There was a lot of hype behind EA’s initial Star Wars Battlefront game. Many bought it because Star Wars hype was real in 2015, and enjoyed it despite the game having any real depth to it. While DICE did a fantastic job with the presentation aspects of the game in terms of visuals and audio, the game felt a little lacking when it came to the progression systems and gameplay. The game also didn’t have a single player campaign, which left players with a handful of online modes that didn’t have much to keep you coming back for more. EA themselves admitted that they need to a better job with the game, and after playing the Star Wars Battlefront 2 beta I think we can say that they’ve done just that.
DICE has dialed in the Star Wars Experience
This isn’t an area of Battlefront that lacked in the first game, but DICE has once again nailed it this time around with the presentation for Star Wars Battlefront 2. At least from what we’ve seen in the beta, this is going to be another treat for Star Wars fans. The audio and visuals come together to form what looks like one of the best Star Wars games to come to consoles in quite some time. This game is dripping with fan service. From the incredible musical score to the sound of blaster fire humming through the atmosphere — Star Wars Battlefront 2 puts you right on the front lines of the battle, allowing you to play with numerous soldiers, classes, and heroes from the Star Wars universe. They had a high bar to pass with the standard they set in the 2015 release, but by all accounts this is a much better looking and better playing game.
Beefed up Progression System & Customization
This is one area that DICE’s first Battlefront game didn’t really have all that much to offer. It seems like DICE learned their lesson in Battlefront 2. There is a ton of customization and progression in the game that allows players to unlock and earn cards to customize every type of character. They can all be outfitted with Star Cards that give them special abilities in battle and weapons for each class can be modified with crafting materials in the game.
The game will feature loot boxes, and in them you’ll find things like new heroes, poses, skins, and other items that can help you in the game with special abilities or items that are purely cosmetic. This progression and customization spans across every playable character or vehicle in the game. This includes Star Fighter ships and Hero Ships that feature unique handling and abilities.
It really appears that DICE listened to the portion of the Battlefront audience that were hoping for a little more out of the game and they’ve delivered.
Multiplayer has been Completely Reimagined
Multiplayer works much differently this time around in Battlefront 2. Taking a page from the Battlefield series, DICE has introduced true class based gameplay for this game. In game modes like the massive Galactic Assault this system feels great, with each class playing an essential role in the attempt to assault or defend the objective. Players can use the aformentioned customization cards to further give their characters different abilities and can also switch on each respawn as objectives change.
The classes are Assault, Heavy, Specialist, and Officer. Each has a specific purpose on the battlefield, with differing weapons and abilities. Playing as any class you’ll earn Battlepoints which can then be used during a match to call in faction specific reinforcements. These can be hero units like Darth Maul, Kylo Ren, Han Solo, or others. But it can also be things like powerful land and air vehicles, or special units with powerful abilities. Each of these reinforcements will cost a different amount of Battle Points. This contrasts to the original game where you’d basically run to an icon and hop in a ship, or stumble upon a hero icon to become one of the iconic Star Wars heroes. This time around, doing well and earning points by getting kills, playing the objective, and other things allows you to play with the most powerful units in the game.
This class-based system works across the game’s five multiplayer modes. Strike is a smaller version of Galactic Assault that has players attacking and defending an objective. The class and card system works here as well, but you just can’t call in the big vehicles of the other mode.
Modes for everyone
For those not ready to jump into the competitive multiplayer mode, there is the new story mode that the first game lacked. It’s an untold story in the Star Wars universe that bridges the gap between the events of Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens. A special forces soldier named Iden Versio is the leader of an Imperial Special Forces group known as the Inferno Squad. The single player mode will have you controlling numerous characters in the Star Wars universe. There’s also an Arcade Mode for the game that allows you to face off against the A.I. in Battle Scenarios playing as either the Dark Side or Light Side which allow you to earn stars based on your performance. At launch this will feature both custom arcade scenarios, split-screen co-op against the computer, or versus in split-screen.
The Uncertainties
These impressions are from the Star Wars Battlefront 2 Beta. There’s a lot that could potentially go wrong here. The single player story could stink. Whether it be something too short, not up to par with other Star Wars stories, or it could just in general be not very good. There’s also a potential for microtransactions here, and with the crate system in Battlefront 2 there are a lot more than just cosmetic upgrades in these. We’re holding off on judgement for the time being, but Star Wars Battlefront 2 is certainly shaping up to be a better game than its predecessor.
