Let’s be honest: who wasn’t excited for the upcoming reboot of Star Wars Battlefront? Even I, the most cynical of cynics, didn’t hold out much hope after watching the pre-rendered trailer that came out a few weeks ago. However, after waiting in a long, torturous line and finally getting my hands on an early build for a few minutes, I’ll happily admit that I am changing my tune.
After watching a short briefing video narrated by fan favorite Admiral Ackbar, players were led onto the floor to play with about twenty or so of their fellow strangers. Although the game promises the chance to play as notorious heroes and villains like in the older entries, this demo showcased the walker attack scene on Hoth that Star Wars fan know and love. While this level was a popular entry in the series a decade ago, it’s been entirely revamped, featuring stunning graphics, thunderous sound and intense skirmishes.
Taking control of an Imperial soldier, I chose my loadout and quickly dropped onto Hoth, walking beside gigantic AT-AT walkers and mowing down Rebels as they tried to call for help from their fleet of Y-Wings. Gameplay can once again switch between first and third person shooter on the fly, with both functioning perfectly.
Soldiers on both teams were given a boost jump with a short cooldown, giving you the chance to hop from trench to trench and launch a few surprise attacks on the opposition when possible. Weapons never need reloaded, as blasters only overheat, making fights more combat oriented without time being wasted on scouring the ground for ammo.
