For the past two years, the game developers at Electronic Arts have been teasing gamers with mere glimpses of Star Wars: Battlefront, the first game E.A. has developed since the company bought the license to make Star Wars games from LucasArts. Finally, gamers can get their hands on the much anticipated game, but is it worth it?
E.A. has made sure to distance themselves from the original Battlefront series that’s last installment was released in 2005, calling their game “a reboot.” Players will notice little to no similarities between the original series and the new game. Instead of the class system with predetermined weapons and abilities that the original series had, Battlefront has a point system to purchase new weapons, abilities and customization options for the player’s character, much like that of Call of Duty or E.A.’s Battlefield. While that is a way to distinguish this game from the original, it almost feels generic, like having Battlefield with a Star Wars texture pack.
Also, unlike the original Battlefront series, the game is set entirely in the Galactic Civil War from the original trilogy. While many don’t like the prequel trilogy, the original Battlefront series offered far more maps, vehicles, characters and abilities because it did include the prequel trilogy.
The game’s graphics look absolutely stunning. E.A. put excruciating detail into the design of all the characters, vehicles and maps. It looks like you’re actually in the middle of a Star Wars movie. The music also adds to that effect. All music in the game is by John Williams and comes from the original Star Wars trilogy.
The game offers quite a few more game modes than the original series did. One of the early favorites are Walker Assault, where players can either try to beat back the onslaught of Imperial Stormtroopers, or crush the Rebellion with the giant AT-AT walker. Another quick favorite is Fighter Squadron, where players take to the skies in X-wings and TIE Fighters to shoot each other out of the sky and protect their faction’s support ships.
The game also lets you play as the heroes and villains from Star Wars we all know and love, such as Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Princess Leia, Emperor Palpatine, Han Solo and Boba Fett. Heroes are available in every game mode: even Fighter Squadron, where players can pilot the Millennium Falcon or Boba Fett’s menacing Slave I.
There are three versions of Star Wars: Battlefront that are available to purchase: the standard edition, the deluxe edition and the ultimate edition. The standard edition is basically just the game with no extra perks and costs $59.99. At $69.99, the deluxe edition comes with a few in-game perks such as Han Solo’s blaster available from the beginning of the game. At $119.99, the ultimate edition is the most expensive deal, but for good reason. The ultimate edition comes with automatic access to the game’s season pass content, which is normally priced at $50, and players will get access two weeks in advance.
All in all, I had to be very knit-picky with this game because it is so much fun. Being a fan of the original Battlefront series, I was apprehensive about how different the game is, but the changes are bearable. In the end, fans of the original series, Star Wars fans and casual gamers alike will enjoy this game. Star Wars: Battlefront is definitely a must-buy this holiday season.
