June 19, 2017 by Paul Curtin
After Star Wars: Battlefront failed to live up to the hype, EA and DICE went back to the drawing board for the sequel. Fans weren’t happy with the end result two years ago, and even EA’s CEO, Andrew Wilson, mentioned the “constructive” negative feedback during his opening remarks at EA Play’s E3 2017 presser this year.
From not including a single-player story to very few multiplayer customization options, the previous Battlefront’s biggest problem was a severe lack of depth. A problem that EA and the developers at DICE are trying to fix with the recent announcement of new characters and classes, a new squad system that encourages teamwork, battle points that go towards unlocking heroes, and much more customization.
In our hands-on time with the game, we got to play 20 vs. 20 on the highly detailed Theed map. Similar to Battlefront I’s snowy Hoth map with the AT-AT, one team pushed a hovertank forward through the city while the other team defended and tried to prevent the assault.
As you would expect, the graphics look better than ever, and thankfully, the option to switch between first and third-person is still available for players on all platforms. Players can also now choose between four different classes: Assault – which plays fairly similar to what was available in the original game equipped with blasters, Specialists – who can snipe and set traps, Heavy Troopers – who pack much more firepower, and Support – who can provide healing to others. Fan favorite characters from different generations will also be coming together to add to the hero and villain pool such as Darth Maul and Rey.
Another big move by EA that fans should appreciate is the removal of the season pass. All DLC will be free to prevent splitting the playerbase, but there will be a microtransaction system that will allow players to purchase loot crates to unlock items faster. There will also be a new Star Card upgrade system with different levels of rarity which allow players to equip powerups that they earn through gameplay and loot crates.
Star Wars: Battlefront II is set for release on November 17, 2017 for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
