Look, I should probably start by admitting that yes, I am a huge fan of Star Wars. Something about John Williams’ score and the sound of blaster fire just takes me back to my youth and makes me immensely happy. The nostalgia only gets stronger when you bring up Star Wars video games. I’m a sucker for anything involving Stormtroopers and rebel soldiers, especially when I can recreate classic movie scenes, so it only makes sense that the new Battlefront would be right up my alley. I mean, I was so excited for the original Battlefront back in the day that I preordered it on PC to get the exclusive Scout Trooper action figure. I’m OG…or something.
Obviously Dice’s version of Star Wars: Battlefront is vastly different than the original, but that didn’t stop me from getting extremely excited when the long-awaited sequel was announced. The concept of massive battles between Imperial and Rebel forces is straightforward, and the improved hardware actually makes the dream into a reality.
Still Worth It
I have spent about a week with Star Wars: Battlefront, and I understand that it lacks depth in modes and map variety. You know what? I don’t particularly care.
Battlefront has four main maps, each with different sections based on game mode, and most of them are solid. Tattooine and Hoth both are fun with their mix of hallways and open vistas. Sullust isn’t that great, but that’s mostly because I don’t find vertical levels to be that fun. The Walker Assault version of Sullust is pretty fun though with the long sight lines and hazardous lava pools.
Of course, it should come as no surprise that Endor is the showpiece of Battlefront. The forest moon from Return of the Jedi was the location of the best battle in the six films, and Dice definitely put extra energy into making it movie quality. It doesn’t matter what mode you play, the forest moon is always fun. The nighttime battle on the landing pad relies on hallway skirmishes and close quarters combat while the hero battles and Walker Assault both take advantage of bigger areas and the ridiculous foliage. Blast is great mode no matter the map—it’s just team deathmatch—but the version on Endor is fantastic. The smaller teams still cause a ton of havoc, and the massive map includes Ewok villages and destroyed AT-AT’s like you would expect. All four of these modes are a blast to play because of the gorgeous environment, but they don’t quite compare to the Supremacy mode.
In my opinion, Supremacy on Endor is the perfect recreation of Return of the Jedi. Like Conquest in Battlefield, you have to capture control points and defend them from the opposing team. This mode is a blast to play in general, but it’s made even better by having 20 players on each team. No matter where you look, there are Stormtroopers and Rebels soldiers popping out from behind trees. Oh, and don’t forget the AT-ST walkers and speeder bikes constantly flying around.
One of my favorite moments in gaming this year happened when I was playing Supremacy the other night. A squad of our Rebel soldiers barely managed to take down an AT-ST and three other Stormtroopers while defending a critical control point. I finished the battle and turned around to head off in pursuit of other soldiers. Right as I turned, two speeder bikes flew out of nowhere in a ridiculous pursuit. I shrieked like a six-year-old, ducked, and barely avoided decapitation. The combination of a near-death experience, destroying a mechanical monster, and hearing those iconic sounds made me happier than I have been in quite some time…at least while playing a game.
This moment was only a small sample, but it’s a perfect example of why I really dig this game.
To be perfectly honest, I understand the criticism against Star Wars: Battlefront, but that hasn’t kept me from enjoying all of my time with the game. The online battles are great, and I even have fun with the split-screen survival modes. I’m not saying that I will be paying for the season pass; 50 clams is a steep entry price. However, I will keep playing as long as I can find other players to shoot. My childhood requires it.
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