Star Wars Battlefront II (2017 video game)

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This article is about the 2017 video game. For the 2005 video game of the same name, see Star Wars: Battlefront II (2005 video game).

Star Wars Battlefront II
Developer(s)EA DICE[a]
Publisher(s)Electronic Arts
Writer(s)Walt Williams[1]
Mitch Dyer[1]
Composer(s)Gordy Haab
SeriesStar Wars: Battlefront
EngineFrostbite 3
Platform(s)
Release
  • WW: November 17, 2017
Genre(s)First-person shooter, third-person shooter
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Star Wars Battlefront II is an action shooter video game based on the Star Wars film franchise. It is the fourth major installment of the Star Wars: Battlefront series and seventh overall, and a sequel to the 2015 reboot of the series. It was developed by EA DICE, in collaboration with Criterion Games and Motive Studios, and published by Electronic Arts. The game was released worldwide on November 17, 2017 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows.

Upon release, Battlefront II received mixed reviews from critics. The game was also subject to widespread criticism regarding the status of loot boxes, which could give players substantial gameplay advantages if they purchased the loot boxes with real money. A reply from EA's community team on Reddit on the topic became the most downvoted comment in the site's history, and in response EA ultimately decided to temporarily remove micro-transactions from the game until a later date.

Gameplay

Star Wars Battlefront II features gameplay from the Star Wars prequel films, a feature absent in the game's predecessor.

Star Wars Battlefront II features a single-player story mode, a customizable character class system, and content based on The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi movies.[2] It also features vehicles and locations from the original, prequel, and sequel Star Wars movie trilogies. It also features heroes and villains that can be played based on characters from the Star Wars movies; the hero roster includes Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, Han Solo, Chewbacca, Lando Calrissian, Yoda, Rey, Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine, Boba Fett, Bossk, Iden Versio, Darth Maul, and Kylo Ren at launch.[3]

The game features a full campaign story mode unlike 2015's Battlefront. The game's single player protagonist, Iden Versio, leader of an Imperial Special Forces group known as Inferno Squad (Janina Gavankar), participates in multiple events in the 30 years leading up to The Force Awakens. There will be segments in the campaign where the player will be able to control other characters such as Luke Skywalker and Kylo Ren. Players can also play in arcade mode – an offline single player or local co-op where players can choose which side to play on and which battle to play in. Battles vary from team battles to onslaughts. Alternatively, players can choose to do a custom match, where they can change some of the settings and location.

Instead of the paid Season Pass downloadable content (DLC) seen in the 2015 predecessor, this game is expanded with free DLC provided to all players with a free EA account.[4][5] Lead actress Janina Gavankar stated that the DLC would be free to all players, using a seasonal structure similar to Overwatch and Rainbow Six Siege. The first season, set to be released in December 13, 2017, will be based on the upcoming movie Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and will include Finn and Captain Phasma as heroes, the planet Crait as a ground map, and a space map above D'Qar.[6]

Multiplayer

Star Wars Battlefront II features five multiplayer game modes with the largest supporting up to 40 simultaneous players. Galactic Assault is centered around unique set pieces set across the eleven planets and locations featuring all three Star Wars eras involving a team of 20 attackers against 20 defenders. In Starfighter Assault, battles take place in space and planetary atmospheres involving 12 attackers against 12 defenders, both teams being reinforced with an additional 20 AI ships. Strikes are battles in close quarter scenarios involving a team of eight attackers aiming to capture a unique objective from a team of eight defenders; essentially one team capture the flag. Heroes vs. Villains is a team deathmatch mode involving the heroes and villains in Star Wars Battlefront II based off Star Wars characters; four light side heroes fight four dark side villains. Blast, the final mode, is standard team deathmatch between two teams of 10 players in which teams try to reach 100 total combined eliminations before the enemy team can.

Campaign

The single-player story mode campaign in Star Wars Battlefront II takes place in the Star Wars galaxy, beginning around the time of Return of the Jedi, but largely between it and Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Emperor Palpatine plots to lure an unsuspecting Rebel Alliance fleet into a trap using himself and the second Death Star, being constructed above the Forest Moon of Endor, as bait, seeking to crush the Rebellion against his Galactic Empire once and for all. The Imperial Special Forces commando unit Inferno Squad, led by Commander Iden Versio, daughter of Admiral Garrick Versio, and made up of Agents Gideon Hask and Del Meeko, is crucial to the success of this planned Battle of Endor, but the Empire underestimates the strength of the Rebellion as its fleet gathers at Sullust.

Plot

Iden Versio is being interrogated for the codes to unlock an Imperial transmission aboard a Rebel Mon Calamari Star Cruiser. She activates her droid, which sneaks to her cell and frees her. Iden had allowed herself to be captured in order to erase the Imperial transmission, which would reveal the Emperor's plan at Endor. She successfully erases it, then escapes the ship by launching herself into space where she is intercepted by the Corvus, the flagship of Inferno Squad. Iden confirms the mission's success to Gideon Hask and Del Meeko, other members of her squad.

Later on Endor, Iden, Hask, and Meeko secure the perimeter around the ruined shield generator, and watch with shock and horror as the second Death Star explodes. Vice Admiral Sloane orders a full retreat, and Inferno Squad recovers TIE fighters to escape the planet, which is being overrun by Rebel forces. The Corvus is attacked during their escape, but Inferno fends off Rebel bombers. Iden meets with her father, Admiral Garrick Versio, on his Star Destroyer Eviscerator.

Admiral Versio confirms to Iden that the Emperor has died. A messenger droid displays a hologram of the late Emperor issuing his last command: to begin Operation: Cinder. Admiral Versio sends Iden to an Imperial shipyard to protect Moff Raythe and his Star Destroyer Dauntless, which hosts experimental satellites vital to the success of Operation: Cinder. The Dauntless comes under attack from a Rebel Star Cruiser, but Iden is able to board it with Hask and disable its ion cannons. Afterwards, they are ordered to attack the Imperial shipyard in order to free the Star Destroyer from the locked clamps. Afterwards, the Dauntless opens fire on the Rebel cruiser, destroying it.

Meeko is sent to Pillio and ordered to destroy one of the Emperor's hidden bases. He encounters Luke Skywalker, who helps him disarm the base's defenses and fend off the local wildlife. They discover that the base contains the Emperor's spoils of conquest. Meeko and Luke part amicably, and Meeko begins to question the Empire's goals and motives.

Following this, Iden and Inferno Squad are sent to the Imperial-controlled world of Vardos, in order to retrieve Protectorate Gleb. As the satellites for Operation Cinder begin destroying the planet with terrible storms, Iden and Meeko try to evacuate the civilians in addition to Gleb, causing Agent Hask to betray them. Disillusioned by the Empire's attack on Vardos, Iden and Meeko escape off world, now traitors to the Empire.

They seek out the Rebel Alliance and are taken to General Lando Calrissian, who gives them the choice to help stop Operation: Cinder, or to escape and make new lives for themselves. Choosing to help, they aid Leia Organa in protecting Naboo, destroying the satellites for Operation: Cinder and reactivating the Planet's defenses. After the planet is liberated, Inferno Squad joins the New Republic.

Iden and Inferno Squad are then sent to Tadokana to find Han Solo, who was extracting an Imperial defector carrying critical data in hopes of liberating Kashyyyk and freeing the Wookiees. The data also reveals that Admiral Versio is commanding Imperial operations on Bespin and Sullust. Iden and Del infiltrate Bespin with the intent of capturing Admiral Versio, but he and Hask manage to escape. Meanwhile, Lando investigates the hidden Imperial weapons cache on Sullust, only to find a weapons factory which he destroys. These operations cripple the Imperial fleet, which makes a last stand at Jakku. During the battle, Iden shoots down Hask and boards the Eviscerator, intending to rescue her father. Admiral Versio decides to go down with his ship, and urges Iden to escape and live a new life. Iden takes an escape pod and reunites with Del at the end of the battle. The two embrace and kiss.

Many decades later, Del is captured on Pillio by Protectorate Gleb, who hands him over to Kylo Ren and the First Order. Ren uses his Force powers to interrogate Del, in order to find the location of the map leading to Luke Skywalker. Once Ren succeeds, he leaves Del in the custody of Hask, who survived getting shot down at Jakku. Hask expresses disgust at Del choosing to father a daughter with Iden instead of becoming a soldier and kills him. Hask then warns Gleb that the Republic cannot find out about "Project Resurrection" and orders her to leave the Corvus on Pillio as bait to lure Iden out of hiding.

Development and marketing

On May 10, 2016, the development of Star Wars Battlefront II was announced, led by EA DICE in collaboration with Criterion Games and Jade Raymond's Motive Studios.[7] The sequel to 2015's rebooted Star Wars Battlefront features content from the sequel trilogy of films.[8] Creative director Bernd Diemer has stated that the company has replaced the Season Pass system of paid expansion of content, because that system was determined to have "fragmented" the player community of the 2015 predecessor game. The new expansion system is designed to allow all players "to play longer".[5] Executive producer Matthew Webster announced on April 15, 2017 at Star Wars Celebration that the worldwide release of the game would be November 17, 2017.[9] The Battlefront II beta test period started on October 4, 2017, for players who pre-ordered the game. It was expanded to an open beta on October 6, and ran until October 11.[10][11] A 10-hour trial version was made available to EA Access and Origin Access subscribers on November 9, 2017.[12]

A tie-in novel, Star Wars Battlefront II: Inferno Squad, was released on July 25, 2017. Written by Christie Golden, it serves as a direct prelude to the game and follows the exploits of the Galactic Empire's titular squad as it seeks to eliminate what was left of Saw Gerrera's rebel cell after the events of the 2016 film Rogue One.[13]

On November 10, 2017, Electronic Arts announced the first in a series of free downloadable content for the game, featuring the planets D'Qar and Crait and the playable hero characters Finn and Captain Phasma. This content is a direct tie-in to December's Star Wars: The Last Jedi.[14]

Reception

Star Wars Battlefront II received "mixed or average" reviews, according to review aggregator Metacritic.[17][15][16] Metacritic user reviews reached a low rating of 0.8/10, labelled as "Overwhelming dislike", due to review bombing.[26][27]

In his 4/5 star review for GamesRadar, Andy Hartup praised the multiplayer but criticized the single player modes, saying the game has a "very strong multiplayer offering tarnished by overly complicated character progression, and a lavish, beautiful story campaign lacking in substance or subtlety."[21] GameRevolution felt the campaign started strong but weakened as it progressed, praising the multiplayer gameplay while criticizing the micro-transactions, loot box progression system, and locking of heroes.[20]

For EGM's review, Nick Plessas praised the multiplayer combat, balancing, and variety, but criticized the game's sustained focus around loot crates.[18] Andrew Reiner of Game Informer gave the game 6.5/10, writing "Answering the call for more content, Star Wars Battlefront II offers a full campaign and more than enough multiplayer material, but the entire experience is brought down by microtransactions."[19] IGN's Tom Marks also gave the game 6.5/10, saying "Star Wars Battlefront 2 has great feeling blasters, but its progression system makes firing them an unsatisfying grind."[24]

Monetization controversy

During pre-release beta trials, the game's publisher EA was criticized by gamers and the gaming press for introducing a loot box monetization scheme that gives players substantial gameplay advantages through items purchased in-game with real money.[28] Although such items could also be purchased with in-game currency, players would on average have to "grind" for approximately 40 hours to unlock a single player character such as Darth Vader.[29] Responding to the controversy, developers had adjusted the number of in-game items a player receives through playing the game. However, after the game went into pre-release a number of players and journalists who received the pre-release copy of the game reported various controversial gameplay features, such as rewards being unrelated to the player's performance in the game.[30]

On November 12, 2017, a Reddit user complained that although they spent US$80 to purchase the Deluxe Edition of the game, Darth Vader remained inaccessible for play, and the use of this character required a large amount of in-game credits. Players estimated that it would take 40 hours of gameplay to accumulate enough credits to unlock a single hero.[31] In response to the community's backlash, EA's Community Team defended the controversial changes by saying their intent to make users earn credits to unlock heroes was to give users a sense of "pride and accomplishment" after unlocking a hero.[32][33] This led to many Reddit users becoming frustrated at the response, which generated more than 674,000 downvotes,[34] making it the most downvoted comment in the site's history.[35][36][37] In response to the community's outrage, EA lowered the cost of credits to unlock heroes by 75%.[38][39] The credits rewarded for completing the campaign were also reduced, however.[40]

On the day before release, EA disabled micro-transactions entirely, citing players' concerns that they gave buyers unfair advantages. They stated their intent to reintroduce them at a later date after unspecified changes had been made.[41]

The uproar from social media and poor press reception on its microtransactions had a negative impact on EA's share price which dropped by 2.5% on the launch day of the game. Analysts in Wall Street also lowered their expectation of the game's financial prospect.[42] Some commentators, however, defended the EA monetisation policies. A Wall Street analyst writing for CNBC noted how video games are still the cheapest entertainment medium per hour of use, and even with the added microtransactions, playing Battlefront II was still much cheaper than paying to see the theatrical release of a film.[43]

Government response

On November 15, two days before release, the Belgian gambling regulator announced that it was investigating the game, alongside Overwatch, to determine whether loot boxes constituted unlicensed gambling. In response to the investigation, EA claimed that Battlefront II's loot boxes do not constitute gambling.[44] The Belgian Gaming Commission ultimately declared loot boxes to be gambling. After the investigation reported its conclusion, the minister of Justice of Belgium announced that he would start working on banning lootboxes in any future video games sold in the entire European Union.[45][46]

Reacting to the conclusion of the Belgian gambling regulator's investigation, the head of Dutch Gambling commission announced a start of their own investigation of Battlefront II and the issue in general, and asked parents "to keep an eye at the games their children play".[47]

Representative Chris Lee of Hawaii in a video titled "Highlights of the EA predatory behavior announcement"[48] called Star Wars: Battlefront II "an online casino designed to trap little kids" and announced his intention to ban such practices in the state of Hawaii. Another representative compared playing Battlefront II to smoking cigarettes, saying: "We didn't allow Joe Camel to encourage your kids to smoke cigarettes, and we shouldn't allow Star Wars to encourage your kids to gamble."[49][50]

Notes

  1. ^ Additional work by Criterion Games and Motive Studios

References

  1. ^ a b "Star Wars Battlefront 2's Writers Revealed". gamespot.com. April 18, 2017. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
  2. ^ Walton, Mark (June 11, 2017). "Star Wars: Battlefront 2: Free DLC, better weapons, and new character classes". Ars Technica. Retrieved June 11, 2017. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  3. ^ EA Star Wars (April 15, 2017). Star Wars Battlefront II: Full Length Reveal Trailer. Retrieved April 16, 2017 – via YouTube.
  4. ^ Strawhun, Aiden (June 10, 2017). "Star Wars Battlefront 2's DLC Plans Hinted In Origin Store Page". GameSpot. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
  5. ^ a b Rosenberg, Adam. "It looks like 'Star Wars: Battlefront II' will ditch the Season Pass". Mashable. Retrieved June 17, 2017.
  6. ^ Makuch, Eddie (June 10, 2017). "E3 2017:Star Wars: Battlefront 2's DLC Maps, Modes, And Characters Are Free". GameSpot. Retrieved June 10, 2017.
  7. ^ O'Connor, Alice (June 12, 2016). "Star Wars-O-Rama: Battlefront 2 And Beyond". Rock, Paper, Shotgun. Retrieved June 12, 2016.
  8. ^ Makuch, Eddie (May 10, 2016). "Star Wars Battlefront 2 Confirmed, Features Content From "The New Movies"". GameSpot. Retrieved May 10, 2016.
  9. ^ Star Wars (April 15, 2017). Star Wars Celebration Orlando 2017 Live Stream – Day 3 The Star Wars Show LIVE!. Retrieved April 16, 2017 – via YouTube.
  10. ^ "Star Wars Battlefront 2 beta hits in October with ground and space battles". Polygon. July 10, 2017.
  11. ^ "Star Wars Battlefront 2 Beta Extended For PS4, Xbox One, And PC; Here's When It Ends". Gamespot. October 9, 2017.
  12. ^ Faller, Patrick (November 10, 2017). "Star Wars Battlefront 2 Origin/EA Access Trial Gives You 10 Hours Of Playtime On Xbox One And PC". GameSpot. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
  13. ^ Faller, Patrick. "Star Wars: Battlefront 2's Campaign Is Set Up In A New Novel". GameSpot. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  14. ^ Purchese, Robert (November 10, 2017). "Star Wars Battlefront 2's free The Last Jedi DLC gets a release date". Eurogamer. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
  15. ^ a b "Star Wars Battlefront II for PlayStation 4 Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved November 18, 2017.
  16. ^ a b "Star Wars Battlefront II for Xbox One Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved November 18, 2017.
  17. ^ a b "Star Wars Battlefront II for PC Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved November 18, 2017.
  18. ^ a b Plessas, Nick (November 14, 2017). "Star Wars Battlefront II review". Electronic Gaming Monthly. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
  19. ^ a b Reiner, Andrew (November 14, 2017). "The Dark Side Of Gaming - Star Wars Battlefront II - Xbox One". Game Informer. Retrieved November 14, 2017.
  20. ^ a b Faulkner, Jason (November 15, 2017). "Star Wars Battlefront 2 Review – Born to Lose, Pay-to-Win". Game Revolution. Retrieved November 15, 2017.
  21. ^ a b Hartup, Andy (November 13, 2017). "Star Wars: Battlefront II Review". GamesRadar. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
  22. ^ https://www.destructoid.com/review-star-wars-battlefront-ii-473576.phtml
  23. ^ Fillari, Alessandro (November 20, 2017). "Star Wars Battlefront II Review". GameSpot. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
  24. ^ a b Marks, Tom (November 17, 2017). "Star Wars Battlefront 2 Review". IGN. Retrieved November 18, 2017.
  25. ^ Wilde, Tyler (November 17, 2017). "Star Wars Battlefront 2 Review". PC Gamer. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  26. ^ Martin, Liam (November 18, 2017). "Star Wars Battlefront 2 news: Fans score HUGE loot box victory after review backlash". Express.co.uk. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
  27. ^ "'Star Wars Battlefront 2' Community Wins, DICE Turns Off Microtransactions After Massive Backlash". The Inquisitr. November 17, 2017. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
  28. ^ Purchese, Robert (November 9, 2017). "The price and state of Star Wars Battlefront 2 loot crates at launch". Eurogamer. Retrieved November 12, 2017.
  29. ^ Good, Owen S. (November 11, 2017). "Star Wars Battlefront 2 heroes come at a substantial cost". Polygon.
  30. ^ "Here's how Star Wars Battlefront 2's progression will work: levels, loot crates, and Star Cards". gamesradar. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
  31. ^ Gach, Ethan. "Unlocking Heroes In Star Wars Battlefront II Could Take A Long Time [Update]". Kotaku. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
  32. ^ Good, Owen S. (November 11, 2017). "Star Wars Battlefront 2 heroes come at a substantial cost". Polygon. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
  33. ^ Matney, Lucas. "EA response to 'Battlefront II' complaint is the most downvoted comment in Reddit history". TechCrunch. Retrieved November 13, 2017. {{cite news}}: no-break space character in |title= at position 82 (help)
  34. ^ "Seriously? I paid 80$ to have Vader locked? • r/StarWarsBattlefront". reddit. Retrieved November 22, 2017.
  35. ^ "EA's defense of Star Wars: Battlefront II is now Reddit's most downvoted comment | GamesBeat". venturebeat.com. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
  36. ^ "EA Now Has Most Downvoted Comment in Reddit History After Defending Battlefront 2 - GameRevolution". GameRevolution. November 13, 2017. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
  37. ^ Salinis, Sara (November 13, 2017). "EA's new Star Wars game is so unpopular a developer is apparently getting death threats". CNBC. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
  38. ^ Arts, Electronic (November 13, 2017). "Change will be a Constant in Star Wars Battlefront II". ea.com. Retrieved November 13, 2017.
  39. ^ Kim, Matt (November 13, 2017). "EA Lowers the Cost of Unlocking Star Wars Battlefront 2 Heroes by 75 Percent". Retrieved November 13, 2017.
  40. ^ O'Connor, James (November 14, 2017). "Star Wars Battlefront 2 has reduced the credits awarded for finishing the campaign". Retrieved November 14, 2017.
  41. ^ Makuch, Eddie (November 16, 2017). "Star Wars: Battlefront 2 Removes Microtransactions, But They're Coming Back Later". Retrieved November 16, 2017.
  42. ^ "Wall Street is freaking out as EA caves again to social media outrage over its 'Star Wars' game". CNBC. November 17, 2017. Retrieved November 18, 2017.
  43. ^ Kim, Tae (November 20, 2017). "Gamers are overreacting to EA's 'Star Wars' controversy; publishers should raise prices: Analyst". CNBC. Retrieved November 21, 2017.
  44. ^ Bailey, Dustin (November 15, 2017). "The Dutch Gaming Authority is investigating whether online loot boxes constitute gambling". PCGamesN. Retrieved November 17, 2017. {{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |dead-url= (help)
  45. ^ "Geens wil gokken in games verbieden". VTM NIEUWS. Retrieved November 22, 2017.
  46. ^ "Belgium says loot boxes are gambling, wants them banned in Europe". pcgamer. Retrieved November 22, 2017.
  47. ^ "Zorgen online games voor een gokverslaving bij kinderen?". Zorgen online games voor een gokverslaving bij kinderen? (in Dutch). Retrieved November 22, 2017.
  48. ^ chris lee (November 21, 2017), Highlights of the EA predatory behavior announcement, retrieved November 22, 2017
  49. ^ Plunkett, Luke. "Hawaii Wants To Fight The "Predatory Behavior" Of Loot Boxes". Kotaku. Retrieved November 22, 2017.
  50. ^ "State Legislators Weigh Law to Block Sale of 'Battlefront II' to Children". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 22, 2017.

External links

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