Battlefield with a Star Wars skin? “Safe if you just want to make money" says DICE

GR:
When the world learned Battlefield developer DICE was taking on the mantle of a new Star Wars Battlefront game, many of assumed we were in for a reskinned military shooter. But if this weekend's console and PC open beta has proved anything, it's that the rebooted Battlefront is one of the best Star Wars experiences we've ever played (albeit with a few issues along the way). In the latest issue of Official Xbox Magazine, studio general manager Patrick Bach reveals the Swedish developer knew this assumption would run riot with the public and the games press.

[daBUSHwhaka]

Feels nothing like Battlefield.Balancing issues aside I like what I've played so far.

[UncleJerry]

I wouldn't say that it feels nothing like Battlefield, but it surely isn't some re-skinned knock off either. I guess to keep it short, I can tell it is made by the Battlefield dev, but it also never feels like a rehash and there are plenty of diffs.. I am having a lot of fun with the beta, issues aside (it is a beta afterall).

[bmf7364]

When it was announced that EA bought rights to Star Wars games, fans didn't really get angry (even though they were taking major shit after SimCity and Medal of Honor) because they knew that DICE, Visceral, and Bioware were there only studios that could uphold the expectations of fans of Star Wars games.

[venom06]

Agree with bushWhaka.. It really is a ton of fun and getting even more fun as folks are understanding some of the things you have to do as Rebels to win (DONT WASTE YOUR ORBITAL STRIKES. YOU EVEN KEEP IT AFTER YOU DIE)... and yes, this is a beta so items like spawns and uplink locations can be tweaked, but this was more stress test the network than anything, so we won't have another BF4 debacle.

[ChuckTheIceMan]

I enjoyed the beta for about 30 minutes but I really expected more going on. It felt boring and rehashed after you get over the novelty of "star wars".

[Mega24]

It's been 20 years since my family introduced me to star wars, I have never been over the novelty of Star Wars". I've played almost every game, seen every movie and animated series and short, read a couple of the comics and novels. Best of all, I love Battlefield, so its a win win situation for me.

[ginsunuva]

Yeah it's nothing like Battlefield. It's infinitely worse. So it would have actually been better if it was just like Battlefield.

[SolidStoner]

well this far Big YES.. battlefield has about 50 guns, huge maps and about 20 vehicles + realistic stuff (and we all know that replicating reality is much harder that fantasy world, since there is much more room for errors).. but Star wars was only a beta, with only 4 fake guns with lasers and 2 vehicles.. maps overall are smaller with lesser player count, 100% win for BF, we have to wait for the full game then we could tell for real, those robots and new upgraded graphics with all those shiny star wars retro stuff from 70's looks epic to me! also it worked at the start perfectly! great sings! Spawn points could be better, why do they think that spawning in the middle of nowhere and getting shot in the head after 2 seconds of spawning is normal? they should create bases where to spawn, with everything we need there like in real battle situation, only arcade players like these chaos thingy's! :D

[Halo2ODST2]

I agree, it's hallow , I have no ideanwhy people are comparing it to battlefield, considering it doesn't even have a class system, just spawn - shoot, die respawn & repeat, you can't even get into vehicles, nor weapons, The game can't & shouldn't be compared to Battlefield as the game is that hallow.

[PSIN4MANT]

Came to that conclusion during a beta did you? lol.

[Halo2ODST2]

Yes i did, You can tell a lot from a beta.

[Gozer]

While its true that the mechanics in the Walker Assault game mode are similar to the Rush game mode of Battlefield, the gameplay is very different. On a side note, the old Battlefront game mode mechanics were similar to Battlefield as well.

Regarding actual gameplay, anyone that says the games are the same, or even similar, needs to explain theirself. I can drop a quick list of MAJOR gameplay differences between Battlefront and Battlefield.

[TheHaloGuy]

I had 0 expectations for this game. Now, I will be buying it after all the bugs are fixed.

I'm addicted. O_o

[conanlifts]

Same here. I had decided against this game when they announced it was online only. But after playing the beta I want more and will be adding this to my list, probably not until the end of December though. Give them 5-6 weeks to find the bugs.

[Yukes]

It's certainly a bit of fun, but the issues aren't just with balancing for me. The spawning is a total joke sometimes, with the Rebels in particular having a really tough time extricating themselves from a killing zone in the base.

Even if that's sorted, though, why can't there be central bases where vehicles are stored and accessible? This would at least have the potential for facilitating massive coordinated attacks. As it is, the scattered tokens are just silly and only result in a few seconds of individual carnage.

My two cents anyway.

[daBUSHwhaka]

Yep,the spawns are a joke.Just made a clip of me getting around 14 kills from a decent flank against the rebels.kept on spawning so I kept on killing.

[-Foxtrot]

"Safe if you just want to make money"

Isn't that what they are doing anyway. It's like EA's goal for their studios

Can't wait to see that season pass filled to the brim of content which was previously in the last game.

[pompombrum]

"Safe if you just want to make money"

I'd imagine that was their motto throughout the development tbh.. keep it safe to make the money. For me, the game captures the Star Wars feel perfectly but does absolutely nothing else special. It'll sell extremely well because it feels like Star Wars but long term FPS games.. I just can't see them still wanting to go back to it in six months time as there really isn't anything that stands out about the game.

[Halo2ODST2]

after a few matches, I can't see myself going back to it.

[moomoo319]

I wouldve preferred a reskinned battlefield.

I know they are targeting a more casual audience but i firmly believe the gameplay systems in Battlefield are more complex, immersive, and satisfying.

Map power-ups and rechargeable everything dont really do it for me

[WilliamUsher]

Agreed.

A reskinned Battlefield at least would have had some replay appeal.

As it stands SW:BF is one of the most generic FPS titles I've ever played in my life. Everything is so homogenized that it's difficult to see why people would play it for anymore than a few months at most?

The card system, lack of reloading, no classes and the confrontations that basically includes doing nothing more than standing face to face and firing until someone drops gets dull kind of quick.

[Immorals]

But it's not a fps. It's also a tps (as the originals were)

[WilliamUsher]

@Immorals well there's no TPS mode in the beta and even so it's still horribly generic and doesn't discount from the fact that the game is really boring and stilted.

The lack of manually getting in vehicles really kills it for me.

[FlameBaitGod]

William on what platform are u playing ? At least on PC, you can switch for first person to third person.

[aconnellan]

@William

"well there's no TPS mode in the beta"

Press Start (or whatever your console equivalent is) during a game, go to Settings/Gameplay options, and the first option on the screen is to pick between First Person or Third Person

[Allsystemgamer]

@willam

Hold down on the dpad...

[moomoo319]

just hold down on the d-pad you can switch any time

[KwietStorm_BLM]

lol William didn't go to options even once.

[WilliamUsher]

Thanks for the info about the third-person. I was pressing the D-pad before but only taunted.

[MrSwankSinatra]

@WilliamUsher It's called hold down on the D-Pad buddy.

[TheHaloGuy]

Omg! Play in 3rd person! DON'T treat it like Battlefield. Treat it like Battlefront. I'm playing like I'm motgerfucking The Fett man!

[DLConspiracy]

I typically play it in 3rd person. As that's how I remember Battlefront to be. It's another game that way. Much better if you ask me but the first person is there for those who don't like tps. Just like BF2

I can't say for sure but I have a feeling this was very bare bones in the beta. I have a feeling they will have a lot more options once it's released. It had to be somewhat casual so they didn't fully alienate those who just love Star Wars.

[conanlifts]

This is what I don't understand. A single player game lasts a few weeks, yet can be amazing. An online game on the other hand is often criticised if people think they will only play it for a few months. i don't really understand the reason as a few months out of a game is great in my opinion.

[Majin-vegeta]

Funny thing is in the first 2 SWBF games,Vehicles were not power ups.Just further proof they want to casulaize it.ammo and nades were limited and you had to resupply from ammo&health droids.

[scark92]

I agree that if they are not going the Battlefront route, just stick to the formula

[jv1991]

I liked what i played from the beta. And it looks good on ps4 and plays good too

[AutoCad]

Wasnt impressed with the game..Immediately canceled my order and put the money towards the elite controller.

[KontryBoy706]

whoever is saying this game is just like battlefield... obviously didn't play battlefield.

[22CobraKing]

It's like saying halo 5 is like halo 4 just realized with better graphics and modes. Or that blacks ops 3 is a reskin of 2.

[FlexLuger]

Halo 5 and blops3 are sequels, so its natural they bare more than a resemblance to their predecessors. Incidently halo 5 feels like the most refined MP halo experience yet, in term of gun play. The halo 5 beta was better than any FPS I played this year ( I have played Blops 3, rainbow six and now SW:BF in their betas...halo 5 beta had better mechanics and gunplay than all of them all of them.

But SW:BF....looks like starwars..feels like BF in terms of movement...my AR has been replaced with a super accurate laser rifle that never misses a shot due to lack of bullet spread (no bullets after all) or recoil...And then you realize...every gun in the game feels like that...then you realize...you really dont need to ADS.....then I realise(again) the character movement and the sway and feel of the guns reminds me of BF..minus the bullet drop and the recoil...its easy to kill people in this game..I should be having fun...but im bored....

Drop zone is just king of the hill...

Walker assault is basically just the imperials molly-whopping the rebels every single time. Its like taking turns to kick each others asses. it gets predictable fast. It reminds me of rush on BF4 in that sense. only in this instance the attacking team ALWAYS wins..

Ill wait and see, how the final product shapes up. See what other maps and modes it has going for it. But the beta was a bit weak imo. A bit hollow. This is a casual shooter fest, that is going after COD. They will get some good sales for sure, but I dont think this game is going to hold people who buy it for long as an MP experience. not enough depth to its gunplay.

[maelstromb]

Tried it for the first time last night. The good: game looks beautiful and it felt incredible (at first) to be back in a star wars fps (missing the Jedi Knight series immensely!).

The bad: frustrating, imbalanced, and overtly-chaotic gameplay creates an environment where aggravating insta-kills on spawn are frequent and far too common... this because the incredibly basic objectives aside, there's not much to do but run around the entire map like a maniac shooting at any enemy that moves (Hoth map, I'm looking at you). Ranking and card systems are a generic attempt to leverage depth, but fall flat. In my experience, this is a game less about strategy and tactical advantage, and more about firepower and chaos.

Granted, I understand it's a beta and the whole point of an open-beta is to test the limits of servers, gather real-world feedback/criticism, etc. but this game has a long way to go as far as I'm concerned... and based on what I've played thus far, I sadly will not be rushing out to purchase this on day one. Give us another Jedi Knight game with this engine, and I'll be sold.

[_LarZen_]

It feels nothing like a Battlefield game. If that's a good or bad thing is up to you....

[Antifan]

They took a very big risk with this game, and I believe it worked out. People who don't like it, it's just a beta and things are subjected to change.
I'm loving it, I just hope they fix the spawn for rebels, and get rid of the token system and add classes instead. People are too busy looking for tokens instead of doing the objective. This can be completely fixed if they just add classes.

[Rachel_Alucard]

If you want anything significant like actual classes and the token system removed you're gonna have to wait till the sequel rolls around in 2 years. This beta is just for giving feedback on balancing and stress tests. Anything like removing or changing whole game systems would require 3-6 months of additional work at least and by that point it's too costly because interest will have sunk down. At that point I imagine the sequel will have been worked on for that time-frame and economically it would make sense to build those changes from scratch rather than rewrite an already existing setpiece.

[FlexLuger]

"They took a very big risk with this game, and I believe it worked out."

I dunno about all o that...Starwars dude...starwars..and a SW game that is coming out around the same time as a new SW movie..This game could suck hard and will still sell in the millions. And one of the things it has going for it is its simplicity, which will appeal to casual gamers.

No risk involved in this one except DICE's reputation....which hangs on how well this game stands up online and especially at launch...we all remember those BF4 issues all too well.....

[Mega24]

Too many negative people, doesn't affect my enjoyment one bit. almost have 36 hours of gameplay already, and still enjoying the beta. Some people have a very short attention span I guess.

[iNFAMOUZ1]

this game sucks!

[bunfighterii]

People say battlefield in a Star Wars skin like its a bad thing.

[sAVAge_bEaST]

I wish, I don't even know what this is, (other than a great looking/sounding Star Wars Game) -REplay value of 0

[sAVAge_bEaST]

No proper Squad (In game, you have to use party system.)

Walker assault, -Rush the turrets as Imperial. go 64/4 Win. as Rebels, Rush the Power ups in hopes of a Orbital Strike.

This game seems so bland.. Battle Field Vets, seem to dominate.. and there is no feeling of satisfaction, no proper leveling system, no depth-- this game just feels weak sauce,

I can dominate this game as both Rebels, and Imperial. - And get ZERO Satisfaction.. I don't even know how to describe it.. just Meh-

[HmongAmerican]

This is how videogame suppose to play. Doing the same thing over and over again. Get bored, move on to different game, repeat.

[TheHaloGuy]

Play 3rd person for a bit. It's the better and more interesting way to play.

[Koopdogg]

I can put my hand up and say "OH this will be battlefield all over again"

Well i've eaten my hand and can say it's NOTHING like battlefield.
It has its issues and this one is not :)

[Deeke]

This game is probably one of the worst FPS I've played in a long time. It's an example of everything that's wrong with modern shooters, and I really hate how a lot of the quality guns are locked behind progression gates.

And yes, it feels JUST like Battlefield with a Star Wars skin.

[AshleeEmerson]

My gosh, I loooove this game. I play in 3rd person and it's like a drug!! Maybe because of my love for Uncharted multiplayer, Idk but this takes the cake. Fantastic.

[Scottyxboxoneandps4]

This game is amazing!!! Great fun, plus there's more modes to come not just the ones locked in the beta.
For the people complaining in here, admit it you've been getting ur arses handed to you and nows the time to cry about it. Seriously I see it time and time again people complaining for something fresh, get it but then complain it's not how something else is or was before. The poor revs can't win. Well for me it's shaping up to be a fantastic game. Can't wait!!!