‘Battlefront’ on XBOX One Review!

The Star Wars franchise is here to stay, especially if EA has anything to say about it. Before the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, fans got a chance to look at a reboot of the Battlefront series from developer DICE.

This isn’t the typical single player game you are looking for. Instead of saving the galaxy as a Jedi hero, or taking over it as a Sith master. You are placed in an all-out massive online multiplayer game spread across multiple iconic Star Wars locations (in various amount of playable game modes) including : Endor, Tattooine, Hoth, Jakku, and Sullust. If you want to play with a friend locally, there is an offline two player split screen option which is only available in certain game modes.

One thing Star Wars Battlefront has going for it is a plethora of game options to enjoy for any Star Wars fan.

Cargo has you defend your goods while trying to capture your opponents in this capture the flag style mode. In Droid Run, you must capture and hold three moving GNK power droids in a 6v6 challenge. Of course this is while the droids are moving slowly around the map. Blast, is a death match mode including 10 imperial Stormtroppers facing off against 10 rebels. With the winner being the last to survive. Then Drop Zone, an 8v8 match where you fight for control of escape pods landing on the map.

The five modes I mentioned above, is your basic FPS game modes with a Star Wars twist. They are fun to play for short sessions, but I feel the modes that really capture the Star Wars essence of Battlefront are the more unique modes which are: Heroes vs Villains, Hero Hunt, Walker Assault, and Supremacy & fighter Squadron. These modes will give any Star Wars fans the rush they want. In Heroes vs. Villains you are placed on either side with a chance to control a major Star Wars character, or a standard solider. In this mode you’re tasked with taking out all three major characters. Of course, if you are a regular solider, prepare to get taken down with one hit from a lightsaber, force choke, and lighting fingers. But, luckily you will respawn.

Walker Assault and Supremacy offers probably the most unique game modes. Involving 40 players facing off in the ultimate battle of good vs evil going against everything from AT-AT Walkers to AT-ST walkers, enemies on Speeder bikes, and everything you would expect from the original trilogy.

DICE did an amazing job of bringing the worlds of the original movies to life. Visually everything looks beautiful from the planets, to the characters, and even the backgrounds. You even have an improved soundtrack featuring the iconic score from the original trilogy, but it still feels like the game is lacking. You can customize your characters looks and load outs before each game. The more you play the more you can get. But unfortunately, because of the lack of depth in the game, you loose interest to keep playing. It’s too simplistic. It tries to emulate other popular shooters and even adds the option to play from either first or third player mode. But aside from the Star Wars locations and characters, it doesn’t stand out too well on its own.

Overall, DICE may have been trying too hard to make it a game that everyone from a casual Star War fan to a more experienced player can jump in, play, and feel on a similar level. It has everything a Star Wars fan can enjoy but after a few dozen hours it feels a bit stale and more like something to play on occasion (that may change with the upcoming DLC). But, that’s if you feel like spending another $50 on the game.

For are a Star Wars fan, this is definitely a no brainer to get. Especially if you don’t play a lot of games. It does have some balancing issues but hey, there are always the 40 player modes to challenge yourself to survive.