield can protect you long form enemy blaster fire long enough to take an escape pod for your team.

Single-Player Missions

You’ll have to fight against several different classes of Stormtrooper, and vehicles like the AT-ST. You could only play six rounds in the beta version, which isn’t all that much of a challenge for Rebels with some degree of experience under their belts. We’re assuming these engagements are going to be significantly longer in the final version of the game.

The Worst Part: Team Play

The Best Part: Graphics and Sound

And the sound is also pretty awesome. The most impressive part is the countless explosions that rock the battlefield. The sound waves don’t just blast through your ears; you can feel them, too. If something blows up nearby, it’ll have an impact on your (in-game, hopefully) hearing, limiting your perception of the combat zone for a short time. This is one place where the game delivers on that realism that’s lacking in many other aspects. And the familiar blaster fire, great vehicle sounds, and well done voice acting only add to the impression. And the whole thing is rounded out by classic Star Wars background music for a truly authentic audio experience. (Christian Heldmaier; translation by Chase Faucheux)