REVIEW: Star Wars Battlefront 2 (2017)
You're probably wondering why I've chosen to review this game now instead of when it came out last year. To be honest, it was because I didn't have the desire to. No matter what I would have said, both good and bad, I would NOT have suggested to buying the game, based on the shear controversy that EA pulled with this game. What was supposed to be an apology game for the disappointing 2015 game...turned into one of the most despised games in years. The absolute, pardon my French, bullshit that EA attempted to pull with the microtransactions/loot boxes and progression system was simply unacceptable.
Now, six months later, the game is pretty much at a state where it was supposed, and promised, to be in from the start. The microtransactions are only cosmetic and the progression system is not as broken, in that you don't have to unlock characters such as Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader.
Therefore, if I were to review the game from when it launched, I would say not to buy it to protest. However, I am going to review the game at its current state, to see if you would like to get it.
Let's get the obvious out of the way first. Much like the 2015 game, the game looks stunning. The amount of care and attention to detail put into the game cannot go unnoticed. The music is well...Star Wars music...so it's great. When it comes to the voice acting, it ranges from being great, such as from those who reprise their roles from the movies or TV shows. For those who replace the movie actors, they range from doing a decent job to average. The voice actress of the main character of the campaign, Janina Gavankar, does a good job as well, as well as the other original characters. Overall, the voice acting is mostly good, and while the load times are long and tedious, the rest of the game is a technical marvel.
Another thing that I love right off the back to is that you can play as characters and soldiers from every faction in the franchise, the Republic, Separatists, Rebellion, Empire, Resistance, and First Order. While I would have liked to mix and match who fights who, such as the First Order versus Republic, and I would have liked more characters from the prequel era, it is still nice to have all three trilogies represented. The game will also get more characters in the future via fee DLC, so that is also a plus.
Unlike the first game, this game actually has a real campaign that takes place in between Episodes 6 and 7. If you don't want spoiled, I will say the campaign is...decent. It is fun to play through and it does have a lot of lore for fans of the franchise. However, the story itself, which revolves around Iden Versio of the Empire's Inferno Squad, is pretty much by the numbers and predictable. It's not horrible, but pretty much what you think is going to happen, does.
(SPOILERS!)
So, you play as Iden right after the Battle of Endor, where she is tasked with helping the fledgling Empire perform Operation Cinder, a post death order given by Palpatine to wipe out both the Empire and the New Republic. The game was marketed as the player seeing and playing the side of the Empire. Well, that lasts about three missions. After Iden sees what Operation Cinder does, she defects to the New Republic. It makes sense why she would do it, but it forced like false advertising.
From there, you experience the fall of the Empire. The campaign, including its free DLC followup, does cover a lot of behind the scenes information between Episodes 6 and 7, even if the actual story is rather cliche. You get to play as other characters, such as Luke, Han, Leia, Lando, and even Kylo Ren. The campaign itself is rather short, taking about 5-7 hours. Overall, it is fun to play and the story isn'...terrible, but it doesn't really stand out either.
So, how's the gameplay? Well, it's about the same as the 2015 game. If you liked that, then you'll feel right at home. The game has five main modes. Galactic Assault is the main mode where up to 40 players compete in large-scale battles with different objectives. It is fun, but it can also feel very overwhelming, at least to me, with all the players in the battlefield, as there are times when you get killed across the map from an enemy you can't see.
Starfighter Assault actually brings back real space battles with objectives, just like in the original Battlefront 2. Also, while not perfect, the flying controls are significantly better in this game than it was in the 2015 game. Blast is the standard team deathmatch. Strike is like Galatic Assault, but on a smaller scale with less players.
Finally, my favorite mode is back, heroes vs. villains. Unlike the first game, where the heroes only have one life per round, this time, you always play as a hero or villain, four vs. four, and the goal is to kill different targets, which is a randomly selected player. Honestly, I like this version a lot better. While the lightsaber combat is still wonky, this is in my opinion the best mode of the game and the mode I return to the most. Overall, the game feels like Battlefield, and can be a little cheap at times, but it is still fun in short bursts.
When the game launched, the microtransactions were removed because they contained star cards. Star cards, when equipped, give your characters an advantage. I don't like the star cards at all. In my opinion, the star cards can break the game, especially the level four cards. You can play a match, perform your best, but are automatically killed because your opponent has extra attack strength, or health. To me, it is unfair at times. I know people will say, "Get Good," but I believe the star cards are a problem with the game.
Also, when the game launched, the progression system was terrible. Now, since the game was updated, progression is a lot faster, and the only real unlocks are...the stupid star cards.
Like I said before, it's really tough to review this game. In its current state, this is what the game should have been when it launched last year. When it launched, it was fun, but unbalanced, and insulting to the community. Now, it is more balanced and not as greedy, but again, if you buy it, you'll be supporting EA.
So, overall, I would say it's neither right or wrong if you want to buy the game now, though, if you're hesitant, I would wait for the game to drop in price or rent the game. EA, you really screwed yourself up. If there is a Battlefront 3, step away from pretty much everything involved and let the developers do everything. You won't of course, but it's a lovely thought regardless.
