STACK Nov #133

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072 NOVEMBER 2015
"The Walker Assault is too heavily
in favour of the Imperial forces,"
we heard repeatedly from gamers
during the six-day Star Wars: Battlefront
beta that ran during October. Although DICE
have since admitted that this is indeed the
case and work will be done to rectify the
balance, we actually liked the fact that the
Imperial invaders battered the Rebels. After
all, that's the way it was in Irvin Kershner’s
classic, The Empire Strikes Back. Besides,
when a Rebel victory was obtained (only six
times over the entire five days), the sense of
accomplishment was memorable.
After spending an inordinate amount of
time with the beta, we like exactly where
DICE are taking Battlefront . It is the most
authentic Star Wars game we’ve laid our
hands on, right down to the Snowtrooper
costumes, the weapons and the vehicles; the
shimmering snow on the Hoth battleground is
a sight to behold.
Eight vs. eight Drop Zone is probably where
we spent most of our time, enjoying the
demands of quick-thinking strategy and the
deployment of diverse tactics in a bid to gain
the advantage. The austere volcanic setting
on Sullust adds to the desperate struggle of
locating a pod, activating it and then guarding
the area – as either a Stormtrooper or a Rebel
– quite literally with your life.
Overall, we came away from the
Battlefront beta with a positive
impression. The visuals and the audio
are remarkable; a testament to the
hard work that DICE has put in to
capture the right Star Wars feel
and aesthetic.
The only negative we can
draw upon is the lack of
campaign. The Missions
co-op levels in the game will
likely satiate offline gamers
only temporarily, and not
everybody likes playing
online. Will EA release a
campaign level as DLC?
Doubtful, but we can only
hope. May the Force be
with you.
Four Other Star Wars Games You Really Should Play
TIE Fighter (1994)
From the moment they first
appeared in Star Wars, screaming
across the screen, we all wanted
to fly aTIE fighter. Back in 1994,
we got our chance, and we
weren’t disappointed. Even now,
the game holds up. A sequel
to the popular X-Wing,TIE
Fighter was an infinitely better
title that delivered just about
everything you could possibly
want from a space simulator/
shooter. It had strategy, solid
controls, a compelling narrative,
and an excellent combat system
that could be played in first or
third person.
Rogue Squadron II:
Rogue Leader (2001)
If you owned a GameCube in
2001 and loved Star Wars, you’d
have definitely strapped yourself
into an X-Wing fighter to take
on the Empire in this corker
of a title. If you want to play a
game ahead of Battlefrontthat
captures the feel of the original
trilogy, then look no further.The
sequel to Rogue Squadron on
N64 is significantly larger than
its predecessor and features ten
missions that will take players
to the Battle of Hoth and right
up close and personal with the
Death Star. Unmissable.
LEGO Star Wars: The
Video Game (2005)
“Far better than the movies”
is a quote you’ll often hear
about LEGO Star Wars:The
Video Game, and we concur.
It would be wrong to suggest
that this is simply one for the
kids. Start it up – irrespective
of your age – and you’ll find it
pretty damn hard to stop. Packed
with puzzles, stacks of replay
value and a generous helping of
humour, this superb title is fun
for all the family.
Knights of the Old
Republic (2003)
An RPG extravaganza,
BioWare decided to bin the
mythology of the Star Wars films
and take the universe back four
thousand years.The Sith has
decimated the ranks of the Jedi,
and guess what? It's up to you,
a fledgling Jedi, to restore order
to the galaxy. But will you be
tempted to join the Dark Side? As
is to be expected from a BioWare
property, it's well written,
features an excellent blend of
turn-based and action combat,
and is simply a must-have in any
video game collection.
Battlefront Beta
The
Scores a Hit