Ladies and gentlemen, Star Wars Battlefront II is upon us, and it is glorious to behold! Their strategic release of the game right before the big movie release worked on me again, because I am unimaginably hyped. And guess what y’all? I attribute that hype to this game. Nothing gets my Star Wars hype kicked into overdrive like being immersed in the world we all love so very much. If you’re reading this and are on the fence about what you think about Star Wars Battlefront II or are questioning whether to buy it, then keep reading because I've got lots of information on the pros and cons of this game.
I’m going to come,clean guys, I’m really liking this game so far and I am super excited about where its headed, but there are some features that are a little less than desirable and I am going to do my best to really delineate the positives and the negatives on this one so any indecisive readers can make their choice on buying this bad boy.
Fair warning my dudes and dudettes, I may drop some SPOILERS regarding the campaign story line and its implications for the expanded Star Wars universe (the game may or may not be canon, I do not know man, I just work here). Well, the debate is over, I got those indisputable opinions right here, so do not get bamboozled by a jedi’s mind trick, this IS the article you are looking for.
15 Best: A Brand New Era
One of the main flaws in Star Wars Battlefront (2015) is its lack of totality when it comes to the iconic, playable characters. What was before limited to Han, Luke, Leia, Vader and the rest of the lot from the original trilogy has now been expanded to the likes of: Bossk, Rey, Dath Maul, Kylo Ren and Jar Jar Binks! I sincerely hope they can expand on this and create the character diversity that the 2004 version of Star Wars Battlefront II had. Imagine how cool it would be to see Count Dooku, Mace Windu, Obi-Wan and General Greivous in this game! The direction of the game so far has me thinking it’s a possibility. So are you still kind of on the fence about this game? Still need more information? Still thinking about my very obvious lie about Jar Jar being playable? The answer to all is to venture on.
14 Worst: Regressive Progression
The new progression system is confusing to put it in few words. To put it in more words, it’s bantha poodoo. This is not to say its incomprehensible, but it’s definitely not an intuitive system that comes easily. Star Wars Battlefront II has three currencies, a bunch of different levels, and the returning star card system, more confusing than before. So, your player level is not the same as your star card level, but your star card level for your assault class is different than the star card level for your officer class, which is different from your Yoda star card level. You raise your star card level by random loot drops where you hope to get cards for the class you play, because the only way to level up your assault star card level is to get assault type star cards. At least I think that’s right...
13 Best: Greed Loosened Its Grip... This Time
You read that right people. This game is going to have FREE. D. L. C. FREE D.L.C. BABY! EA has been under fire for years for releasing games that fans saw as “incomplete” or “unfinished” and then subsequently releasing DLC for a cash grab. Now, whether to win us back, or to spite us, EA has spoken, and they bring good news. All DLC expansions for Star Wars Battlefront II will be entirely free and bring awesome new content. The first DLC will come in mid-December in the midst of the release of Star Wars: The Last Jedi and will include Finn and Captain Phasma as playable characters in multiplayer, faction wars, addition campaign missions, and a new map on the planet Crait. Crait is coming people. Prepare to get… salty. (Google “Crait” if you’re like “???”).
12 Worst: In The Future Reliving The Past
One thing that annoys me almost every game and does not seem like something it will be fixed is the guns. After having played this game for about forty hours, I have still yet to find a gun that suits my play style or does not have some major flaw that renders it detrimental. I understand that blaster diversity keeps everyone from having the same gun, but I straight up feel like no blaster has it all. If it has good damage, then it fires one bullet every 5 seconds, if it has good fire rate, the range is abysmal, if it has good range, its damage is non-existent. Every single blaster has something about it that makes you want to switch, but you will also never be happy with the blaster you’ve switched to!
11 Best: Had To Battle Point This One Out
I may be alone on this one, but I quite enjoyed the randomness of the multiplayer rewards in Star Wars Battlefront. Sometimes you were just walking, picked up a coin and hey, now you’re Luke! However, the alternative that Star Wars Battlefront II boasts is impressive and fun in its own right. The battle point system grants you points for damaging enemies, killing enemies, and playing the objective. You can then spend these battle points to upgrade from your infantryman to a wide variety of lethal alternatives. Earning these points can buy you an X-Wing to keep your team covered from overhead, a Wookiee warrior to maul those Imperial monsters, an AT-ST walker to remove the rebel scum, or perhaps even a Jedi or Sith like Yoda or The Emperor. If you want the big ticket items, you better save up, once you use them, you lose them!
10 Worst: Too Many Heroes On This Battlefield
I realize I just praised the battle point system, but here’s one thing the previous, random killstreak rewards controlled better, and that is the oppressive use of heroes. In this case, heroes just mean the playable characters from the movie like Lando or Boba Fett. The game’s set up in a way that allows the first team to get a hero to snowball their way into a victory and oppressively beating down the enemy, so they can’t gain significant amounts of battle points. Once one team has three heroes to none, the game is practically over. Even in case where this doesn’t happen, it’s quite likely that the end of the game will just be a full roster of villains on one side, a full roster of heroes on the other side, and a bunch of miserable infantrymen who were beat to the minimum battle point cost of a hero.
9 Best: The Untold Story
A major issue gamers had with Star Wars Battlefront was its lack of story mode. EA listened, much like with the free DLC, and now we have a story mode that is really quite good. Warning, spoilers for the story mode ahead. In the story, you play as Inferno Squad stormtrooper Iden Versio turned rebel soldier, daughter of an Imperial officer. The story mode starts at the destruction of the second Death Star and ends around the start of the events of The Force Awakens. The story even provides some hints as to how Lor San Tekka came into possession of the map to Luke Skywalker! The story was great. It made you feel for Iden, it gave a glimpse at the horrors of the Empire, and it really is one of the best features of the new game.
8 Worst: Fights On A Galactic Scale Are Scary!
I truly, deep down, actually have mixed feelings about this one, but it just makes me so mad sometimes. I am talking about the size of the battles. The traditional game mode in multiplayer, Galactic Assault, is a 20 vs. 20 lobby and sometimes that can get suffocating. In maps where there are limited places to seek cover, having 20 people shooting at you often results in your death. It is pretty hard to go on a decent killstreak in this game due to this large battle size, which can often spell frustration when you keep getting blasted the literal second you finally make it to the objective. My feelings are mixed because you need large lobbies to truly feel like you’re in a Star Wars battle, but it is so depressing sometimes how easy it is to get shot.
7 Best: Achieving Achievements
Star Wars Battlefront II gets major points for including in-game achievements. This will add to the longevity of the game because typically, while there is something that still needs to be done, gamers will do it. In this case, “something” is hundreds of achievements that, when acquired, have in-game credit pay outs. Some examples of these achievements are “Get 500 kills in Multiplayer”, which nets you 2500 credits in the game or “Kill 50 enemies with grenades of any kind”. This will always give players something to strive for and give them a way to grind for credits if they want to unlock a new hero/ villain. There’s nothing worse in a game where the only way to get the currency is to play matches. These achievements can guide the way you play and maybe even help you discover a kit or play style that you quite enjoy.
6 Worst: An Unfair Tactical Advantage
This one could definitely be construed as a good thing or bad thing depending on which side you are on. I am referencing the fact that some teams get inherent advantages simply for being on a certain team. For example, on a map like Hoth, stormtroopers blend in with the snow and it makes them harder to see and target, however on a map like Endor or Takodana, stormtroopers will stick out like a sore thumb, where the Rebellion and Resistance blend in with the green. Another advantage comes with being in the droid army. Droids are skinny little guys and are thus a lot harder to hit. You might be thinking I am being dramatic, but I really have noticed a difference in my accuracy when firing at a battle droid as compared to any other type of infantry.
5 Best: Objectively Awesome
Multiplayer continues to impress. It would be really easy to just throw players on Tatooine and have them kill each other randomly. However, Star Wars Battlefront II multiplayer is dominated by objective based gameplay. However, it does not even stop there. The objectives are cleverly tied into the situation and you can really see that these objectives are dire to the success of your mission. The Death Star map begins with a rebel ship crashing into the Death Star and subsequently flooding into it to destroy the tractor beam and main weapon system. This is needed for their ship to escape and make sure another planet doesn’t get destroyed. These objectives are not mundane like “Hold point A”, they seriously make or break the fate of whatever team you are on.
4 Worst: Time Traveling Heroes
I understand why they do this, but that does not mean it doesn’t annoy me a bit. I am talking about the mixing of eras in multiplayer. To me, it’s weird to have Darth Maul fighting Rey on Endor. I am pretty sure Darth Maul died before Rey was even born... by a lot. I think the game experience would be more realistic if you kept the playable heroes and villains contained to the era the map of the game is from. For example, if you are playing on Kamino, Kashyyyk, or Naboo, feel free to play Darth Maul or Yoda, if Hoth, Vader, Chewbacca, Leia and Boba Fett are all fair game. Starkiller Base? Make Rey and Kylo Ren available. This is nit-picky, I know, but implementing it would allow the playable character rosters to expand.
3 Best: Get Ready To Grind Arcade
Star Wars Battlefront II provides another way to grind out in-game credits. Arcade allows players to set up matches vs. AI controlled enemies and battle scenarios with limited character choice, modifiers, and time. There are 32 total scenarios with 3 stars to earn from each. Ideally, you gain 100 credits for every star you get, so there is a potential 9600 credits to be earned from arcade battle scenarios alone. Like the achievements, EA has provided us a way to grind out credits aside from playing multiplayer. And to kill two porgs with one stone, you can earn achievement credits while doing arcade. So if you ever feel like you must unlock Darth Vader or the world will end, then all you have to do is grind arcade and you will have your 15,000 credits in no time.
2 Worst: Sometimes It's Like It's Still In Beta
A very awkward aspect of the game is the character movement. One of my biggest beefs with the game is the combat roll. It makes fighting seem so unnatural. You start firing at someone and they just roll out of harms way with zero momentum. It ruins the otherwise very "in the trenches" feel of the games combat. Also, the movement outside of the combat roll is very awkward, slow and non-fluid. No matter how much I mess with my sensitivity, I cannot seem to move with the smoothness I move with when playing another shooter like Overwatch, Titanfall 2 or Destiny 2. All of these things makes for a game that really kind of feels laggy or still in beta, but to see if you agree, you'll need to play for yourself.
1 Best: IT'S FREAKIN' STAR WARS
The absolute best thing about this game, the reason everyone bought it in the first place, the reason it feels so amazing to play, is that it is Star Wars. The game beautifully captures exactly how it would feel to be on the battlefront of a war between the Confederacy of Independent Systems and the Galactic Republic. From the roar of TIE fighters over head to the sound and sight of blaster fire coming from every possible direction, to the thermal detonator explosions, this game exhibits all the sights, sounds and feelings that we associate with Star Wars. I definitely believe EA got it right this time and made an awesome game that will last longer than the one before. And it feels like Star Wars now more than ever.