The Star Wars: Battlefront II full-length reveal trailer and website are now live and we have all the game details here for you at GameTyrant.
Release Date:
Battlefront II will be released on PS4, Xbox, and PC on November 17, 2017.
Overview:
This new installment of the Battlefront franchise promises to offer a new and exciting multiplayer experience that derives elements from the prequels, original saga, and all that comes after which is now being referred to as the new era. As in the previous game, you will also be able to participate in these multiplayer battles as one of the Star Wars heroes for your given faction and era. In addition to this, a single player mode has been added which will follow the untold soldier's story.
The Trailer:
Here's the trailer that was revealed at Star Wars Celebration, 2017.
Single Player Mode:
This mode will put you in the tactical boots of Iden Versio, the appropriately fiery commander of the imperial special forces unit known as Inferno Squad that we see in the trailer. Inferno Squad is described as being lethal be it on the ground or in space, which hints at the availability of both ground troop and vehicle battles in this single player campaign. Timeline-wise, the story will unfold with characters and locations both new and old seen in the Star Wars universe over the span of thirty years right before and after the destruction of the Death Star at the battle of Endor, in other words, it will essentially cover the gap between Return Of The Jedi and The Force Awakens.
As a character, Iden Versio will present players with an interesting departure from the traditional hero's journey archetype and will instead provide a new Star Wars experience by exploring a story grounded on canon through the eyes of a character that full-heartedly believes in the cause of the Empire. In addition, over the course of Iden's story players will also get to play as more iconic characters such as, Luke Skywalker, Kylo Ren, and will also get to partake in Operation Cinder as well as visit new planets and events created exclusively for the game that will become recognized as canon going forward in the Star Wars saga.
Expanded Multiplayer Mode:
Much like the previous game, Battlefront II will have 20 vs. 20 battles for a total of 40 players per encounter. In addition to being able to play as heroes and villains from all eras, most likely through power-ups, players will also be able to level up and upgrade their characters on a class-based system. The website describes this character class customization as deep, powerful, and progressive. What's interesting is that It will grant unique abilities not just to troopers but also to heroes and even starfighters.
Trooper classes will be Officer, Assault, Heavy, and Specialist and leveling them up will allow for upgrades in either firepower/damage, weapon mods, or special ability modifiers.
The following are weapon, ability, and ship modifier examples based on what's available in the Deluxe Edition pre-order bonus.
Examples of Class-specific weapon and ability combinations:
- Elite Officer Upgrade Pack:
- Blurrg-1120 + enhanced grip modification.
- Battle Command epic ability.
- Heavy Metal Upgrade Pack:
- FWMB-10 "Megablaster" + barrel vent modification.
- Personal Shield epic ability.
- Armored Assault Upgrade Pack:
- CR-2 + trigger modification.
- Grenade epic ability.
- Master Specialist Upgrade Pack:
- A280-CFE + scope modification.
- Laser Trip Mine epic ability.
Known hero ability modifiers are:
- 2 epic ability modifiers for Rey that allow you to control the minds of your enemies and create confusion on the battleground.
- 2 epic ability modifiers for Kylo Ren that allow you to freeze and pull opponents as you use the Force.
Available ship modifier examples are:
- 1 epic ability modifier that upgrades Millennium Falcon to the Star Wars: The Last Jedi Millennium Falcon with updated sounds and look.
- 1 epic ability modifier for a new First Order hero ship.
Although the game will most likely include all previously available heroes and villains from the first Battlefront, the ones currently confirmed on the official multiplayer roster for Battlefront II are Kylo Ren, Rey, Darth Maul, and Yoda. A character skin pack including looks from upcoming Star Wars film, The Last Jedi, for Kylo Ren and Rey as well as up to three day early-access to the game will be available as a pre-order bonus. As mentioned above, heroes and villains will also be upgradable.
Split-screen co-op has also been confirmed but the game mode details and type of maps have not yet been revealed. What we know so far is that it will be two-player offline split-screen play and that level progression from this mode will be usable in online multiplayer mode.
It's important to note here that split-screen co-op is only available on PS4 and Xbox.
The space combat only mode makes a comeback and will have 12 vs. 12 battles for a total of 24 players per encounter. In this mode players will battle each other across asteroid fields, Imperial Dock Yards, and will also be bringing down massive capital ships. Confirmed ships are, of course, the Millennium Falcon as well as Luke Skywalker's X-wing.
DLC and Season Pass:
Probably the most exciting thing to report about this game is that there will be no dreaded season pass. Now, this doesn't mean that content won't be locked behind some sort of paywall, but current information from DICE and EA regarding the season pass seems to indicate that they are planning a very different approach to how new content intended to prolong the life of the game will be added. Details about what this new approach may be remain undisclosed.
As far as DLC goes, no further content beyond what has already been detailed as a pre-order bonus has been confirmed.
You can read all the details about why there won't be a season pass here.
Verdict:
The first installment in the revival of the Battlefront franchise was one that looked great and provided a short-lived, but admittedly, enjoyable experience. However, the game was also highly criticized due to its barebones state upon release which notoriously lacked a campaign mode and barely had any non-DLC multiplayer content. The player base became further irritated by the nickel and diming for DLC add-ons that should've already been part of the game upon release to provide something that was acceptable as a full game experience. This created both a figurative and literal divide between the game and players given that the lack of players on DLC-only maps made for very boring and mostly barren servers. Overall, Battlefront left gamers with a foul taste and it's quite understandable why the reveal of Battlefront II is and should be met with some skepticism.
Although the length and quality of the single player campaign, the depth of the class-centered progression system, number of maps, and multiplayer modes available at launch remain to be seen, for now, forgoing the need to make players purchase a season pass to get a full game experience is a welcome and much needed change if Battlefront II is to succeed. The addition of a single player campaign with a seemingly interesting premise that will take place during a canon yet relatively unexplored period in Star Wars history is also a huge step in the right direction. Who knows maybe they'll even toss in a dedicated voice chat this time.
