Geekpr0n Assembles! Star Wars Battlefront Beta Impressions
The force is strong with EA DICE. Over 9 million gamers across PS4, Xbox One and PC booted up the Star Wars Battlefront beta between October 8th and 13th, shattering previous beta participation records by a landslide. While most players aligned themselves with the Rebels or Imperials, it just so happened five gamers fought bravely for another faction: Geekpr0n.com! So, after a week of blaster bliss, the Geekpr0n gaming crew united to share our experiences with EA DICE’s latest. Here’s what we think of the game so far.
Jonny: “Gameplay is fun, albeit padded down from other DICE games.”
The game is visually stunning. The minimized UI helps immerse you in world. I can’t wait to see the Endor stuff. The gameplay is fun, but it’s definitely been padded down from previous Dice games like Battlefield 4. There’s no need to ADS (aim down site) or worry about recoil when you’re just shooting lasers. Vehicles are awesome, but again a bit padded down. You don’t have the control you’d have from a tank or a jet in Battlefield 44. I love the cards kit, and that you can share your card selections with a partner. I think that adds great versatility to the game, while still keeping your own identity.
Walker Assault is a helluva fun mode. I can’t wait to see that on other maps. There were some technical things to work out, spawn locations, some guns need balancing, but it’s a beta after all. That’s what they’re for.
Will you buy the full game? I am going to pick this up opening day, but I’ll hold off on the season pass. That looks silly expensive.
Mike: “As wonky as I felt some controls were, I loved everything I got my hands on.”
Battlefront is a beautiful, beautiful game. Gamers have had the rug pulled out from under them a few times with alpha footage from E3 (Watch Dogs, Witcher 3), but that clearly isn’t the case here. Every environment, particle effect, and model is stunning. I’ll never get tired of looking at it, that’s for sure.
Controls, however, were very hit and miss. At times it felt really responsive, other times sluggish and off-point. I noticed some hitbox problems, and flying was a bit of a chore.
It makes me a bit sad that couch co-op is reduced to PvE only, but whaddyagonnado. As for online, while getting connected to the servers took forever, once I was in the connection was flawless. Amazing netcode.
There was a deliberate lack of customization in the demo, and I think that hurt it a little bit. The four blasters we were given felt very same-y. While I have faith we’ll see some more variety when the full game is released, it would have been nice to get an idea of how that variety will feel. Same thing, to an extent, with the lack of class system. Will I be able to play a sniper, or a heavy? That would have been nice to know before purchase.
As many people have pointed out, Walker Assault was super imbalanced. Personally, this didn’t take away my enjoyment, but I could see it getting annoying in the long run. DICE actually addressed it today, confirming that they’ll be adjusting it before release, so it’s all good. That being said, of the three game modes offered, Walker Assault is really what sold me by showing me the scope of what this game can do. Even as wonky as I felt some controls were, I loved everything I got my hands on – from playing as Heroes, to piloting the AT-AT, to doing basic ground combat.
Will you buy the full game? For me, the game is a day one purchase. It’s the first new Star Wars game in ages that I’ve been genuinely excited for.
Joey: “This truly is the game for Star Wars dads!”
We had a bit of a party when playing the game, J3SS, The Nerdy Stripper, Geekbot Jr and myself. We were all stunned by the graphics and the smoothness of gameplay – even J3ss, Mrs. PC-Master-Race herself!
We immediately launched the Survival Mode and tested out the split screen. In a time when local co-op is nearly dead in favour of online co-op, this was very much appreciated by us since we could finally play a shooter together (reminiscent of my favourite, Borderlands 2).
Once I leveled up my player profile, I hit Hoth for the massive battle and I wasn’t disappointed. Although I kept spawning as a Rebel and got our asses kicked by the stupidly overpowered Empire assault, it was still fun running around the trenches. We did spawn as a Stormtrooper a few times and even got to pilot the AT AT, AT ST and a tie fighter – definitely welcome additions to the game. I can only hope the Rebels have something comparable. In almost every match there was a Luke/Vader squaring off which was entertaining to watch as well.
My only frustrations were the issues I had getting it to recognize my EA account, and having to wait to respawn to switch between 1st and 3rd person views.
Will you buy the full game? I’ll definitely be buying this on launch to pull me away from Destiny – which is currently eating up my life. Although I feel Battlefront has a ways to go to get me to devote as much time as I do to something like Destiny, I think it’s on the right path. Regardless, it’s a fun game that hits you right in the nostalgic feels.
Corey: “I can’t help missing capturing command posts, but DICE has so much more in store for players than that.”
While my time with the beta was limited, every second I spent on Hoth or Tatooine had me speechless. The first thing I did upon hopping into a match was switch camera controls to give me the third-person view I so fondly remember from the original games. Once that was out of the way it was all smooth sailing.
DICE has nailed the Star Wars aesthetic we’ve been craving; everything from the sounds of lasers to the always-chilling use of John William’s original Star Wars score is perfect and only complimented further by the game’s gorgeous visuals.
I can’t help but miss the simplicity of the “capture the command post” gameplay from the original titles on the PS2 and Xbox, but it’s so obvious from levels like the 40 player Hoth battle available during the beta that DICE has so much more in store for players than that old mode.
Will you buy the full game? I’ll admit the demo didn’t completely sell me. Going hands on definitely eased a ton of my doubts, but I’m still concerned that there won’t be enough single player content to satisfy this loner’s needs. Still, I’m more positive about the new Battlefront than ever before!
Andrea: “With a touch more finesse, Battlefront might be the Star Wars game I’ve been waiting for.”
A long time ago, on a console far, far away, I used to play a lot of Star Wars Battlefront. The game and it’s successful sequel transported me to the exotic locals and placed me in the middle of the fast paced action of one of the most iconic science fiction franchises ever. I have literally waited for years for a third installment of this game, my anticipation escalating with every little rumor. With such high expectations it’s only natural that I jumped on the chance to play the open beta of Dice’s Battlefront.
While the mechanics took me a little while to adjust to (to be honest, I still need more practice), the graphics and immersiveness of it’s gameplay won me over. The universe is beautifully designed and it takes on a personality of its own as you feel like you’ve been thrown into one of the Star Wars films. Storm Troopers and rebels clash on Hoth’s tundra and you feel the full impressive weight of every AT-AT.
Now for all of my gushing, the beta did reveal difficulties, but that is the point of testing. DICE has every opportunity to address glitches, although it’s unlikely that they will have a chance to change the unfortunate flight mechanics before the game releases. I am not worried about this being a death knell for Battlefront, I believe that DICE will balance and perfect the game and that it will have high replay value in it’s planned DLC. With a touch more finesse, Battlefront might be the Star Wars game I’ve been waiting for.
Will you buy the full game? I’ve already got my pre order in. I plan to spend most of this holiday taking down the Empire.
What did you think of the Battlefront Beta? Will you be picking up the full version of the game this November? Let us know in the comment section and may the force be with you, always.
