Release Date: 17/11/2017
Played On: Win
Available On: PS4 / Win / XBO
Time Played: 5h 19m
Progress: Completed Campaign
Developer: EA DICE
Publisher: Electronic Arts
I'm starting to think that there's something about controversial game releases that fascinates me a little. I often remember the titles that get a bad reception and then somehow manage to keep existing in the world, even spawning sequels and spinoffs despite their lack of success. I suppose one way to ensure your game will sell no matter how good or bad it is, would be to use one of the biggest intellectual properties in the world. Surely nothing can go wrong when you're in a galaxy far, far away.
In fact, what makes releases like this even more interesting to me, is that they're often not as bad as they are reported to be. I often enjoy these controversial games even though everyone is telling me I shouldn't, but perhaps I like them for different reasons. After all, I'm the guy who plays the single player campaign of the hot new multiplayer title, never actually dipping into the online portion. Such is the case for Star Wars: Battlefront II, which I really enjoyed despite some obvious flaws and weaknesses.
I never played the first Battlefront... by which I mean the first of the new batch. As an aside, I really hate this naming convention where new games are named the same as old ones. Let's stop that. Either way though, I never played the first (new) Battlefront game, but I saw a bunch of it being played on the internet so I'm kind of familiar with why it wasn't very well liked in the grand scheme of things.
The multiplayer was pretty lacklustre and you spent more time wishing you could play as someone interesting, instead of actually playing as someone interesting. I mean, these games are set in the Star Wars universe for crying out loud; if I'm not playing as some funky force badass, or a super powerful evil bastard, I'm not sure I'm all that interested. I think about loading up a game and having a character select screen. You scroll through Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader, Han Solo, The Emperor, and select Rebel Soldier 2. Give me a break.
Hence why I wasn't all that interested in the first Battlefront when It came out, but Battlefront II really did pique my interest with its campaign. Thanks to the beauty of the internet, I managed to watch the first part of the campaign on YouTube before deciding that this was something I would definitely enjoy. Although, the final piece of the puzzle was that I still had my EA Origin Access subscription at the time, and Battlefront II was included in the vault of games available at no extra cost.
The first thing that struck me when I fired up the Battlefront II campaign was the immediate realisation that I was playing a big budget game that could only come from a huge publisher like Electronic Arts. Maybe it's just me, but I have a love-hate relationship with the biggest budget games, simply because they often turn out to be as impressive as they are disappointing. Thus, when I get into Battlefront II and get hit with those beautifully detailed graphics and smooth-as-balls production, I know I'm in for a "triple A" experience. For better or worse.
Thankfully though, I have to say that the campaign was ultimately a satisfying and fun game campaign to play through. Just don't expect anything different to what turns out to be Battlefield set in the Star Wars universe. This is a big budget production that doesn't last long and goes through every type of environment and scenario it can fit into a few hours of gameplay. There's nothing here that will change your life, but it does what it does and makes very little apologies for buggering off when the credits roll.
Suffice to say that Battlefront II looks just as high fidelity and shiny as you would expect it to. There's really nothing bad I can say about the presentation, and it shows that some truly talented people had a hand in bringing this world to life. From the thick forests of Endor, with its canopy of leaves breaking up the sunlight, to battles in open space where ships and fighters light up the black sky of the starfield. Everything looks great and there wasn't a moment that I didn't feel like I was sitting firmly in a Star Wars world.
Plus, one of my favourite elements in games made by DICE and their team of developers, has to be the sound design. Since the first Battlefield: Bad Company, these sound wizards have been pumping out some true ear candy that brings their games to the next level. It started with the classic ringing in the ears when standing too close to an explosion, but it includes every shot from a weapon, to individual vehicle engines and even how boots hit the floor.
It's hard to understate just how important sound design is for a Star Wars property, as this is a world where even the most casual audience member can point to one or two iconic sounds that bring you into the world. You've probably already heard a memory of a light sabre whooshing by, or a shot from a blaster in your head... that's how pervasive that stuff actually is. Of course, the sound design in Battlefront II is impeccable and another triumph for these developers who have shown that they really can do audio landscapes with deft precision and fidelity.
Now, I'm not the kind of Star Wars fan who has read expanded universe books, or even watched a bunch of extra stuff outside of the big movies. While I very much enjoy the lore and the universe, I have no idea where Battlefront II fits in with the overall canon, or if it sits in its own little space without any care for continuity. Having said that though, I will concede that the game's narrative is essentially a big pile of nonsense. This is the kind of story that has been created to serve the game instead of the other way round. Sadly, it's usually pretty obvious when a story has been shoved into a game to give it some kind of context, instead of a game existing as the best way to tell the story it's telling.
Again, this is basically the same as the Battlefield games in my opinion, as the stories in those games also have no purpose other than to tie different game levels together. The shame is that this is a Star Wars game, so it kind of makes sense that they should be telling a good story as well as making a game. Then again, maybe some of those more hardcore fans will disagree with me and argue that it's actually a really good story and one that needed telling.
Without ruining anything, you basically play as a bad force using woman who is working for the empire, somewhere around the time that Return Of The jedi was taking place. Although in key areas of the game, you get to play as other characters like Luke Skywalker himself, and there's even a section where you play a rebel in an X-Wing (or something like that), so again the plot isn't really tying anyone down here.
In fact, the change between different levels and playing as different characters actually took me by surprise at first and felt like jarring change to have made. At first you play as your badass dark side lady for a few levels and get used to running about with different weapons and pushing stuff into enemies and the like. Turns out it's a lot of fun to pick up the blaster from a dead Storm Trooper and start blasting away on some rebel scum.
All of a sudden though, I suddenly found myself alone on some planet, playing as Luke Skywalker. The sudden change is quickly forgotten though, as you're playing as Luke effin' Skywalker, with light sabre and all that good stuff at hand. Except, instead of letting you cut sick on a bunch of bad guys and take on the empire, most of Luke's time is spent chopping away at bugs. Like some weird force powered exterminator - not exactly the fantasy I had when I first thought about playing a Star Wars video game.
This mix between awesome potential and disappointing reality continues through the rest of the game. At one point I got to fly a Tie Fighter all over a large space battle, shooting down ships and dogfighting with rebels. Sounds pretty dope to me, but within seconds of the mission starting you realise that you're basically on rails and trying to turn the nimble Tie Fighter feels more like making a U-Turn on a side street with a Bus. I can't believe that something as awesome as flying a Tie Fighter would feel so sluggish and cumbersome, but they managed to pull it off.
I guess there's a part of me that actually appreciates how short these kind of campaigns end up being, as I never really burn out enough to give up and retire the game completely. Instead it's like walking through a museum full of interesting exhibits. Each level is a new room with a bunch of fun stuff to look at, but none of its really all that interactive and some artefacts aren't quite as impressive as the brochure made them sound.
Then again, I also remember that I played Battlefront II's campaign because I was letting my Origin Access subscription expire, as I had already played everything I wanted to play from that particular library. It's worth remembering that I went into this game with very low expectations and ended up having an okay time either way. I don't think it deserved to be criticised as much as it seemed to be on release, but it's definitely no diamond in the rough.
Of course this is an impressive game, as it's the product of so many talented people working together with a big budget available to make everything happen. Although, as impressive as these big games are, they kind of show off their limitations as well, as these kind of titles are often known to be short on time and constantly falling short of their own targets.
Perhaps when something is so big and involves so many people, there will always be a large conflict between the money and makers. Nothing truly artistic and creative will ever make the kind of money that these companies are trying to make, so they'll never have the opportunity to get things done properly. It's no surprise that they have issues on launch day, but as consumers it's not exactly something we should have to deal with either. If these kind of games get released as a bit of a disjointed mess then they deserve to be critiqued in the media, no matter how much they change over time, or how enjoyable someone like me finds it long after release.
I did enjoy Battlefront II's campaign for what it's worth, but I went in with my eyes wide open. I said it a couple of times already, but it really did feel like another Battlefield game, as it lacked the same amount of creativity and inspiration, but still delivered an impressive and relatively enjoyable big budget experience. Someday we'll be able to combine that big budget quality and scope with the same depth and creativity of a smaller studio, but I'll be very surprised if anything related to EA will be the one to do it.
Let's just say that as much as I enjoyed playing the Battlefront II campaign, I'm glad that the game was part of a subscription that I already had in effect. I'm not sure I would be as generous and forgiving if I had payed full price for such a generic take on the Star Wars universe.