Star Wars Battlefront 2 video shows off 24-player Starfighter Assault battle

Following the release of the debut trailer for the new Star Wars Battlefront 2 Starfight Assault mode earlier today, Electronic Arts has unveiled the first proper look at full-on gameplay at Gamescom. The video, courtesy of Push Square, shows off "objective-based gameplay" that unfolds during a Rebel attack on an Imperial starbase, and also showcases some of the "hero ships," including Darth Maul's Scimitar TIE Fighter, which is equipped with a stealth cloak generator, Poe Dameron's unique X-Wing Black-1, and of course Han Solo's Millennium Falcon. 

The 24-player fight begins with a Rebel effort to destroy Imperial light cruisers defending the facility, followed by strafing attacks on shield generators that bear faint echoes of the Death Star trench run. Then it's simply a matter of disabling the power couplings, and up in smoke she goes. It's not exactly the most detailed and "realistic" space combat sim of all time—you won't be fiddling with engine/shields/weapon power levels here—but it's fast and chaotic, and awfully easy on the eyes. 

Star Wars Battlefront 2 comes out on November 17.   

Andy Chalk

Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.