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Star Wars Battlefront II

Star Wars Battlefront II - Hands-on Impressions

We played Assault on Theed and experienced some of the changes to the sequel first hand.

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Star Wars Battlefront II was showcased at EA Play this past weekend. Streamers were shown playing a multiplayer Assault battle in the city of Theed, on Naboo, which fans of Episode I will be familiar with. After the presentation, we got to play the same battle on PlayStation 4, where we were placed on the team of Clones trying to defend the assault from the separatist droids.

The first phase of this saw the droids deploy a transporter to try to reach the gates of the royal palace. The second phase required the droids to capture two control points just inside the palace. The third and final phase takes place in the throne room, which the clones have to protect from the droids. The attackers here have a finite amount of lives to achieve victory, much like in other games with similar modes.

We found the battle here a lot more tactical than anything we played in the first game. Although the game mode isn't too different, there were more benefits to deploying certain tactics. It wasn't just a case of shooting the enemies until their number of respawns diminished; because there was such open space in the first phase, for example, attacks on the transporter needed to be carried out carefully to avoid being shot to pieces. Snipers were therefore useful, as well as flanking and grenades, and there was a particular emphasis on protecting those with ion disruptors, the weapons that could deal significant damage to the transporter.

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Star Wars Battlefront II

This was helped by the class system, which allowed us to choose between four classes. The Specialist class, for instance, lends itself well to long-range combat with the sniper rifle, whereas the Heavy class could be deployed for greater firepower at close range. Each has their own abilities, weapons, and attachments. All of these classes could also be customised as well, with different Starcards and weapons being available for each, so you can tailor the experience to suit you. We were given a few options in this regard; among our favourite Starcards were the ones that meant we gained some health when killing an enemy being, and we certainly appreciated being given the choice.

Heroes are no longer acquired from pickups; they come from a kind of scorestreak. As you play the game, you earn points through things like kills and assists, and these points allow you to purchase reinforcements at a cost. These range from vehicles to special classes (Jump Troopers, for instance), but there are also hero options which you can redeem if nobody else is currently using them.

In terms of the choice of heroes, we saw Rey, Han Solo, Boba Fett, and Darth Maul all in action on this map, so as you can see there's no restriction on the era when it comes to which heroes can be on each map. Darth Maul's lightsaber attacks are agile, making him perfect for running riot through enemies lines before they've even realised what's hit them; whereas Boba Fett's rockets are best suited for open space to rain death from above on your foes. The inclusion of droids is also a nice addition as they add a whole new feel to the game, one which suits Episode I very nicely. They also come with their own benefits, since their spindly frames mean that they're harder to hit, and they have playable super battle droids at their disposal as well.

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Minor gameplay tweaks have also been made; you can cooldown your weapon quicker by pressing square, like how a reload button works. A system similar to active reload is also available if you overheat your gun, where you can stop a bar in a coloured section to get your weapon usable again.

Star Wars Battlefront II

Gunplay is something we should definitely compliment in Battlefront II; all the guns we used not only felt individual, with their own benefits and drawbacks, but each one felt good to use. There was satisfaction to be had in arming yourself with the Heavy class' minigun-esque ability and aiming it at a narrow corridor full of enemies, but there was a much more refined and patient feel to the sniper rifle, which paid off when you landed a shot and sent enemies packing. Much of the groundwork was certainly laid with the first game in this regard, but here it's just that bit more satisfying, and we felt that shots packed a bit more punch too, so you aren't chasing low-health enemies around too much.

Much like its predecessor, this game is visually impressive. This is most apparent in Theed when you're in the throne room and the shiny floors reflect the rooms, or when sparks fly off the droids as you pile shots into them. This applies to the menu screens too, with the black and blue contrast working very nicely, not only looking great but also distinguishing itself from the first game.

Overall, Star Wars Battlefront II is very similar to the first, but with more polish and more content. We appreciated both of these things hugely, and the tweaks that have been made are for the better, so it feels like a deeper and more enjoyable version of the first game. We hope to see more high-quality content from the rest of the game, and we're excited to see how all the Star Wars eras translate into not only heroes, but maps, weapons, and more.

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Star Wars Battlefront II

REVIEW. Written by Mike Holmes

"It never gets boring watching Yoda rip through enemy lines with his lightning-quick lightsaber (as long as he's on your side, of course)."



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