There’s no doubt about it; “Star Wars” is a cultural phenomenon unlike any other. Yes, I know there is “Star Trek,” but I’m no Trekkie. "Star Wars" is one of those franchises that’s hard not to love, and who doesn’t enjoy the debates that take place among the most civilized fans regarding Jar Jar Binks’ place in the universe? Is Boba Fett actually a cool character or just a dude in a cool outfit? Did Han or Greedo shoot first???
To that last one, who really cares? Greedo got his tuckus handed to him.
Of course, one the best things about “Star Wars” is the massive amount of love many gamers have for the franchise, especially when it comes to the critically acclaimed series “Star Wars: Battlefront.” To “Call of Duty,” I say: “Eat your heart out!”
One can only imagine how much hype there was when EA came out last year and yelled; “Hey! We’re bringing it back!” I kind of felt like the yell was from the exact distance between me and a testing shelter because that bomb exploded on my Facebook like a nuclear fallout that lasted an entire week. My friends discussed nothing but that announcement. While I was happy for them, I couldn’t help but feel like something was wrong. I guess it had something to do with that logo – a sinister past meets an equally mischievous present.
Fun fact: If you turn it upside down in a mirror while balancing a nickel on your nose and gurgling milk to the tune of France's national anthem, you'll see the number "666."
When the trailer released I was a little upset about how excited everyone was. Like I said, I was happy for the hype, but the pre-rendered cutscenes only gave me more hunches to consider. I won’t say anything about a game until I see gameplay. I want gameplay, not a mini-movie, dammit!
Skip ahead to last month when my roommate comes back from class and tells me about his “special edition” copy of the new “Star Wars Battlefront” game. Feeling excitedly skeptical, I decided to spend the day exploring the game with him.
I liked the game. Every bit of scenery was like seeing the movie posters in motion. Survival was fun to play (with a friend, of course) and my roommate and I spent much of our time trying to complete every objective.
Unfortunately, that initial hunch came back when strange activity was being reported on account of EA trying to sell more units. For a while, the company had been bribing certain celebrities to get them to promote the game. Many of the people I watch on YouTube (such as The Gaming Lemon and JonTron) seemed like they may have been a part of that since both users made videos with both EA and Walmart sponsoring their videos.
Just recently, EA made news again by finally admitting something everyone who has played Battlefront can agree on; the lack of depth and content. However, EA has a different reason as to why they are saying Battlefront is flopping.
According to GameSpot, Electronic Arts CFO Blake Jorgenson said that Battlefront was designed to be “accessible,” which caused hardcore players to be driven away.
Now, let me tell you why that is a load of bull$#!%.
As a gamer who does not like to spend $60 on a game, I find that a $60 game that has no single-player campaign and requires online connectivity in order to play the other 75% of the game, I find this game to be invaluable. Having no single player campaign is fine, though. I get that the focus is multiplayer.
My biggest issue is how unbalanced the whole game is, online AND offline. Where to start?
Well, it’s pretty aggravating when it takes 20 shots to the head from my roommate and me to take down ONE Shadow Trooper. Aren’t stealth enemies supposed to be a little weaker because of how tricky they are to spot? It gets really annoying.
You can tell this guy was built on bull.
As for online, some of the weapons are unbalanced like Meta Knight in “Smash Bros.” How is it possible to one-shot me from the other side of the map amidst the war of neon lights?
On a bit more critical note, I don’t exactly appreciate the lack of effort in more maps. Which would you like to go to? We have Desert Land, Ice Caverns, Forest, and FallOut World. “But, Tyler! You forgot the new Jakku map!” Oh, of course! How could I forget Desert Land 2?
Look, I know the other planets aren’t exactly “memorable,” but what about the locations of Naboo (Padme and Jar Jar’s world), Kashyyyk (Chewbacca’s home), Kamino (where the Clones were made), Utapau (landmark of the final battle between Obi-Wan and General Grievous), Mustafar (where Darth Vader was born), and Cloud City? I know that the Star Wars universe has more content than you bothered grabbing, EA!
The biggest complaint among fans regards the lack of content, and indeed, it is lacking! There is only a small pinch of maps taken from the Star Wars universe, the gameplay gets tedious pretty quickly after an hour, and Electronic Arts expects $60 out of you for it all?
This is why I no longer support companies like EA. They will try and act like a game was awesome until it clearly becomes a failure and people come after them for it. When all is lost, they will come out and agree, but for the wrong reasons. Battlefront was not a failure because the game is “too accessible.” The game is a failure because EA took a left turn at Albuquerque and missed so many opportunities in an effort to meet deadlines in time for the new movie. This clearly shows that companies like EA are not worried about the consumer so much as they only care for attempting to cover their behinds by the time we pull their pants down.
I just want to say that this is why the game market crashed back in 1983. It wasn’t just because of “E.T.” for the Atari. It was because companies would gamble on any game they wanted to make and hoped for the best. Millions of dollars are getting thrown at games like Battlefront only to be rushed and panned at release. If companies like EA expect any more success, they’re going to need to learn how to slow down and stroll through development instead of snorting Pixy Styx and pulling all-nighters.
