Video Games...
Out of context: Reply #3337
- Started
- Last post
- 5,005 Responses
- SteveJobs0
So I just beat the single-player campaign mode of Battlefront II and I have to say I was pretty happy with the game. Christmas eve I was just in the mood for some Star Wars and picked it up for my ps4 (but the power supply unit died an hour in) so I decided to buy it for the PC for $35 on sale. And I'm kinda glad it turned out like that because this game was actually much easier for me with the keyboard and mouse, particularly the FPS modes.
It really does feel like the game was put together by several development studios. While the overall game and experience is pretty polished and the story is actually better than Rogue One and Force Awakens put together (and very funny at times too), it does have some very weak moments and seemingly rushed environments and a few odd design choices. There's literally a part of the game where you play as Luke Skywalker, the now zen-like jehova's witness, and you're swatting at giant bugs with your lightsaber like some bizzaro old school star trek episode. Compared to the rest of the game it just felt out of place. Another scene you're wandering a city which I guess is under marshal law or something (citizens of the empire with guns to their heads and what not) and had an almost half-life/1984 vibe. Like there was a red poster with stormtroopers on it advertising recruitment or something (it was in some alien language). So weird almost out-of-place bits like that.
But for the most part the game is solid. The mechanics are pretty intuitive and the controls feel pretty good and are customizable - which is really good because of a few odd default behaviors like walking as a default (you have to hold a second button down to run). But thankfully there are key remapping and toggle options to switch things up to your liking. One odd thing is you can't play with the hero's in the first person, only third person, which was kinda disappointing.
The starfighter, space-shooting, whatever sections of the game are very well done. There's so much atmosphere and the particle effects are very, very nice. The flight and shooting mechanics have a unique feel that takes some getting used to but it's fun once you do and it's an engaging experience taking out enemy ships while dodging floating space debris.
One gripe (not limited to these battles) is the out of bounds areas. It's kind of annoying, especially with being so spoiled with all these open-world games, to find yourself exploring the beautiful environments or just trying to take a break from the action (because the cut-scenes and loading screens are your 'only hope' for that) and for the screen colors to turn greyscale and have you ordered to return to the battle, with a countdown no less! I had just completed a tiring battle and was listening to the scripted dialog that was preparing me for the next scene not realizing I was drifting 'out of bounds'. By the time I got the warning and tried to re-orient my ship and figure out which was was back, it timed me out and I had to restart the entire mission over. Punches for?
The final battle at Jakku was exactly what you hoped it would look like with all of the artists' renders and screenshot teases. There was so much going on on-screen and everything looked perfect and epic. The whole game, for the most part, really captured the essence of Star Wars in my opinion (not that I've ever considered myself a huge fan) but the colors and environments and sounds and music all felt like what you'd expect from a big budget game based on the popular Lucasfilm franchise. I kinda wish it was a little less of a rail and more open world but I can't imagine how long that universe would take to create, so this'll do I suppose.
I haven't played the multiplayer yet (only the single-player campaign and arcade mode) so I can't really comment on that experience but tbh single player was all I really wanted and never got from the previous installment so I'm pretty satisfied with this one.
I rate this 8 star wars out of 10. Would (and will) play again.