STAR WARS™ Battlefront™

The new Battlefront is this generation's Battlefield plus Star Wars. The legendary game franchise that sadly declined in the mod-200s is back and up to date.

But is it as good as it used to be?
The updated graphics says it is. The new maps, large, vast and majestic, are a pleasure to play on. You can almost feel like you really are in the middle of the Hoth battle, for example. The lasers hum, the lightsabers swing, and it looks and sounds amazing. You can play different character classes focusing on different aspects of warfare, from regular stormtroopers to bounty hunters and demolitionists. There are various vehicles available, both on the ground and in the air. Unfortunately, animations and controls still feel a lot less fluid than they should be. Even when you're playing a legendary character after completing a challenge, you feel like a clumsy ox. I stumble and fail to slice up a stormtrooper. And that's me playing Luke Skywalker!

The play modes available are competent, with the standard deathmatch and free-for-all fun, team assaults, capturing the flag, etc. The problem is, they are very few, same as the maps that are less than a dozen. More content is coming out as DLC, but the initial package may seem really poor, with only a couple of modes and maps. It doesn't help that the game sometimes glitches or fails to maintain the online connection. Luckily, this is a rare occasion.

Despite these shortcomings, the new Battlefront is lots of fun. The Star Wars atmosphere is strong, the action is good enough, the challenges are mostly fun. With more DLC, it will become even better. But even now, it's an epic online shooter allowing you to wage war between the Republic and the Empire on maps taken straight from the movies. What more would a fan want?