Starwars Battlefront 2

 

The second week of this series saw me jump into the Star Wars Universe to try out the various online multiplayer functions of StarWars Battlefront. I played 5 different games in total, though my experiences were varied across each one. I must first make clear that I don't really consider myself a Star Wars fan- I have seen the majority of the films and understand the basic lore, however my feelings towards this game are solely based on my experience with a first/third person shooter rather than having any kind of nostalgic or emotional connection to the franchise itself. In that sense, I am fairly unbiased in terms of this review and truly offer a pair of fresh eyes to evaluate this game as a whole. 

Firstly, in contrast to last week's game, Red Dead Redemption 2, I found in terms of ludology the PS4 controller much harder to navigate than the XBOX1. I find that the PS4 controllers don't fit into my hands as well, I'm often having t stretch my fingers out to hit certain buttons and I often tend to get the triggers and bumpers confused. The design of XBOX controllers is a lot more sleek and conforms to the way I hold things a lot better. I think based on the elements of Physical play alone, I prefer XBOX systems to PS4, though the games I have played (not just in this series but externally to this also) on PS4 I have enjoyed more overall. 

The first game I played was 'Supremecy,' a multiplayer mini game wherein we had to attack and defend various points on a map, killing the enemies attempting to infiltrate your secure areas. I was familiar with this concept, and is a fairly basic narrative in terms of first person shooter games. The most similar to this that I had played before was the popular game 'Plants VS Zombies Garden Warefare: Gardens and Graveyards,' though obviously this game's graphics were a lot more immersive and detailed as opposed to the cartoon/ colourful universe I was accustomed to. I did enjoy this game mode; I made a couple of kills and managed to blow up a tank (which Tom seemed quite impressed by, though I'm not sure if that was just him trying to be encouraging). However, I do think as a first time player, this type of game did come across as rather overwhelming; I was being shot at from multiple angles with vehicles and bullets flying everywhere, in-game dialogue with various Star Wars Easter eggs. As someone with quite slow reaction speeds, as you can imagine, I didn't do particularly well. It was a good platform to learn the basic controls- and the fact that I died quite often meant I was able to test out all the different character classes to see which suited me best. I found I had an affinity for the 'Assault' class- that is to say this is the character I died least frequently while using. 

The second game was 'Starfight Assault', a game wherein you are the pilot of a ship and fly around, targetting enemies. This game is significantly harder to maneuver than any other game mode I tried; the landscape is contantly moving, as are your targets which makes them very difficult to hit. I also found it rather confusing that above the targets was a large red indiator signifying they were in range. However, this giant red target was not where I was meant to be aiming for- the target itself was a tiny red dot below what I thought was the target. I wish this was made clearer as I joined the game and to a first-time gamer that seemed like poor signalling. I did adjust to this form of gameplay quite quickly- the only real problem I continuously encountered was accidently crashing into the side of ships because of how the game was constantly in motion and therefore rendered me quite disconcerted. Another annoying factor was that some more experienced players were able to identify the respawn points for other players, making us easy targets when we respawned. This was rather frustrating. Whilst it was strategic gameplay, it did make me think that newer gamers often aren't given a proper opportunity to get used to games and experience them to their full potential as they can be easily killed by more experienced players. That is a downside I have encountered multiple times before using multiplayer online platfoms.

The third game was called 'Heroes VS Villains' which I feel was designed purely for the gratification of hardcore fans of the StarWars franchise- surely the dream of a superfan is to control their favourite characters and be responsible for their victories? The concept of this, once again, is fairly basic. The player chooses a character from the franchise to play as; then as that character you attempt to hunt down and defeat the members of the other side of the force, depending if you are a 'hero' or 'villain.' I did enjoy this mini game a lot more than Supremecy because there were far few players in the game. I felt as though this game-mode wasn't as chaotic as the previous and I was actually able to explore the maps and gather my bearings as I played. I do struggle with close combat, which I found difficult; because there were so few players on the map, a lot of the conflict was in close combat with lightsabers- however I would choose characters with guns or long range weapons with a long reload time e.g. Chewbacca. That meant that when I engaged with close combat I found it more difficult to injure my opponents. That being said, when I did play as Rey, I was a lot more successful. I do admit that had I been a lot more well versed in the Star Wars lore, it may have impacted on my choice of character and weapon. (I didn't know for example that Chewie had a gun and that the reload time between shots was unbearable slow!).

The penultimate game was 'Blast,' a concept wherein you were a clone having to defeat the 'Separatists.' I think my largest struggle with this game (though it was also something I encountered in the others too) was, as silly as it may sound to more experienced gamers, I found it quite difficult to distinguish from my teammates and the enemy. On quite a few occasions, Tom had to gently tell me that the person I was firing at and complaining that I couldn't kill was infact my own teammate- every gamer's nightmare. In most shooter games I've encountered before, there is usually an indicator above the head as to whether they are a teammate or an enemy. In this game, it's purely based on reaction times and recognition of certain characters. Having very limited knowledge of the Star Wars universe meant that as a result, I had no idea who the enemy was supposed to be until they usually shot and killed me. In that respect, this game was perhaps more immersive and 'realistic' (or as realistic as a game set in space could be) compared to the games I was used to. 

The final game I tried out was 'Ewok hunt,' a game that I found I had a very love/hate relationship with. I think the style of the game is comparable to some early indie horror games such as 'Slenderman,' the concept being that you have to run around in the dark and survive, running away from the 'Ewoks,' whos mission is to hunt and kill you. Those were exactly the type of games I avoided because I am TERRIBLE at handling jumpscares. I pushed through and played a round, however there were a few moments where I could feel my heart racing and every part of me wanting to curl into a ball. I really don't handle games that rely on being 'hunted' well. I enjoyed the game a lot more after I died and became an Ewok. I much prefer to be the hunter than the hunted. It gives me a sense of control and is a lot more relieving- for one I could actually see as an Ewok. I will admit it was quite fun to be pushed out of my comfort zone, though I wouldn't actively seek out this kind of game. 

Overall this game was enjoyable, however I definitely enjoyed it significantly less than Red Dead Redemption 2. I feel as though I already felt a disconnect from the universe of Star Wars and therefore references that fans probably really appreciate and love went straight over my head or were hard for me to understand. The game itself was enjoyable enough; I liked how the game took concepts that were fairly simple and made them unique, adding a wide variety of characters as well as settings, weapons, gamemodes and achievements. I can certainly see how this game would be enjoyable, however I definitely felt out of my depth. Being a multiplayer game meant I was playing against people with probably years more experience and skill and I therefore felt as though I was pretty much a lost cause. This contrasted greatly to Red Dead- I could go at my own pace and I was the only player, making the story far more tailored to me. I think overall I could give this game a 5/10. 

Tom later told me that when it was released, this game was poorly received, though it wasn't so much to do with the gameplay as much as EA's unfair practices. Players with more money could actually unlock all the achievements and weapons without actually playing the game, giving them a significant advantage over other players who would have to earn everything from scratch. This poor reception, despite being fixed later on, left a bad taste in people's mouths. The game itself is enjoyable enough, though the operative issues are rather offputting.

Tom rates this game 6/10