STAR WARS: BATTLEFRONT is a Beautiful, Fun Acrade Players Dream But Highly Repetitive and Thin on Story

Editorial: I have been both a Star Wars fan and video game player since the early 80s. I've grown up with both and I've played every kind of video game there is to play, including nearly every Star Wars video game created. Perhaps this is why I'm a bit down about STAR WARS: BATTLEFRONT, but the fact of the matter is that I am disappointed with it. Maybe this is just my knee-jerk reaction... not sure but here's my instant thoughts about the game.

[UPDATE - EA already confirms sequels are coming: STAR WARS: BATTLEFRONT is a Bit Thin so EA has Already Confirmed Sequels are Coming]

While I may be one of a few who was letdown by Battlefront, do not let my opinion and feelings on this game keep you away from buying it or at least playing it for a few hours because it is indeed a beautifully rendered video game. It's easily the sexiest Star Wars game ever made. The graphics alone are part of Battlefront's big draw because it really does immerse you into the Star Wars universe.

However, the gameplay is quite repetitive and thin. For me, it seems like this game missed out on so many opportunities to make it both a better single and multiplayer game. A lack of a single player campaign mode really takes away all narrative elements of the game and each of its different battles feel like an arcade game with a quick introduction sequence regarding each of the battles.

Many gamers enjoy a pure arcade-style game and this is for those people but not old school or hardcore gamers. You can step in, play a little bit and walk away without having to get invested in a story that's hours long.

In today's story-driven entertainment society a good story is very important. There is no story in STAR WARS: BATTLEFRONT. Zero. Ziltch.

It's a repetitive shooter that has the most of its replay value in its online multiplayer modes, but it does not have any extended replay in any of its single player options. You play a survival mode once and there's really no need to play it again unless you're a gamer who needs to beat things on every difficulty setting. Having such thin single player options is a huge missed opportunity, in my opinion, because, for me, sometimes I just want to sit down and play a game whose story calls to me and makes me think about playing it along with what's coming next in the story.

The controls are spot-on as a shooter up until you have to control a hero or villain and then the controls feel constricted and not as fluid as you would hope it would be. The controls for vehicles can be a bit touchy but they are great once you get through a quick learning curve of how to control a vehicle. (Each vehicle varies slightly in its own controls.)

Do I think Battlefront is a failure? No, not a all. But I do think without any campaign mode or some kind of a narrative, it makes it a game without a sense of true fulfillment. And I have to agree with some of the online reviews who state Battlefront feels like a "proof-of-concept" game setting up a much better version in a (hopeful) sequel. I really hope this is the case because as of the writing of this post, I don't have any passion to keep playing this game for hours upon hours. Although I will play it here and there because it's freakin' Star Wars and places you in the middle of some fun scenarios. But it doesn't erase all the amazing memories I have from playing the original two Battlefront games.

And this game definitely doesn't erase my want to play the unfinished STAR WARS: BATTLEFRONT 3 game that never came to be. This goes back to 2008 and there was a game in development where you could battle on a planet, jump into a starfighter during that battle, shoot up some troops as well as some enemy fighters from the cockpit, then decide to fly into space and join a space battle, but only to realize you want to dock your starfighter on a larger ship, get out and take control of one of its larger laser cannon to shoot enemies in that space battle.

That's the Battlefront game I'm still waiting for and will hopefully get in a sequel to this game.

And in case you're curious, below is the Alpha video for that unfinished Battlefront game I'm still waiting to play.