In my many years of gaming, I have never picked up a Star Wars: Battlefront or any other video game related to the series. I have also never watched a Star Wars movie either, which probably contributed to my disinterest of the games. And it’s not to say that I dislike the franchise, I just never got into it.
Period. Cue the “stone her to death” threats and such. However, with so many of my friends looking forward to the new Star Wars: Battlefront game, I decided to give it a try. After watching the hyped up trailer I thought to myself “Oh wow, this looks great!” and was eager to get my hands on my first Star Wars game so that I could experience the thrilling shooter for myself. The open beta was just released on October 8th and gave this newbie the perfect opportunity to dip my toes in the water.
As soon as I entered my first multiplayer match with friends, I was stunned by how beautiful the graphics were. My teammates and I were on a vast, snowy map with giant machines stomping through the snow mounds and fighter ships zooming around, shooting each other down. It was chaotic beauty at its finest. Being new to the Star Wars series, I was a deer caught in headlights as I tried to maneuver across this massive map. My first match ended in more deaths than kills but I still had a massive amount of fun playing and was hungry to get a taste of what a full game from start to finish would be like.
One thing that I appreciated was that in the beginning of a match in Star Wars Battlefront, you encounter a small cutscene that shows off the map and lists your objectives, each being unique to either the Imperial or Rebel side. That made things less confusing since I could read what my objectives were. I actually prefer this rather than your Commander or whomever telling you over your radio during the game what your objectives are. After a few matches you learn what needs to be done but when you’re new, it can be difficult to try to listen and play at the same time. During a match, I’m concentrating on killing enemy players and not dying; I don’t have time to pay attention to my orders that you’re relaying to me over the radio, Sarg! I’m a rogue soldier! *Ahem* So, yeah, being a newbie to the Star Wars games, I really enjoyed the fact that my objectives were laid out in front of me, cut and dry.
I’ve played many shooters in the past and each one has relatively the same gameplay mechanics. Aim, shoot, kill. Duck, cover, live. We’re all familiar with how it works. Star Wars: Battlefront shakes things up by adding “power up pickups” throughout the map. These allow you to gain extra items which I felt was a cool touch. My favorite pickup of course, is the Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader pickups. Even though I am not a follower of their respective stories, I know that these two characters are a big deal. And they are tons of fun to play as and add a new dimension to the gameplay.
In Star Wars: Battlefront, the gameplay is smooth and different from any other shooter I’ve played (not having to reload my blaster is a big plus). Adding in the different machines and characters that you can control is a nice touch. Again, even though I’m ignorant of the lore behind Star Wars, it was easy to get into the awesomeness of the TIE Fighters and AT-AT’s and other war machines that are a heavy influence in the Star Wars franchise.
I’ve poured countless hours into this beta to ensure that if I purchase this game, I will not regret it. The scary thing about introducing yourself to a new series is the fact that you may not like it and you have just wasted your time and money on this video game. However, after playing the beta, I am confident that I will enjoy this game. Being ignorant of the lore of Star Wars didn’t have much of an effect on my style of gameplay. The only disappointing part was that my friends were living out their fantasies of being a part of the Star Wars universe while I was just enjoying all the beautiful action that surrounded me. That was the only thing I felt was missing from my experience but it did not take away from the replay value of even this early version.
If you are new to the series like I am and feel that this is not the game for you simply because you’re unaware of Star Wars lingo, have no fear! The game will ease you into the gameplay mechanics and before you know it, you’ll have the craving to go learn more about this epic franchise. All because you played Star Wars Battlefront and you didn’t feel left out; you actually want to learn more because the game immerses you into its lore without being overcomplicated or overwhelming.
Are you new to the Star Wars series as well? What are your thoughts on the series as a whole? I would love to know, so tell me in the comments below!
