Be mindful, that this video game review is assessing the console version of the game, namely the one intended for Sony Playstation.Brian Williamson
If developers behind the Star Wars Battlefront video game had in mind to remind me, just how awesome this franchise and all of its visuals are, then they’ve succeeded! The small and big battles of the game take place across all of the universe’s most iconic planets, with breathtaking landscapes and outlandishly good vistas on a massive scale. Endor’s trees look real intimidating. Tatooine’s desert goes on for long many miles of the screen…. And when the battle music reaches its climax, and I glide over Hoth’s frozen trenches, I’m right back into my high school age, watching The Empire Strikes Back for the first time.
Still, despite all the good stuff, the Battlefront lacks the longevity that makes its source material great. It offers some basic level of engagement, and for the first few hours, it swept me through its harrowing storyline and universe.
But at the end of the day (or rather at the end of the 11th hour of the gameplay) the thing just seems more like an homage to Star Wars than a substantial Star Wars game in itself.
And still, what a beautiful homage this is: dynamic lighting, vivid textures, windswept forests–developer DICE has crafted a thorough and in-detail world begging for a closer sneak peak, turning you in at every turn. Rain glistens on drooping leaves. Icy crystals extend from cavern walls.
This is all amazing, of course, but it’s Battlefront’s soundtrack that makes it feel special. The ambient organic sound of nature and life surrounds you and explosions carry through bunker walls, even as it is being rained down. The fact that I swapped in-game sound for the soundtrack a few times tells you something…
Beneath all these glossy looks, however, are insufficient experiences. Maps look fantastic, yes, but they lack focused design. Endor’s undergrowth lends cosmetic appeal, but not much cover. Hoth’s barren fields impart a range feeling.
There are exceptions in some of Battlefront’s locales, however–Tatooine’s mixture of exterior and interior sceneries, as an example…
So all in all – while any Star Wars fan (or a soon-to-be Star Wars fan) plays it – the game will be time well spent…
However, it really lacks in storytelling and structure!
I cannot agree more, as my brother went on to become a volunteer in Syria, fighting alongside Syrian moderate opposition versus Assad – and died. All because US did not stop Assad in 2011-2012.
I cannot agree more, as my brother went on to become a volunteer in Syria, fighting alongside Syrian moderate opposition versus Assad – and died. All because US did not stop Assad in 2011-2012.
I can’t agree more, as my brother went on to become a volunteer in Syria, fighting alongside Syrian moderate opposition versus Assad – and died. All because US did not stop Assad in 2011-2012.