Update: EA has released the official trailer for Star Wars: Battlefront which shows footage made with the game engine. Have a watch below.
Oops. Someone at Associated Press (a news agency) seems to have posted a write up of the Star Wars: Battlefield reveal before the event actually happens. Presumably they have a press release from EA ahead of time or have had a sneak preview.
They confirm that the new Battlefront takes place amid the conflicts of the original film trilogy and is scheduled for release Nov. 17 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC.
“In a demonstration of the game’s multiplayer mode, a team of jetpack-equipped rebels were shown carving their way through the woodsy Endor while Stormtroopers charged at them on foot, on speeders and within walkers, including a hulking AT-AT war machine.”
Other locations include Hoth, Tatooine and Sullust, a planet mentioned in Return of the Jedi and other Star Wars literature.
The big news is that for the first time the series will include vehicular dogfights, “The action will also take to the skies with players engaging in dogfights with TIE Fighters, X-wings and the Millennium Falcon.”
“You can get into these vehicles, from speeder bikes to X-wings, TIE fighters, AT-STs, AT-ATs. There’s a wide range of vehicles that we wanted to realize,” said executive producer Patrick Bach.
It appears that top players will also be rewarded with the option of spawning as Darth Vader or Boba Fett.
Two weeks before the new Star Wars movie launches the game will receive free DLC set on Jakku, the battle-scarred desert planet shown in the “Force Awakens” trailers.
UPDATE: Eurogamer report that there is no single player campaign, instead there are “crafted” missions playable on your own or via split screen or online co-op. The split screen mode will also be available in other modes and you can also switch between first and third person perspective whenever you like.
double-o-dave
I wasn’t too fussed about this until recently, now I’m quite looking forward to it apart from one thing… Jetpacks! Theres nothing more annoying in a multiplayer game than people whizzing about on bloody jetpacks above your head from every angle. I hope this doesn’t ruin for me.
I’ve never found that any game captures jetpack or mech-suit type jumps/leaps quite right either. They always tend to look daft & childish in games to me.
tactical20
At least jetpacks fit with the setting here.
double-o-dave
Yeah I guess so. Hopefully they won’t be that annoying.
coruscant
Both previously Battlefront games had them and worked pretty well.
The Lone Steven
There is no single player campaign according to Eurogamer, which is disappointing as i was thought the whole SBF3 being a prequel thing was to do with it having a main story. I do hope every vehicle will have a first person mode. I know they tried it with the original before scrapping that due to techincal reasons but it shouldn’t be too hard for Dice to do it. I hope they won’t release it as a £40-55 game if it’s MP only.
Forrest_01
There’s no reason it can’t have a story, it’ll likely just be a PVP faction vs faction thing I guess. Other games have done it, so I can’t see why not.
& it will definitely be £45-£55. It’s a Star Wars title.
beeje13
The first battlefront game didn’t have a true campaign, just missions with clips from the films holding things together.
The second one had more of one but I would say they fit the description of ‘crafted missions’ they were very much like team deathmatch/conquest with a story element.
wick15
I can’t wait for this game. Was hyped from the initial teaser, but I now don’t know what I’m going to do between now and the time this is released.
tantalus_blank
Split screen?! Sold!
Steelhead
No single player campaign? I’m out.
Avenger
My feelings are similar. I never was able to play the first two games online, but I sure enjoyed the single player on the campaign, as well as the custom matches offline.
If there isn’t much single player support in the final version, I may well forget about it, but I’m not ruling it out completely.
colmshan1990
Did the old games really have a campaign?
I’m remembering more a series of battles (which it sounds like what this will have) as opposed to a fully fleshed out storyline like most single player campaigns today.
Split-screen has sold this for me.
Steelhead
Battlefront 2 had a very enjoyable campaign. Not sure about the first as I never owned it.
beeje13
What Colmshan said, and see my reply above.
Andrewww
Wow. This looks awesome.
I’ve not tried any film franchise game for many years, as I just couldn’t do it to myself, being too much of a fan of some of these movies (like the original Star Wars films).
But then came Alien: Isolation, which I was so sceptical about before, but which I love so much now. And this looks really quite true to the films, too. Finally, game technology may be getting there, not just allowing for cheap rip-offs of these films.
But, no single player is very disappointing indeed.
minerwilly
Odd one out here but im really glad to hear there is no single player , its unnecessary and will only take up precious time the developers can spend on the multiplayer . Its a Battlefield game in all but name and singleplayer was always a waste of time and only added in later additions to try to appeal to the COD crowd.
Starman
Same here. This game is all about multiplayer, no need to tack on a short campaign.
TheShepanator
Another “sequel” with much less content than the original, sigh…
Though if it turns out anything like Warhawk, which this preview makes it sound like, I could forgive them.
MrJimmy
Good call Shepanator, a StarWarsHawk – I’m feeling that
Starman
StarHawk… less said the better.
beeje13
Vehicular dogfights for the first time? Am I missing something here? Both Battlefront 1 and 2 had them…
Played for hours split screen on Bespin cloud platforms map gunning down TIE fighters in an X-Wing.
Avenger
I don’t know what it is with the article or some of the comments. Indeed both Battlefronts had dogfights and immediate access to all vehicles on the battlefield.
Also Battlefront 2 always allowed the top scorers to be Darth Vader and some other specific characters, and jetpacks were featured in both games (I don’t recall it messing up things much with the gameplay).
Whilst the single player in both games was more generic battlefield missions stitched together, the scenarios were nice (I liked the inclusion of film cinematics), and in BF2’s case, the campaign was more structured and custom made. I somehow have the feeling that the ‘crafted’ missions won’t be quite the same thing, and if they are multiplayer focusing the game, the AI could end up being naff. Hopefully they’ll include an offline custom match mode at the very least.
beeje13
Good point about the AI, unfortunately :(
coruscant
The article doesn’t actually say that splitscreen was available in other modes, such as online multiplayer (although I hope it does!).
Lieutenant Fatman
That would be nice, fingers crossed they allow that.