Electronic Arts and DICE showed off real gameplay footage for Star Wars: Battlefront at E3 today and if this preview is any indication, this game is exactly what Star Wars buffs have been waiting all their lives for. Promising an experience developed ‘by fans for fans’, the game is said to allow for multiplayer conflicts ranging from 8 man fights all the way up to 40 people battling it out for the fate of the galaxy. Additionally, there will be single player and mission based co-op modes, including local split screen. They stated that there would be authentic vehicle combat that was a true representation of what you’ve seen in the films and even a ‘hero mode’ allowing you to play iconic characters from the films, including Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker (RotJ era, based on the footage shown).
The gameplay preview was another virtual reprisal of the legendary battle of Hoth from The Empire Strikes Back, but you’ve never seen it done like this before. Switching back and forth between the perspectives of players on both the Rebel Alliance and the Galactic Empire, the video showed that players will be able fight on foot and in vehicles ranging from Snowspeeders, TIE Fighters, X-Wings and even Imperial AT-AT walkers! Jetpacks and rocket launchers played a part as well, with one intrepid rebel commando taking out an AT-ST ‘chicken walker’ with his improved mobility and firepower. Then things got straight up real when a rebel fighter found himself face to face with none other than DARTH VADER! And then, if that wasn’t enough to whet your appetite, Luke Skywalker appeared and rushed through a line of snowtroopers, cutting them down, deflecting their blasterfire back at them and using a Force Unleashed style group ‘Force push’ to blow a group of enemies back before charging and locking sabers with the Dark Lord of the Sith himself. Intense.
The graphics and animation were supurb and the sound design was flawless, with John Williams signature score playing while blaster fire and explosions rang out with such chaotic authenticity that it felt like I was there in the icy trenches with those brave soldiers. TIE Fighters screamed overhead with that familiar ion engine while and snowspeeders hummed with hornetlike tenacity as they dodged and weaved between AT-AT legs and fired their harpoons and towcables to bring the lumbering transports down Rogue squadron style. The fight borrowed liberally from all aspects of Star Wars canon and was a rather stylized interpretation of the events from Empire but it definitely looked like fun and at the end of the day this appears to be a sensational payoff for fans waiting years for a new game in the series. Check out the gamplay and gallery below!
Star Wars: Battlefront will be launching on November 17th, 2015 for Sony Playstation 4, Microsoft Xbox One and on Origin for PC.
