03 December,2017 02:30 PM IST | Mumbai | Jaison Lewis
Star Wars Battlefront 2 has a few niggling problems, but that shouldn't stop you from participating in this campaign
It's Star Wars season and we have a new game, Star Wars Battlefront 2 to go with the upcoming movie. Unfortunately, the game has been in the news lately for all the wrong reasons. Star Wars BF2 has been heavily criticised for its loot boxes and the fact that you have to pay to get ahead. This has been such an issue that Belgium opened an investigation to see if loot boxes came under gambling laws. They recently closed the investigation with the conclusion that it isn't gambling. Battlefront 2 has since then gone through an overhaul and a few patches, the pay for loot model is out for now.
The game has an absolutely brilliant campaign mode, it's a shame it's only five-seven hours long. The story revolves around Iden Versio, and spans the time between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens. This means you get to see and meet a lot of your favourite characters from the movie, including Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and even Lando Calrissian. It's a treat.
Iden Versio is part of an elite imperial special forces unit called the Inferno Squad. The game gives you a perspective of the rebel troops, which is refreshing, and tells the story of what happens when Death Star II goes kaboom. There are very predictable twists and turns which you will see a mile away, but the story and the writing have been given the care they deserve. The best part of the campaign is that you get to really learn everything there is to know about the game. There are a few niggling problems with the gameplay that are a bit annoying. While dogfighting looks really cool, the tie fighters and the x-wings are annoying to control. You can't do a lot of manoeuvres you see in flying games because the controls at least on the PS4 are so limiting. This in turn makes dogfighting a chore. What adds to this annoyance is the fact that the game expects you to navigate back to the dogfight area if you accidentally get out in 10 seconds, failing which your spacecraft explodes and you have to restart from the checkpoint. The on-ground combat and fighting as a Jedi are fun. This game would have had a favourable rating for this alone despite having such a light campaign.
The mode the developers really want you to play is the multiplayer mode. It is a mess. To begin with, the progression system is difficult to understand and it is purely dependant on luck. What you get in the loot boxes defines how much your character improves. While, EA has removed pay-for-loot, the progression still remains, this means you have to grind to earn enough to buy loot boxes. The multiplayer modes also need an overhaul, you start out with crap plebeian characters and as you progress depending on your skill, you can score enough battle points to unlock a hero character. This means better the player, harder it is to kill their character.
The dogfighting mode (Starfighter Assault) looks great but is let down by the controls and the 40-player mode Galactic Assault is grand, but be ready to be chewed out.
The best multiplayer experience comes from Heroes Vs Villains where you can choose your favourite character in a 4-versus-4 battle.
Star Wars Battlefront 2 has a lot of potential, but for now it's bogged down by a loot-based progress system and unsatisfying multiplayer modes. Though short, we enjoyed the campaign mode, the mode alone would not be enough to recommend it. There might, however, be a light at the end of the tunnel as DICE is desperately trying to fix the problems. Hopefully, the game can achieve its true potential in the future.
