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Preview: Star Wars: Battlefront

Remember the first time you saw Star Wars? Remember that giddy, inexplicable feeling? That’s Star Wars: Battlefront.

Remember when Vader told Luke he was his father? Remember that feeling in you gut? That’s Star Wars: Battlefront.

Remember when the Battle of Endor was over and the Rebels were victorious? That’s Star Wars: Battlefront.

Remember when Han said “Chewie. We’re home” and your eyes welled up with hot, salty tears built up over decades worth or waiting? That’s Star Wars: Battlefront.

I don’t know how better to describe what I’ve seen, because it is pure, unadulterated Star Wars porn. Visually peerless and absolutely appealing to Star Wars fans of all shapes and sizes, Battlefront is here to make a statement. That statement is; “Star Wars is back!” And is it ever!

The video we’re shown helpfully informs us that everything we’re seeing is running on a pre-alpha build of the game on a PlayStation 4. I know what this means. “Expect rough edges,” I think to myself as the message fades. “Expect sloppy textures.”

Essentially, I expect the game to look rough, under the reassurance that DICE will work on it to make it look better.

Except, Battlefront doesn’t look rough. Not at all.

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It’s actually gorgeous. If this is a pre-alpha build then I actually can’t imagine how the final version will look. We’re on the forest moon of Endor and everything is pretty much perfect. The forest floor is thick with foliage that reacts the to characters, the breeze and the location of the sun. It’s stunning and all it is, is ground level plant cover. It’s such a minor detail, but in the Star Wars universe, minor details are so important. And right then it’s abundantly clear that putting Battlefront into the hands of DICE was the correct decision. They’re Star Wars fans first and developers second.

The attention to detail continues as the forest explodes in a shower of sparks from a Stormtrooper’s blaster. It’s not just the visuals that are on point though, the sound design is impeccable. I’ll learn later that this is a result of Lucasfilm opening their archives to the DICE team, but irregardless the developer is two from two. Battlefront looks and sounds like Star Wars. It is Star Wars. This is Star Wars!

It seems so simple, but that’s such an important element to this title. There’s a weight of expectation, even a perception of pre-failure simply because DICE makes Battlefield. It’s expected that Battlefront won’t feel like it can stand on its own. It’s expected that it’ll simply feel like Battlefield DLC, but without even paying it I can tell you that’s just not true. This is a team that knows what it wants to achieve, knows how to do it and is just going for it. It’s working.

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The Rebels we’re following through the forest continue and come across more and more Stormtroopers whom they dispatch with ease. Rocker troopers, snipers, machine gunners…they all fall to the Rebels. And then, out of nowhere an AT-ST appears from the trees. Not the biggest or meanest of the Empire’s toys, the AT-ST is still more than a match for most infantry. It’s here we get to see Battlefront’s upgrades and customisation options come into their own.

One player plants a mobile force field in the soil and shields him and his partner. The AT-ST advances and fires frantically, trying desperately to penetrate the shield bubble and rid Endor of two more Rebel scum. While the shield remains intact the other player equips a jet-pack and a rocket. Launching up through the force field, the Rebel rises up until they’re level with the AT-ST’s cuboid head and then they let fly with the rocket.

The AT-ST explodes in a billion pieces. Sparks and shrapnel fly and the Rebels are safe to fight another day, but not for long as more Stormtroopers begin to advance on their position. Battlefront doesn’t seem to be a game that allows or even provides for a breather. Watching the demo of Walker Assault mode, it seems to mirror the desperation of both the Rebel Alliance and the Empire. One desperate to stay alive and the other desperate to wipe out the uprising. Another Star Wars facet nailed; desperation.

With the AT-ST destroyed, you’d think it’d be time for the Rebels to relax and celebrate, but you’d be dead wrong. Emphasis on the dead.

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Right on cue, an AT-AT arrives to really bring some pain to the Rebels. The same jet pack carrying rocet wielding soldier from before launches a rocket at the giant, armored tank and it doesn’t even scratch it. “The armor’s too thick” he cries out, “We’re gona need something stronger.” Up ahead on a hill is a radio transmitter which the rebels can use to signal their Y-Wings and order a bombing strike of the advancing AT-AT. Reaching the transmitter won’t be easy, but it has to be done if this battle if going to be won.

During this sequence the sound design in Battlefront truly shines. Blaster fire, ships flying overhead, rockets, AT-AT fire and of course the sounds of the mechanical monstrosity itself fill the air. It sounds like a true Star Wars battle. The sounds surround the Rebels and it seems that all hope is lost until finally the Y-Wings arrive, screaming overhead and dropping their payload onto the seemingly unstoppable AT-AT. It’s head and neck explodes in a furious shower of debris and a cheer rings up through the Rebel ranks, until the see the Stormtrooper reinforcements.

Dozens of white suits burst from the tree line and advance on the dwindling Rebels. “RETREAT!” comes the call and the Rebels break off into the forest to escape the Empire. Two of them manage to safely reach an Imperial bunker and lock the door behind them Safe, at last, or so they think. Slowly they advance through the empty, echoing corridors continuously coming across nothing of interest. That is, until they reach a T-intersection. The lead Rebel is lifted in the air by unseen hands and clutches feebly at his throat. He gurgles, chokes and splutters before finally being flung against the far wall. Crushed, ruined and dead. That’s when I hear it. That asthmatic wheeze that strikes fear into even the most brave. Lord Vader appears. The remaining Rebel tries in vain to blast the Sith, but the shots are easily deflected by the angry red lightsabre and then nothing but blackness as the Rebel is cleft in twain.

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It’s really hard to not be excited by Star Wars: Battlefront and sure you could be cynical and attribute that to the Star Wars license or even the new film, but the fact of the matter is that DICE seem to be creating something truly special. It’s not Battlefield and it’s not just Battlefield DLC, this is something new. Something exciting.

Leaving the demo theatre I’m struck with the same feelings I described in the beginning of this piece and strangely enough the exact same feelings I get from watching the trailers for Episode VII. This isn’t a slapped together licensed game, designed to make money and quietly disappear. This is Star Wars and it wants you to know it’s coming. You better be ready because so far it looks like it’s going to blow us all away.

Star Wars: Battlefront will be available for PC, PS4 and Xbox One 17 November 2015.

Stevivor was flown to Star Wars Celebration as a guest of EA to preview Star Wars: Battlefront. All opinions are the writer’s own.

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