When I first saw Battlefront 2’s Galactic Assault mode during that half hour liveplay at the end of EA’s 2017 E3, I loved what I was seeing with it. I loved most of what I saw during that liveplay, but there were questions yet to be answered. Upon getting to play myself during the beta, some of those were answered.
But what was on offer – even in the full game – felt kind of lacking. I’m not talking about flooding the game with modes, but it felt that all of them were focused in on pinpointing the action to specific locations with the objectives. For as much as I loved Galactic Assault, I still wanted that freeform mode like Conquest. It took more than a year, but we finally got such a mode with Capital Supremacy, which then started the slow change in focus to modes built off it. That gave players more freeform modes, but did also leave everything else in a state of no longer seeing support (which is sadly reflected in how the menu is organised). Through all these updates across the two and a half years the game has been active, it has become a lot better. I’m starting to love it more. Even more than I did at its release. For this article, then, I’ll be focusing on those things I have enjoyed throughout my time with the game.
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EA’s Star Wars Battlefront games have seen a lot of good, even if there’s glitches within the gameplay. Last time in Equipping Ideas I talked about mechanics, which leads the way into modes. Galactic Assault is a fun mode, though with command posts there’ll be a few changes. Heroes vs Villains is also going to see a change. Then there’s conquest and my new mode.
For Galactic Assault, each team has two permanent command posts that always move with the phases. A third would appear when needed. The two that are permanently on the field hold only ground forces. That third command post holds all vehicles including the transports during transport defence phases. No starfighters will be available in Galactic Assault. There’s conquest for that. The EA Star Wars Battlefront games have been fun, though there are problems with how they play. To me, it doesn’t feel like Battlefront. It feels like a Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare clone in a Star Wars skin. Funny, when you think Battlefront was a Battlefield reskin, but at least that actually worked.
The thing I most dislike about the Garden Warfare feel is how the secondary weapons and abilities are handled. Rather than just offer a simple fix for it, I’ll be giving it a bit of a full change from how the entire system is handled in Battlefront 2. In fact, I’ll be using Battlefront 2 as a base to build all these ideas from. There is quite a lot, for me, to be thankful for about Star Wars Battlefront. I've said it plenty of times, but first playing Star Wars Battlefront 2 is what got me into Star Wars in the first place. Without having that first experience of playing with a friend back in the December 2007, I probably wouldn't be as big a fan as I am now.
Playing Battlefront 2 is what got me to track down the original trilogy of films (little twelve year old me probably getting sidetracked by the LEGO isle in Toys R Us no doubt) and watch them. Probably not too much of a stretch to say I've watched them at least once every year, adding the prequels to that once I got them a year later. Slight exaggeration as it might be, the whole of the Star Wars community has been begging for a proper new Battlefront since the last one ten years ago. It's no wonder that Star Wars Battlefront 2 is one of the highest selling Star Wars games, considering that it let players live out fantasies far and wide within the Star Wars universe. So when EA got their hands on the license, the first thing they did with it was announce they were working on a new Battlefront.
Now, it's no secret that another Battlefront has been doing the rounds, and has been since it was cancelled in 2008-9, but many people - even me - expected that a new Battlefront would expand on what we already had. All the footage from that Battlefront has given us what we'd hoped for. Star Wars Battlefront is some months from release now. After two teasers at E3 events [2013 and 2014], it was about time we had some information for the game. At Star Wars Celebration Anaheim, we had that information. DICE are playing the information game very slyly. We have some info, but not enough to accurately say how this game will play or feel.
Take the main piece of information - that there will only be four planets in the game - and think about that. The developers say multiple maps, varying in size depending on the mode. And each planet will have more than two maps at launch. "If they were to add the Clone Wars, it would almost double the work they would have to do and it would have a negative effect on the game."
Regarding this business that DICE are concentrating only on the Galactic Civil War for the new Star Wars Battlefront, this is one of the most commented quotes I have seen. And I cannot possibly imagine why anyone would even say that. I realise I might go on about the Star Wars Battlefront games way more than I should, but why can't I? It's the only shooter game I am most interested in, as goes for the 28,000 + people that like the page Who Else Wants Star Wars Battlefront III [now The Star Wars Hub]. The question on that page is what makes me post this.
"So what would you rather want? The 2008/9 Pre-Alpha version of Star Wars Battlefront III finished and released or for Star Wars Battlefront III to be rebooted from scratch for the Next Generation era?" Star Wars Battlefront HD is a collection of both main series Battlefront's. Featuring a new user interface to swap between the two games and their modes. It also features swapping modes in instant action, so you can play maps that appeared in Battlefront 1 with Battlefront 2 and vice versa without the use of mods (with the exception of space battles).
So, massive Star Wars fan. Battlefront is my favourite series. Everyone's heard it from loads of different Star Wars fans, and even a couple that aren't [just the Battlefront part]. Point is, if you want to make a Star Wars game, give the player control.
Take The Force Unleashed series for example. You play as one person who's a Jedi, going through preset levels with a few puzzles, bosses and powerful foes here and there. Nothing truly ground-breaking, but you have control of a range of Force moves and two lightsabers. You have the fun the first few times, the challenge is good. You complete it, get bored easily from that point on. Why? Hardly any replayability unless you are a completionist. |
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