"A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away ..."
It is the historical phrase that appears at the opening of each film that makes up one of the most famous cinematographic sagas that has grown in popularity over time. 11 years have passed since the release of the first Battlefront e DICE has seen fit to brush up and make improvements to one of the most famous FPS on console and PC. I still remember the astonishment: I was about 14 and I was at the cinema to see a movie. In the lobby of that cinema they had placed several game stations, and the game running was the first Star Wars Battlefront! Simple but fun gameplay was the key to its success. For a long time, fans of Star Wars and beyond have been waiting for a third chapter of the famous shooter released on the old PS2. So much so that a few years passed before being announced (never officially) and then canceled (following the acquisition of the rights by the Disney) for the last generation of consoles. The purpose of DICE (which initially refused to develop it!) Is to give fans a title on a technical level that dominates the popularity of already established brands such as Call of Duty, Battlefield, Destiny e Halo, with an AI system that will give us a hard time in battle and with a title where multiplayer is its strong point. Admittedly, when you return to play you feel a thrill coursing through you, all your knowledge of Star Wars is overtaken by your ability to aim and eliminate enemies. It is 2015 and it seems to have gone back in time, between the noises of the blasters and the choice of who to be faithful to whether to rebellion or to the empire. The time to talk is over, let yourself be guided by the force ... it's back in Star Wars Battlefront.
The force is powerful in us!
SAYS was clear: to create a multiplayer FPS that surpasses the Battlefield series and give players a chance to let their imagination run wild. But no matter how hard they try, the similarity is there. Most of the modes present in fact resume the classic FPS options transported (obviously) in the universe Star Wars. In the game we will find the mode "Blast ", a classic 10vs10 deathmatch, where the first team to 100 wins. It will be essential to choose your own customized equipment, depending on the map we are on, using the "Star Cards". The mode "Launch Area " is divided into 2 teams of 8 players. The goal is to retrieve the escape pods at various points on the map. It will also be the least original, but it is among the most effective since the shells fall randomly and the players will have to move constantly and trying to communicate better with their companions. In this case, the Star Cards are very useful, especially the “jumpack” card which helps to move faster in the map, however at the expense of potential exposure to enemy fire. The "Cargo " e "Droid Run ". The first is simply a classic "capture the flag", while in the second each team must move around the map to gain control of all three GNK droids. These last three modes take place within much larger maps than the others and sees the two teams battle it out for the supremacy of the territory. They are very intense experiences and the hottest point of the battle is extended throughout the map, they are not located in a specific point. So get ready to grind for miles!
It takes courage to fight… heroes and starfighters!
One of the flagship modes of this game is undoubtedly "Hero Hunt ", where one player takes on the role of the hero and the others have to kill him. Once the hero is eliminated, it will be up to his killer to be the prey of the others and in the end, the match will end with the winner who has accumulated the most kills. The skills and powers of the hero, different according to the choice, make the mode unpredictable: Luke Skywalker e Darth Vader with the use of force and the lightsaber and useful in close combat, Han Solo e Boba Fett stronger from a distance, the Emperor Palpatine and the Princess Read they are essentially supportive characters and able to recover some of their health at critical moments. The choice of the hero will be random and it will be up to the player to choose his own strategy based on who happens to him. Confronting Darth Vader will not be a walk in the park as DICE has the choice to forgo balance to give the clashes epic. In fact, if you have played the beta, you will have noticed that the heroes gradually lost health even if they were not hit by the enemy blasters.
While there is a lack of balance between players in this mode, the situation is quite different in "Heroes vs Villains". The three heroes of the Rebel Alliance will have to clash with the three of the Galactic Empire but since each one has its own power, the matches in the clashes will be a must. Hard to think of a Han Solo facing Darth Vader or Leia being attacked by Boba Fett. Thanks to this situation, the outcome of the battle will depend a lot on which hero we are facing and things could get worse with the characters that will be added in the next DLC. The mode "Assault Walkers " it is certainly improved over the beta, but still maintains some balance issues where the Alliance has to stop AT-AT (it won't be a walk in the park). The last mode is "Fighter Squadron ", which brings the clash from the ground directly into the skies of the planet. Very fun mode where we will find ourselves chasing enemy fighters and performing high altitude maneuvers to avoid being shot down.
All the elements mentioned so far could make any FPS lover turn up their noses, but not in this case. The love and thrill of experiencing the events of the old trilogy and with a well-curated graphic reproduction overcome the small flaws scattered throughout the game. But the credit for all this goes to technical sector since it is difficult to find any defects and all this thanks to the excellent work done by Frostbite 3. Every detail of a planet is well taken care of by various elements: like the sandstorm on Tatooine, the leaves and trees of the wooded moon's Endor. I'm a little sorry for the lack of a proper single-player mode but it was very predictable since DICE intended to focus everything on multiplayer, even if the absence of a map as important as that of the Black Death very sorry, since it is a very important element of the old trilogy and above all the possibility of Splitscreen it is exclusive to the Missions.
The animations make the clashes spectacular and the compliments also go to the care of the heroes and the possibility to alternate the first and third person shot at any time, for both the ground and the air fight. Finally, the sound compartment, which faithfully reproduces the classic music of the films (all thanks to a master like John Williams) and the careful reproduction of battle sounds.
