Tuesday, October 13, 2015

My Reaction to the Star Wars Battlefront Beta

  EA had a three day long beta for the highly anticipated Battlefront 3, at which 9 million people participated making this the biggest beta ever for EA. This beta reinvigorated my hopes for the series, but highlighted a few problems that will ,hopefully, be fixed before the game is released on November 17th.

  The beta gave players a change to try out 6 rounds of survival(split-screen or online co-op) and two modes each featuring their own map. Drop Zone has players fighting for control of escape pods on the planet Sullust, and Walker Assault has rebels trying to stop the empire's walkers before they can blow up the shield generator in Hoth.

  The first thing I noticed was how beautiful this game is. It is breathtaking and may offer the finest graphics for the Ps4 and Xbox One.

  Secondly, I noticed how satisfying the gunplay is. Everything works right when firing lasers at your enemy. This extends to all the equipment such as the  jet-packs and grenades. The idea that there is no iron sights bothered a lot of people, but the exceptional mechanics quickly overshadowed that complaint.

  There are a few small problems that can easily be fixed. One of which was spawning issues. I found myself being placed in front of the enemy in multiple occasions. Another issue was the buddy spawn mechanic,because it doesn't establish a fair playing field. Imagine shooting at a stormtrooper then his buddy appears out of now where to blast you down. Another critique would be balancing. The problem comes from walker assault on Hoth. The empire has a clear advantage which originates from the structure of the game mode. Rebels have to capture these beacons to call an airstrike on the walkers. After the airstrike, the walkers can be weakened by attacks. Just destroying one walker takes forever therefore giving the rebels a huge disadvantage.

 Another thing that fans are looking forward to is the ability to play as characters like Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader. It's a blast to become these characters and have control of their vast powers. It's also a huge thrill to see one of the iconic characters on the battlefield and choose to either take them down or run for your life. I just wish they could have handled it a little differently. You have to pick up a token thingy to become one of your favorite Star Wars heroes. I think it would be more rewarding and fair if you became these characters by accomplishing a set goal, such as killstreaks or objectives.

Everything above are small issues that can easily be fixed by the time the game is released. What follows is a list of things I am still unsure about; not just from the beta but the game in general.

1. No Space Battles: This was a huge success from Battlefront 2, so it's a big surprise and disappointment that we won't be able to see the heights this could go with current technology.

2. No Campaign: I understand just focusing on the multiplayer since that is the main aspect of the game, but I am a campaign enthusiast. They could have had someone else do the story mode or I would even be happy with co-op missions.

3. Nothing from the Prequels: The original trilogy is 100 times better then the newer movies, but they did have some cool characters (Darth Maul, General Grievous) and planets. I wish we could have experienced this through Battlefront 3... even if it means having to play as those stupid droids! Maybe Jar Jar could have been a hero character.

4. Missing original Battlefront style modes: Battlefront needs to be its own game, not battlefield with Star Wars characters(Battlefield Hardline anyone). They are doing a good job with this, maybe to good of a job. How many of you miss good old conquest mode? How many of you miss 64 v 64 matches(Battlefield 4)? How many of you miss getting into vehicles anytime you want( in Battlefront 3 you can enter vehicles by finding a token thingy). I enjoy all the new, interesting, and diverse modes since they are a blast to play, but they should keep some of those original Battlefront game modes. Not saying they won't, I haven't played the whole game after all.

 You may get the impression that I disliked the beta. On the contrary... I loved it! Everything I have been talking about would improve the game in my mind, but the game gets a few things right. It's fun and its Star Wars. Aren't those two things what people are looking for? EA has done something spectacular, which is dragging that inner Star Wars within all of us, and putting it on the screen for all to see.

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