Game proves entertaining yet underdeveloped

‘Battlefront’ lacks necessary content

Alec Pittman and Zack Hatcher

Luke Skywalker uses his force push to take out a group of snowtroopers.
Used with fair use from EA DICE
Luke Skywalker uses his force push to take out a group of snowtroopers.

Blasting opponents on the iconic planet of Hoth while talking to friends seems like quite the experience, yet something seems to be missing from the recently released “Star Wars Battlefront,” or often called “Battlefront” game.

The first two “Battlefront” games gave off a feeling of the classic “Star Wars” experience, staying true to the movie saga by using third person and simple gameplay that gamers loved. The latest “Battlefront” game by the game developers at Electronic Arts Digital Illusions Creative Entertainment (EA DICE) mainly consists of first person, contains no story mode and has only very basic missions included as compensation. The game lacks a certain feel that “Star Wars” fans can only be upset about.

With such a long development period, fans expected much more content, including other maps, more heroes and villains to play with and a story or campaign that would go through the plots of the movies or spin-off of the movies. However, this content remains non-existent throughout the entirety of the game. Players become disinterested after playing longer than an hour because of the lack of maps, of which only four came with the original game release.

Without a good campaign, understanding the premise of why the Rebellion and Empire continue to fight remains difficult. The player must then come to his or her own conclusions as to why the battles continue to rage on and what morals the Empire and Rebellion possess, respectively.

Although lack of options for blasters cause weapon customization to come up short, vehicles create an enjoyable aspect of the game. EA DICE uses actual props from the “Star Wars” movies in order to create the most realistic vehicle experience for users. From Tie-Fighters and X-Wings to Snowspeeders, AT-ATs and even the Millennium Falcon, “Battlefront” utilizes the latest graphic enhancements for a truly captivating vehicle experience in-game.

Throughout the franchise’s first two installments, the Clone Wars represent a unique aspect of gameplay, with the clones and droids each having specific characters. The latest “Battlefront” only features stormtrooper and rebel soldiers, an inadequate characteristic to many loyal “Battlefront” gamers.

In the “Star Wars” universe that the multiplayer replicates, “Battlefront” excels with multiple game modes, the ability to spawn on a teammate for quick access to battle and easy configuration to focus on gameplay, not how to play the game. Additionally, the game loads online content and gameplay in a very short amount of time, allowing for quick combat.

The arena of the battles looks gorgeous. The creators at EA DICE clearly spent hours upon hours on each individual map, creating the most authentic design. The first time on the planet Hoth exhilarates the player. Looking up at an approaching AT-AT walker, genuine feelings of fear creep into the stomach of opposing gamers assigned to the rebels.

Even with great design and a strong social factor, the game remains too light on content. Players become disinterested after a shorter amount of time than in the original two “Battlefront” games, yet still enjoy the overall gameplay. 6/10