STAR WARS BATTLEFRONT I I

Going solo, not Solo, for a first taste of Battlefront II’s story

Format PS4 ETA 17 Nov Pub EA Dev DICE/Motive Studios/Criterion Games

We never thought that we could love a droid as much as we crush on R2. Then along comes Iden Versio’s little helper, with the power to shock Rebel scum into unconsciousness and hack into consoles with clinical efficiency. Fortunately, he’s just one of many things that makes the Motive-developed singleplayer story so enthralling.

Our mission takes place around the Imperial shipyard of Fondor. Iden’s been sent there by her father as part of Operation Cinder, Emperor Palpatine’s plan for revenge after his own demise. When a fleet of Rebel ships starts to attack, Iden hops into a TIE Fighter and heads into action. The dogfight is exhilarating: our agile TIE weaves past laser fire, blasting the engine of a CR90 Corvette.

MASTER BLASTER

But Iden’s not only a skilled pilot. She’s more than handy with a blaster. After making an entrance into a Rebel flagship by blowing every ship in its dock into pieces, she hops out and takes the fight to the quickly retreating crew. Good job her droid is on hand to offer some shock therapy with a tap of u (not i).

What’s interesting is how the single-player game introduces the concepts of multiplayer. Creative director Mark Thomson explains there’s a new AI class system at work on both sides of the game. So if you see an officer in the single-player lay down a turret, you’ll know they’ll be able to pull the same trick in the online battlegrounds. Oh, and take them out if you see them doing that.

New developer Motive Studios is bringing the same level of meticulous attention to detail that made the original Star Wars Battlefront so intoxicating to a story that we’re genuinely excited to see unfold. This promises to be a authentic experience that will be discussed for a long, long time.