I’m Still Not Getting Star Wars: Battlefront, But Not For The Reasons I Anticipated

Short Pause: "I’m always quick to own up to being wrong. This week, EA launched the open beta for Star Wars: Battlefront, a game that I’ve been looking over the fence at with caution since its initial unveiling. My past experiences with EA Dice that weren’t Bad Company related have generally been negative, and with Battlefront, I had nothing but low expectations of a lagtastic, Battlefield reskin that would constantly crash and send me back to my console’s home screen. I couldn’t have been more wrong in this instance (and I’m happy to be proven so here), however, I am still giving this one a pass when it hits retail on November 17th."

[TheDude79]

I definitely can understand the concern here and the Titanfall comparison is apt. Personally, I thought Titanfall was a great game, and I had a ton of fun playing it when I did, but the lack of a single player component was somewhat of a turn off and the main reason why I had moved on from it sooner than anticipated. Now obviously, if someone only plays games for multiplayer purposes, then I'm sure Star Wars: Battlefront will still appeal to that crowd regardless. I would've preferred some form of campaign in Battlefront, but because I'm such a huge fan of the movies, this is pretty much a no-brainer for me. Whether or not I'm able to pull myself way from Fallout 4 to play it however is a completely different concern altogether!

[Testfire]

I'm 100% with the author. I played the beta over the weekend and it was fun and not the lag and bug ridden game I was expecting. But I need that single player, because I don't spend a lot of time in multiplayer these days $60 for an mp only game isn't worth it. Had there been a great sp game, I'd have been all over it.

[Double_O_Revan]

Me too. I thought I could get by on what they were offering. But after playing the beta, I cant see myself enjoying this game without a single player.

I just cancelled my preorder.

[Army_of_Darkness]

Titan fall, plants vs zombies:GW and now this... EA is going the quick and easy cash grab route by implementing multiplayer only games which I find very disappointing cause I'm always for a single player campaign..
I'm sure Star Wars: Battlefront could have had an awesome single player campaign if EA wanted too but that would take more time and effort and from what I see, EA clearly knows that people will buy this game regardless of what it offers and lack of just because it has the star wars label on it which is a smart business move if it sells as much as they expect it too... I'm hoping it doesn't cause I want a campaign in the next one or its still a no buy for me until it reaches the $20 discount mark that is ;-)

[Ve_Chuy]

standard edition cost 40$ :S

[Halo2ODST2]

while it doesn't have a single player, The multiplayer still lacks substance.

[TheBurger29]

Plus $50 dlc pass.

[Thunder_G0d_Bane]

Personally I won't be getting this game simply for the Bad design decisions that went into this game.

Heroes and vehicles are token pickups scattered across the map so it's not Earned or even long lasting as they have a timer. Also only one person per team can be a hero.

This is just bad in every way possible when it comes to fun.

Not to mention the stiff animations seen on luke and Vader

[PurpHerbison]

You must only buy the BEST games. Speaking of which, since Battlefront is so bad, can you recommend me some solid titles?

[KiwiViper85]

It wouldn't make much sense to have a team of Darth Vaders vs. a team of Luke Skywalkers, would it.

[Thunder_G0d_Bane]

@Purp - Upcoming Halo 5 and Fallout 4 for starters and while you're at it if you haven't picked up Witcher 3 and the expansion that releases tomorrow you'll be missing out!

@Kiwi Since when do games have to follow the logic of realism? I wasn't aware we had force powers in real life too! Theres gonna be multiple heroes to choose from in game, its never been a problem for people to battle Ryu vs Ryu in Street fighter when theres just two players on the screen. I dont think it would bother anyone to see multiple Vaders in a huge map of 40 players.

[PreAtaric]

"This is just bad in every way possible when it comes to fun."

Yet many people find it to be fun.

"Also only one person per team can be a hero."

Weirdest complaint I've seen yet.

[nitus10]

Actually the name "Star Wars Battlefront" was also for a PS2 game that was released on September 20, 2004 which had single and multiplayer components.

Before anyone pipes up and states that the PS2 did not have network multiplayer capability, it did, however network capability was a separate purchase and over 80 games were made that supported this.

Trivia aside. For the latest SW-Battlefront game not to have a single player campaign is fine for possibly up to a year dependent on interest, but when gamer's move on to the next "shiny" and the servers are shut-down then the game effectively becomes wasted space on your hard disk.

Basically this is the fate of all network multiplayer only games. At least a single player component extends the life of a game although that depends if the game is any good to start with.

[tazmeah]

All I know is that I'm absolutely thrilled that the allow you to switch between first and third perspectives on the fly with ease, and honestly, I think it's a much better experience from a gameplay perspective in third-person. The game is absolutely beautiful and it appears DICE did a great job utilizing all the Star Wars resources made available to them. This thing is going to sell a ton.

[Kingdomcome247]

Speaking on the resources made available to Dice I will say that I feel as though they absolutely nailed the sound design.

[KiwiViper85]

I find it hard giving credit for sound design, when it is just star wars sounds.

Yes, it sounds exactly like the movies, but they didn't have a choice to make it sound any different did they?

[Vyprstryke]

The ability to go to 3rd person was a game changer for me. Went from just being miserable blaster bait to so many kills lol. Just hope they fix the spawn locations.

[piccolo930]

Really enjoying the beta so far. Walker Assault is pretty epic and the whole Star Wars theme takes everything to the next level. Can't wait to pick this one up in November!

[xDHAV0K24x]

as far as shooters go, this and Halo 5 will have my attention.

[ninsigma]

Going by both betas, halo 5 is definitely the one I'm going for. There is a huge improvement on game play from previous installments with the new halo. Battle front was fun. It's great to just drop in and kill people when the mood hits me but it's not worth the price for me.

[Gazondaily]

I know how you feel. Its the kind of game that would be fun to boot up and play with a few mates once in a while. The beta showed me what kind of game it was and it wasn't bad by any means. It just felt very hollow and almost like a f2p game (funnily enough it reminded me of the cartoon-y battlefield f2p game on PC a while back).

[ninsigma]

Yeah just doesn't feel very fleshed out. I would treat it like rocket league if I had it. Great fun to drop in and play from time to time but I don't spend hours playing it.

[-Foxtrot]

Least Halo didn't change into something it's not online.

Battlefront did and has less content in then the last game over 10 years ago. Halo has more or at least the same content

Halo 5 should be anyones pick. Why give EA your money for them dumbing down another game

[ninsigma]

Yeah whatever I feel towards 343 for their sp (haven't liked them so far), they have done a lot in how they've evolved the game play so I will give them their fair dues there.

[FullmetalRoyale]

Cool cool. For me it'll be just Blops 3 likely. I am all about coop games, and all three tiers having that options makes it a great value for me personally. And I certainly would not consider Fallout a shooter(vaats all the way, baby!) those two games will give me my coop and single player fixes, respectively.
If I games on Xbox, I feel like I'd be all over Halo 5. :)

[ninsigma]

I wasn't a fan of the blops 3 beta. Felt like it hadn't overly changed too much from previous games. Maybe it's just cuz I suck at it xD

[Lonnie18]

Can't get this game simply because there are times when I just don't feel like playing with others and lack of a single-player is a no-go for me.

[Forn]

If it was priced at $40 I would seriously consider picking it up. But it's not, so I'm not.

[Eiyuuou]

I'll just wait for the inevitable ultimate edition, or whatever it will be called, that contains all the dlc and stuff.

[sashimi]

You say that but where are the BF goty editions?

[crazychris4124]

@sashimi they do make them, they are called premium editions

[Antifan]

I bought BF4 premium edition for $12 on PSN a year after release :)

[BattleAxe]

I just picked up BF4 Premium Edition on XO for $30.00. I find that both EA and Ubisoft are really good about lowering the prices of their games after about a year or so.

[343_Guilty_Spark]

I'm fine with multiplayer only games but in my opinion Battlefront was just okay. Strip the Star Wars theme and it's a very average core game. I thoroughly enjoyed Titanfall because no other game had ever tackled giant mechs in the way that Respawn did.

[MSBAUSTX]

Plus the coop mode frontier defense brought. I put countless hours in to that.

[JEECE]

I really don't understand the expectation of some major single-player component. Battlefront 2's "singleplayer" consisted of cutscenes between matches against bots on the multiplayer maps.

[Dudebro90]

Doesn't change the fact that it was there and gave people wanting to play something other than the vs mode something to do.

I remember playing the campaign on Xbox trying to get through the elite difficulty. Took me hours and hours due to its challenge. It was an additional 20-30 hours of content I could play alone and not have to worry about online.

[JEECE]

Well, we don't yet know what the "Battles" mode in this one is, given that it is inaccessible in the beta and they have not explained it. I'm hoping it satisfies the "singleplayer/splitscreen vs bots" category.

[WellyUK]

this is exactly what i'm thinking, they had SP's yes but they weren't anything mind blowing... Plus this isn't Battlefront 3 its Battlefront, think of it as a fresh start and DICE want to make it their game just like Tomb Raider reboot. And then there is the fact that at no point has SP ever been mentioned or shown off in any trailers what so ever, yet people complain that it doesn't have one? when it wasn't going to have on in the first place...

Then there's the fact that they have already announced that Visceral are MAKING A SP Star Wars game for those people. Just wait and you will have your SP Star Wars game.

[MSBAUSTX]

Would rather play the first Force Unleashed than this washed down pile of EA crap. Personal opinion.

[JEECE]

I'd love to hear how the Force Unleashed, which lasted about 8-9 hours, is anything like the value proposition here. Or how this game is "EA crap." And I mean the base game, not the fact that there are map packs, because you don't have to buy those. Because the fact that many games EA makes are bad (or start badly until they are patched), does not automatically mean every game they publish is bad.

[neocores]

I wish i had more taste. The weapons seems to all be the same. I dont know what to think about this game. I was ready to pre-order after the beta on the ps store. But I want to know more about what guns and maps we will see. Also i want space fights.. i know it wont happen. But space fights were amazing.

[FlexLuger]

I reckon this game will be free on access by april.....latest.

Anybody wanna play the guessing game with the review scores? I reckon its going to be a 7/10 at best. I dont care about the lack of story mode...the original games didnt have much story to begin with. What matters here is how robust it is, as an online game...I think it falls short based on the BETA.

[343_Guilty_Spark]

6-7

[Eiyuuou]

I'll bet 8/10.

[WellyUK]

I really enjoy it but I reckon an 8/10 is bang on. It's by know means the best game this year but it will be one of the funnest.

[Scatpants]

Halo 5 is going to be the shooter to play this holiday. This game will pale in comparison. Also I predict an 8.5/10 for the average review score, but everyone that plays it will feel it is a 7.

[MSBAUSTX]

Truth

[REDDURT]

Single player has become a bit overrated for some games I still have yet to find a game in which the amount of multiplayer content makes you happy. I still will get this game after an awesome beta.

[danny818]

wait will they be selling dlc aswell? if so that would be such a shame. ANyways it seems like a rushed Battlefront to meet the movie deadline

[ion666]

I guess its okay with star wars not to have a story. We have all the lore we ever wanted before the game came out. With the movies and tv shows. I'm okay with it. It would be like telling the spiderman origin over and over agian. We get ben died and with great power comes great responsibility. I can't say the same for Rainbow bow 6 Seige because no ones knows what the hell is going on.

[Scatpants]

game should be $39.99

[V0LT]

It's fun but I think it will end up like Titanfall where there just aren't that many playing.

[RiseofScorpio]

It'll be dirt cheap too just like Titanfall and Evolve after launch. Anyone who buys a game like this for full price with no campaign or any iconic features from the originals and light in multiplayer content is foolish.

[ThePresentIsAgift]

Define not many. I can get matches online on Xbox One anytime with a huge variety of different players. That suits me just fine.

[ThePresentIsAgift]

Personally I've not seen a single Star Wars film from beginning to end ever. I've nothing against the series, it just doesn't appeal to me. Unless SW Battlefront was somehow better than Battlefield 4, which for me could just be my favourite online shooter to date then its highly unlikely that I would buy it at all.

[Artemidorus]

If no single player then it needs to be cheaper. Can't keep reducing content and demanding same price.

[mochachino]

I'm not really a fan of MP only games.

[Rhezin]

really hate that it has a $50 season pass. Screw EA.

[MSBAUSTX]

As long as Bioware keeps EA at bay and they keep up amazing single player experiences that have solid multiplayer like Dragon Age Inquisition and Mass Effect 3 did, I will be fine. But it is looking like EA is pushing their cohorts in the direction of mobile style cash grab gaming. Not getting this and skipped BF Hardline altogether. I played all other BF games before it. Might be done with EA completely if they screw up Mass Effect.

[Yukonsbud]

No buy for this guy. I may pick it up when it gets to $30 someday. Ill save my $ for Fallout.

[Vyprstryke]

Yea being in the wake of Fallout 4 is probably the biggest obstacle Battlefront has. That's another intimidating title with the amount of content it's packing but maaaaaaaaan is it gonna be fun!

[mayberry]

As a 'BattleFront' fan, and after looking extensively at this title, I will pass. Very mediocre...