Star Wars Battlefront preview: it looks beautiful, but will it be fun?

If it weren’t for the telltale shimmer of aliasing, I’d swear the dense foliage of the forest moon of Endor was real. In the opening moments of DICE’s Star Wars Battlefront demo, the camera peacefully pans down from the forest canopy to the verdant underbrush, and even though this is pre-alpha footage (running on a PlayStation 4, no less), it looks incredible. It looks like Endor. The Frostbite engine is just showing off. I get it. It has all of the graphics, and those infinite graphics are being used to render Star Wars—specifically classic, original trilogy Star Wars—with as much faithful detail as possible.

Then the action starts. A blaster and minimalist HUD appears on screen and we’re running across Endor in first-person, blasting stormtroopers off speeder bikes (the speeders explode in fiery flashes), blasting stormtroopers in the face, and watching other Rebel troops eat lasers in return. An AT-ST shows up, and another Rebel trooper uses a jetpack to rocket off the ground and blow up its cockpit with a rocket launcher.

There’s no aim-down-sights to be found in first-person, just a reticule in the center of the screen that feels more like classic Battlefront than DICE’s Battlefield. At one point, the trooper picks up a heavy duty sniper blaster and scopes in. At another point, he switches from first-person view to third-person and runs around hip-firing his blaster rifle. Like Battlefront 2, this game will allow for switching between first-person and third-person at any time.

The AT-ST's just the small fry. Soon an AT-AT is pushing its way through the forest, towering above the petty ground skirmishes below. It looks as lumbering and heavy and imposing as an AT-AT should as our star Rebel trooper dashes between its legs. As DICE will later explain, this is a demo of a new mode called Walker Assault, which will support Battlefront’s largest player count with 40 players. Other maps and modes will support smaller player counts, down to as few as eight players.

As the biggest mode (or possibly one of several modes to support 40 players—DICE wouldn’t say), Walker Assault mixes together all of Battlefront’s main ingredients. Some players will shoot it out on the ground while others dogfight in X-Wings and TIE Fighters in the skies above. The demo hints at some objectives or at least interactive elements to the mode. To destroy the looming AT-AT, our star Rebel trooper interacts with a small satellite uplink to call in a flight of Y-Wing bombers. He has to sit on the uplink spot for a few moments, like capturing a control point in Battlefield, before successfully calling in the Y-Wing strike. Barely visible through the forest canopy, those AI-controlled Y-Wings drop an explosive payload on top of the AT-AT, which sags to its knees and collapses after its cockpit explodes.

The demo ends with the Rebel trooper entering an Imperial bunker (think the shield generator in Return of the Jedi), only to watch his comrade levitate off the ground, choking, before being tossed to the side like a doll. There’s some familiar breathing. Mechanical. Ominous. Of course it’s Darth Vader. Of course he bats aside blaster bolts with his lightsaber as he walks towards the camera. And then...well, our Rebel trooper is probably in for a respawn.

That’s just my guess, because DICE’s Battlefront demo doesn’t offer a complete picture of what the game is actually like to play. I didn’t see how you spawn in, or the loadout screen for choosing weapon loadouts. DICE told me that it’s eschewed a distinct class system in favor of more general customization options—players will be able to choose what weapons they take into battle, including different types of blasters and secondary weapons. In the demo, I saw thermal detonators (that’s Star Wars for grenade) and a consumable shield generator that protected rebel troopers with a shimmery blue bubble of energy.

DICE said customization will also extend to abilities, and as you may have guessed from Darth Vader’s appearance, hero characters are most definitely back. DICE confirmed Vader and Boba Fett are both playable, but didn’t specify how they’ll be selectable—whether, like in Battlefront 2, you’ll have to achieve a set goal before spawning in as a hero.

The whole demo felt scripted, following a fixed narrative path through a battle: Kill these Stormtroopers! Listen to these audio callouts from your teammates! Watch this AT-ST explode! Run beneath the AT-AT’s legs! It’s common for press demos, and it’s exciting, but it doesn’t quite capture the scope or mayhem I expect from a real 40-player Battlefront match. It’s too clean and idealized, more flash than fun.

DICE didn’t want to talk much about gameplay modes or features, though it did mention the Partner system, which works a bit like squads in Battlefield. Players can choose one Partner to always be able to see in-game, and always be able to spawn next to. But more importantly, you’ll be able to share item/weapon unlocks with your partner. Battlefront definitely has some kind of progression system for unlocking new weapons, and your partner will be able to use anything you’ve unlocked, even if they’re a lower level.

For this reveal event, EA was focused on showcasing the lengths DICE went to to slavishly recreate the look of the original Star Wars films. They went to Skywalker Ranch to study classic concept art, models, and props, and they used the process of photogrammetry to photograph and “scan” the real physical objects into 3D models. The Stormtrooper models are derived from original costumes. Admiral Ackbar (yep, he’s in the game) is modeled straight from the original mask. X-Wings and the Millenium Falcon (yep, the Falcon’s in the game too) are 3D modeled from photos of the real scale models from the Lucas archives.

The end result looks about as incredible as you’d expect. DICE is shooting for that same degree of authenticity with Battlefront’s maps, which will be set on Tattooine, Endor, Hoth, and Sullust. Those four planets seem to be the only locations Battlefront will launch with on November 17, though DICE is planning a free DLC pack called The Battle of Jakku, which is a climactic battle between the Rebels and the Empire shortly after Return of the Jedi. If you’ve seen the new Force Awakens trailer, that crashed Star Destroyer and other debris are from the battle. That DLC will be available on December 8th, 10 days before The Force Awakens hits theaters (or on December 1st, if you pre-order). When I asked if we’d be going into space, DICE told me it was focused on “epic planetary battles,” which was a tactically polite way to say no.

For this Star Wars fan, the Battle of Jakku is exciting, because it’s the only thing I heard about DICE’s Battlefront that’s new. I love the Battle of Hoth, and the forest moon of Endor, and Tatooine, but I’ve been on those worlds in every Star Wars game I’ve played for the past 20 years. I’ve tow-cabled enough AT-ATs to last a lifetime. I’ve never tow-cabled an AT-AT that looks as good as these, or seen a speeder bike explode in such a lush representation of Endor. DICE’s focus on authenticity looks like it will result in a beautiful game, and the most accurate representation of the original Star Wars trilogy we’ve seen since the movies themselves. But one of the best things about the old Battlefront games was not slavishly adhering to the movies. They went to Kashyyyk and Yavin 4 and Coruscant and inside Star Destroyers, locations that did appear in the films, but they took liberties to create fun play spaces. Star Wars won’t lose its identity the second you step off of Hoth or Tatooine.

DICE has proven that it knows how to make something that looks and sounds just like Star Wars, but I still have little idea how Battlefront will play. Aiming looks very different than Battlefield, but what about movement? What about dogfighting? What about hero characters? What about the gameplay modes DICE won’t talk about? How will the asymmetry of the Rebels and Imperials tie into those modes?

Six months out from release, EA certainly could’ve shown us what a real match of Battlefront looks like. Maybe it would be a little messy, a little rough around the edges, but it would be real—and it would probably be fun. Instead, we’re left guessing at what Battlefront will really feel like to play and how well it will truly stand apart from Battlefield. We’re left guessing at most everything, really—except for the fact that it sure does look good.

If it weren’t for the telltale shimmer of aliasing, I’d swear the dense foliage of the forest moon of Endor was real. In the opening moments of DICE’s Star Wars Battlefront demo, the camera peacefully pans down from the forest canopy to the verdant underbrush, and even though this is pre-alpha footage (running on a PlayStation 4, no less), it looks incredible. It looks like Endor. The Frostbite engine is just showing off. I get it. It has all of the graphics, and those infinite graphics are being used to render Star Wars—specifically classic, original trilogy Star Wars—with as much faithful detail as possible.

Then the action starts. A blaster and minimalist HUD appears on screen and we’re running across Endor in first-person, blasting stormtroopers off speeder bikes (the speeders explode in fiery flashes), blasting stormtroopers in the face, and watching other Rebel troops eat lasers in return. An AT-ST shows up, and another Rebel trooper uses a jetpack to rocket off the ground and blow up its cockpit with a rocket launcher.

There’s no aim-down-sights to be found in first-person, just a reticule in the center of the screen that feels more like classic Battlefront than DICE’s Battlefield. At one point, the trooper picks up a heavy duty sniper blaster and scopes in. At another point, he switches from first-person view to third-person and runs around hip-firing his blaster rifle. Like Battlefront 2, this game will allow for switching between first-person and third-person at any time.

The AT-ST's just the small fry. Soon an AT-AT is pushing its way through the forest, towering above the petty ground skirmishes below. It looks as lumbering and heavy and imposing as an AT-AT should as our star Rebel trooper dashes between its legs. As DICE will later explain, this is a demo of a new mode called Walker Assault, which will support Battlefront’s largest player count with 40 players. Other maps and modes will support smaller player counts, down to as few as eight players.

As the biggest mode (or possibly one of several modes to support 40 players—DICE wouldn’t say), Walker Assault mixes together all of Battlefront’s main ingredients. Some players will shoot it out on the ground while others dogfight in X-Wings and TIE Fighters in the skies above. The demo hints at some objectives or at least interactive elements to the mode. To destroy the looming AT-AT, our star Rebel trooper interacts with a small satellite uplink to call in a flight of Y-Wing bombers. He has to sit on the uplink spot for a few moments, like capturing a control point in Battlefield, before successfully calling in the Y-Wing strike. Barely visible through the forest canopy, those AI-controlled Y-Wings drop an explosive payload on top of the AT-AT, which sags to its knees and collapses after its cockpit explodes.

The demo ends with the Rebel trooper entering an Imperial bunker (think the shield generator in Return of the Jedi), only to watch his comrade levitate off the ground, choking, before being tossed to the side like a doll. There’s some familiar breathing. Mechanical. Ominous. Of course it’s Darth Vader. Of course he bats aside blaster bolts with his lightsaber as he walks towards the camera. And then...well, our Rebel trooper is probably in for a respawn.

That’s just my guess, because DICE’s Battlefront demo doesn’t offer a complete picture of what the game is actually like to play. I didn’t see how you spawn in, or the loadout screen for choosing weapon loadouts. DICE told me that it’s eschewed a distinct class system in favor of more general customization options—players will be able to choose what weapons they take into battle, including different types of blasters and secondary weapons. In the demo, I saw thermal detonators (that’s Star Wars for grenade) and a consumable shield generator that protected rebel troopers with a shimmery blue bubble of energy.

DICE said customization will also extend to abilities, and as you may have guessed from Darth Vader’s appearance, hero characters are most definitely back. DICE confirmed Vader and Boba Fett are both playable, but didn’t specify how they’ll be selectable—whether, like in Battlefront 2, you’ll have to achieve a set goal before spawning in as a hero.

The whole demo felt scripted, following a fixed narrative path through a battle: Kill these Stormtroopers! Listen to these audio callouts from your teammates! Watch this AT-ST explode! Run beneath the AT-AT’s legs! It’s common for press demos, and it’s exciting, but it doesn’t quite capture the scope or mayhem I expect from a real 40-player Battlefront match. It’s too clean and idealized, more flash than fun.

DICE didn’t want to talk much about gameplay modes or features, though it did mention the Partner system, which works a bit like squads in Battlefield. Players can choose one Partner to always be able to see in-game, and always be able to spawn next to. But more importantly, you’ll be able to share item/weapon unlocks with your partner. Battlefront definitely has some kind of progression system for unlocking new weapons, and your partner will be able to use anything you’ve unlocked, even if they’re a lower level.

For this reveal event, EA was focused on showcasing the lengths DICE went to to slavishly recreate the look of the original Star Wars films. They went to Skywalker Ranch to study classic concept art, models, and props, and they used the process of photogrammetry to photograph and “scan” the real physical objects into 3D models. The Stormtrooper models are derived from original costumes. Admiral Ackbar (yep, he’s in the game) is modeled straight from the original mask. X-Wings and the Millenium Falcon (yep, the Falcon’s in the game too) are 3D modeled from photos of the real scale models from the Lucas archives.

The end result looks about as incredible as you’d expect. DICE is shooting for that same degree of authenticity with Battlefront’s maps, which will be set on Tattooine, Endor, Hoth, and Sullust. Those four planets seem to be the only locations Battlefront will launch with on November 17, though DICE is planning a free DLC pack called The Battle of Jakku, which is a climactic battle between the Rebels and the Empire shortly after Return of the Jedi. If you’ve seen the new Force Awakens trailer, that crashed Star Destroyer and other debris are from the battle. That DLC will be available on December 8th, 10 days before The Force Awakens hits theaters (or on December 1st, if you pre-order). When I asked if we’d be going into space, DICE told me it was focused on “epic planetary battles,” which was a tactically polite way to say no.

For this Star Wars fan, the Battle of Jakku is exciting, because it’s the only thing I heard about DICE’s Battlefront that’s new. I love the Battle of Hoth, and the forest moon of Endor, and Tatooine, but I’ve been on those worlds in every Star Wars game I’ve played for the past 20 years. I’ve tow-cabled enough AT-ATs to last a lifetime. I’ve never tow-cabled an AT-AT that looks as good as these, or seen a speeder bike explode in such a lush representation of Endor. DICE’s focus on authenticity looks like it will result in a beautiful game, and the most accurate representation of the original Star Wars trilogy we’ve seen since the movies themselves. But one of the best things about the old Battlefront games was not slavishly adhering to the movies. They went to Kashyyyk and Yavin 4 and Coruscant and inside Star Destroyers, locations that did appear in the films, but they took liberties to create fun play spaces. Star Wars won’t lose its identity the second you step off of Hoth or Tatooine.

DICE has proven that it knows how to make something that looks and sounds just like Star Wars, but I still have little idea how Battlefront will play. Aiming looks very different than Battlefield, but what about movement? What about dogfighting? What about hero characters? What about the gameplay modes DICE won’t talk about? How will the asymmetry of the Rebels and Imperials tie into those modes?

Six months out from release, EA certainly could’ve shown us what a real match of Battlefront looks like. Maybe it would be a little messy, a little rough around the edges, but it would be real—and it would probably be fun. Instead, we’re left guessing at what Battlefront will really feel like to play and how well it will truly stand apart from Battlefield. We’re left guessing at most everything, really—except for the fact that it sure does look good.

If it weren’t for the telltale shimmer of aliasing, I’d swear the dense foliage of the forest moon of Endor was real. In the opening moments of DICE’s Star Wars Battlefront demo, the camera peacefully pans down from the forest canopy to the verdant underbrush, and even though this is pre-alpha footage (running on a PlayStation 4, no less), it looks incredible. It looks like Endor. The Frostbite engine is just showing off. I get it. It has all of the graphics, and those infinite graphics are being used to render Star Wars—specifically classic, original trilogy Star Wars—with as much faithful detail as possible.

Then the action starts. A blaster and minimalist HUD appears on screen and we’re running across Endor in first-person, blasting stormtroopers off speeder bikes (the speeders explode in fiery flashes), blasting stormtroopers in the face, and watching other Rebel troops eat lasers in return. An AT-ST shows up, and another Rebel trooper uses a jetpack to rocket off the ground and blow up its cockpit with a rocket launcher.

There’s no aim-down-sights to be found in first-person, just a reticule in the center of the screen that feels more like classic Battlefront than DICE’s Battlefield. At one point, the trooper picks up a heavy duty sniper blaster and scopes in. At another point, he switches from first-person view to third-person and runs around hip-firing his blaster rifle. Like Battlefront 2, this game will allow for switching between first-person and third-person at any time.

The AT-ST's just the small fry. Soon an AT-AT is pushing its way through the forest, towering above the petty ground skirmishes below. It looks as lumbering and heavy and imposing as an AT-AT should as our star Rebel trooper dashes between its legs. As DICE will later explain, this is a demo of a new mode called Walker Assault, which will support Battlefront’s largest player count with 40 players. Other maps and modes will support smaller player counts, down to as few as eight players.

As the biggest mode (or possibly one of several modes to support 40 players—DICE wouldn’t say), Walker Assault mixes together all of Battlefront’s main ingredients. Some players will shoot it out on the ground while others dogfight in X-Wings and TIE Fighters in the skies above. The demo hints at some objectives or at least interactive elements to the mode. To destroy the looming AT-AT, our star Rebel trooper interacts with a small satellite uplink to call in a flight of Y-Wing bombers. He has to sit on the uplink spot for a few moments, like capturing a control point in Battlefield, before successfully calling in the Y-Wing strike. Barely visible through the forest canopy, those AI-controlled Y-Wings drop an explosive payload on top of the AT-AT, which sags to its knees and collapses after its cockpit explodes.

The demo ends with the Rebel trooper entering an Imperial bunker (think the shield generator in Return of the Jedi), only to watch his comrade levitate off the ground, choking, before being tossed to the side like a doll. There’s some familiar breathing. Mechanical. Ominous. Of course it’s Darth Vader. Of course he bats aside blaster bolts with his lightsaber as he walks towards the camera. And then...well, our Rebel trooper is probably in for a respawn.

That’s just my guess, because DICE’s Battlefront demo doesn’t offer a complete picture of what the game is actually like to play. I didn’t see how you spawn in, or the loadout screen for choosing weapon loadouts. DICE told me that it’s eschewed a distinct class system in favor of more general customization options—players will be able to choose what weapons they take into battle, including different types of blasters and secondary weapons. In the demo, I saw thermal detonators (that’s Star Wars for grenade) and a consumable shield generator that protected rebel troopers with a shimmery blue bubble of energy.

DICE said customization will also extend to abilities, and as you may have guessed from Darth Vader’s appearance, hero characters are most definitely back. DICE confirmed Vader and Boba Fett are both playable, but didn’t specify how they’ll be selectable—whether, like in Battlefront 2, you’ll have to achieve a set goal before spawning in as a hero.

The whole demo felt scripted, following a fixed narrative path through a battle: Kill these Stormtroopers! Listen to these audio callouts from your teammates! Watch this AT-ST explode! Run beneath the AT-AT’s legs! It’s common for press demos, and it’s exciting, but it doesn’t quite capture the scope or mayhem I expect from a real 40-player Battlefront match. It’s too clean and idealized, more flash than fun.

DICE didn’t want to talk much about gameplay modes or features, though it did mention the Partner system, which works a bit like squads in Battlefield. Players can choose one Partner to always be able to see in-game, and always be able to spawn next to. But more importantly, you’ll be able to share item/weapon unlocks with your partner. Battlefront definitely has some kind of progression system for unlocking new weapons, and your partner will be able to use anything you’ve unlocked, even if they’re a lower level.

For this reveal event, EA was focused on showcasing the lengths DICE went to to slavishly recreate the look of the original Star Wars films. They went to Skywalker Ranch to study classic concept art, models, and props, and they used the process of photogrammetry to photograph and “scan” the real physical objects into 3D models. The Stormtrooper models are derived from original costumes. Admiral Ackbar (yep, he’s in the game) is modeled straight from the original mask. X-Wings and the Millenium Falcon (yep, the Falcon’s in the game too) are 3D modeled from photos of the real scale models from the Lucas archives.

The end result looks about as incredible as you’d expect. DICE is shooting for that same degree of authenticity with Battlefront’s maps, which will be set on Tattooine, Endor, Hoth, and Sullust. Those four planets seem to be the only locations Battlefront will launch with on November 17, though DICE is planning a free DLC pack called The Battle of Jakku, which is a climactic battle between the Rebels and the Empire shortly after Return of the Jedi. If you’ve seen the new Force Awakens trailer, that crashed Star Destroyer and other debris are from the battle. That DLC will be available on December 8th, 10 days before The Force Awakens hits theaters (or on December 1st, if you pre-order). When I asked if we’d be going into space, DICE told me it was focused on “epic planetary battles,” which was a tactically polite way to say no.

For this Star Wars fan, the Battle of Jakku is exciting, because it’s the only thing I heard about DICE’s Battlefront that’s new. I love the Battle of Hoth, and the forest moon of Endor, and Tatooine, but I’ve been on those worlds in every Star Wars game I’ve played for the past 20 years. I’ve tow-cabled enough AT-ATs to last a lifetime. I’ve never tow-cabled an AT-AT that looks as good as these, or seen a speeder bike explode in such a lush representation of Endor. DICE’s focus on authenticity looks like it will result in a beautiful game, and the most accurate representation of the original Star Wars trilogy we’ve seen since the movies themselves. But one of the best things about the old Battlefront games was not slavishly adhering to the movies. They went to Kashyyyk and Yavin 4 and Coruscant and inside Star Destroyers, locations that did appear in the films, but they took liberties to create fun play spaces. Star Wars won’t lose its identity the second you step off of Hoth or Tatooine.

DICE has proven that it knows how to make something that looks and sounds just like Star Wars, but I still have little idea how Battlefront will play. Aiming looks very different than Battlefield, but what about movement? What about dogfighting? What about hero characters? What about the gameplay modes DICE won’t talk about? How will the asymmetry of the Rebels and Imperials tie into those modes?

Six months out from release, EA certainly could’ve shown us what a real match of Battlefront looks like. Maybe it would be a little messy, a little rough around the edges, but it would be real—and it would probably be fun. Instead, we’re left guessing at what Battlefront will really feel like to play and how well it will truly stand apart from Battlefield. We’re left guessing at most everything, really—except for the fact that it sure does look good.

If it weren’t for the telltale shimmer of aliasing, I’d swear the dense foliage of the forest moon of Endor was real. In the opening moments of DICE’s Star Wars Battlefront demo, the camera peacefully pans down from the forest canopy to the verdant underbrush, and even though this is pre-alpha footage (running on a PlayStation 4, no less), it looks incredible. It looks like Endor. The Frostbite engine is just showing off. I get it. It has all of the graphics, and those infinite graphics are being used to render Star Wars—specifically classic, original trilogy Star Wars—with as much faithful detail as possible.

Then the action starts. A blaster and minimalist HUD appears on screen and we’re running across Endor in first-person, blasting stormtroopers off speeder bikes (the speeders explode in fiery flashes), blasting stormtroopers in the face, and watching other Rebel troops eat lasers in return. An AT-ST shows up, and another Rebel trooper uses a jetpack to rocket off the ground and blow up its cockpit with a rocket launcher.

There’s no aim-down-sights to be found in first-person, just a reticule in the center of the screen that feels more like classic Battlefront than DICE’s Battlefield. At one point, the trooper picks up a heavy duty sniper blaster and scopes in. At another point, he switches from first-person view to third-person and runs around hip-firing his blaster rifle. Like Battlefront 2, this game will allow for switching between first-person and third-person at any time.

The AT-ST's just the small fry. Soon an AT-AT is pushing its way through the forest, towering above the petty ground skirmishes below. It looks as lumbering and heavy and imposing as an AT-AT should as our star Rebel trooper dashes between its legs. As DICE will later explain, this is a demo of a new mode called Walker Assault, which will support Battlefront’s largest player count with 40 players. Other maps and modes will support smaller player counts, down to as few as eight players.

As the biggest mode (or possibly one of several modes to support 40 players—DICE wouldn’t say), Walker Assault mixes together all of Battlefront’s main ingredients. Some players will shoot it out on the ground while others dogfight in X-Wings and TIE Fighters in the skies above. The demo hints at some objectives or at least interactive elements to the mode. To destroy the looming AT-AT, our star Rebel trooper interacts with a small satellite uplink to call in a flight of Y-Wing bombers. He has to sit on the uplink spot for a few moments, like capturing a control point in Battlefield, before successfully calling in the Y-Wing strike. Barely visible through the forest canopy, those AI-controlled Y-Wings drop an explosive payload on top of the AT-AT, which sags to its knees and collapses after its cockpit explodes.

The demo ends with the Rebel trooper entering an Imperial bunker (think the shield generator in Return of the Jedi), only to watch his comrade levitate off the ground, choking, before being tossed to the side like a doll. There’s some familiar breathing. Mechanical. Ominous. Of course it’s Darth Vader. Of course he bats aside blaster bolts with his lightsaber as he walks towards the camera. And then...well, our Rebel trooper is probably in for a respawn.

That’s just my guess, because DICE’s Battlefront demo doesn’t offer a complete picture of what the game is actually like to play. I didn’t see how you spawn in, or the loadout screen for choosing weapon loadouts. DICE told me that it’s eschewed a distinct class system in favor of more general customization options—players will be able to choose what weapons they take into battle, including different types of blasters and secondary weapons. In the demo, I saw thermal detonators (that’s Star Wars for grenade) and a consumable shield generator that protected rebel troopers with a shimmery blue bubble of energy.

DICE said customization will also extend to abilities, and as you may have guessed from Darth Vader’s appearance, hero characters are most definitely back. DICE confirmed Vader and Boba Fett are both playable, but didn’t specify how they’ll be selectable—whether, like in Battlefront 2, you’ll have to achieve a set goal before spawning in as a hero.

The whole demo felt scripted, following a fixed narrative path through a battle: Kill these Stormtroopers! Listen to these audio callouts from your teammates! Watch this AT-ST explode! Run beneath the AT-AT’s legs! It’s common for press demos, and it’s exciting, but it doesn’t quite capture the scope or mayhem I expect from a real 40-player Battlefront match. It’s too clean and idealized, more flash than fun.

DICE didn’t want to talk much about gameplay modes or features, though it did mention the Partner system, which works a bit like squads in Battlefield. Players can choose one Partner to always be able to see in-game, and always be able to spawn next to. But more importantly, you’ll be able to share item/weapon unlocks with your partner. Battlefront definitely has some kind of progression system for unlocking new weapons, and your partner will be able to use anything you’ve unlocked, even if they’re a lower level.

For this reveal event, EA was focused on showcasing the lengths DICE went to to slavishly recreate the look of the original Star Wars films. They went to Skywalker Ranch to study classic concept art, models, and props, and they used the process of photogrammetry to photograph and “scan” the real physical objects into 3D models. The Stormtrooper models are derived from original costumes. Admiral Ackbar (yep, he’s in the game) is modeled straight from the original mask. X-Wings and the Millenium Falcon (yep, the Falcon’s in the game too) are 3D modeled from photos of the real scale models from the Lucas archives.

The end result looks about as incredible as you’d expect. DICE is shooting for that same degree of authenticity with Battlefront’s maps, which will be set on Tattooine, Endor, Hoth, and Sullust. Those four planets seem to be the only locations Battlefront will launch with on November 17, though DICE is planning a free DLC pack called The Battle of Jakku, which is a climactic battle between the Rebels and the Empire shortly after Return of the Jedi. If you’ve seen the new Force Awakens trailer, that crashed Star Destroyer and other debris are from the battle. That DLC will be available on December 8th, 10 days before The Force Awakens hits theaters (or on December 1st, if you pre-order). When I asked if we’d be going into space, DICE told me it was focused on “epic planetary battles,” which was a tactically polite way to say no.

For this Star Wars fan, the Battle of Jakku is exciting, because it’s the only thing I heard about DICE’s Battlefront that’s new. I love the Battle of Hoth, and the forest moon of Endor, and Tatooine, but I’ve been on those worlds in every Star Wars game I’ve played for the past 20 years. I’ve tow-cabled enough AT-ATs to last a lifetime. I’ve never tow-cabled an AT-AT that looks as good as these, or seen a speeder bike explode in such a lush representation of Endor. DICE’s focus on authenticity looks like it will result in a beautiful game, and the most accurate representation of the original Star Wars trilogy we’ve seen since the movies themselves. But one of the best things about the old Battlefront games was not slavishly adhering to the movies. They went to Kashyyyk and Yavin 4 and Coruscant and inside Star Destroyers, locations that did appear in the films, but they took liberties to create fun play spaces. Star Wars won’t lose its identity the second you step off of Hoth or Tatooine.

DICE has proven that it knows how to make something that looks and sounds just like Star Wars, but I still have little idea how Battlefront will play. Aiming looks very different than Battlefield, but what about movement? What about dogfighting? What about hero characters? What about the gameplay modes DICE won’t talk about? How will the asymmetry of the Rebels and Imperials tie into those modes?

Six months out from release, EA certainly could’ve shown us what a real match of Battlefront looks like. Maybe it would be a little messy, a little rough around the edges, but it would be real—and it would probably be fun. Instead, we’re left guessing at what Battlefront will really feel like to play and how well it will truly stand apart from Battlefield. We’re left guessing at most everything, really—except for the fact that it sure does look good.

If it weren’t for the telltale shimmer of aliasing, I’d swear the dense foliage of the forest moon of Endor was real. In the opening moments of DICE’s Star Wars Battlefront demo, the camera peacefully pans down from the forest canopy to the verdant underbrush, and even though this is pre-alpha footage (running on a PlayStation 4, no less), it looks incredible. It looks like Endor. The Frostbite engine is just showing off. I get it. It has all of the graphics, and those infinite graphics are being used to render Star Wars—specifically classic, original trilogy Star Wars—with as much faithful detail as possible.

Then the action starts. A blaster and minimalist HUD appears on screen and we’re running across Endor in first-person, blasting stormtroopers off speeder bikes (the speeders explode in fiery flashes), blasting stormtroopers in the face, and watching other Rebel troops eat lasers in return. An AT-ST shows up, and another Rebel trooper uses a jetpack to rocket off the ground and blow up its cockpit with a rocket launcher.

There’s no aim-down-sights to be found in first-person, just a reticule in the center of the screen that feels more like classic Battlefront than DICE’s Battlefield. At one point, the trooper picks up a heavy duty sniper blaster and scopes in. At another point, he switches from first-person view to third-person and runs around hip-firing his blaster rifle. Like Battlefront 2, this game will allow for switching between first-person and third-person at any time.

The AT-ST's just the small fry. Soon an AT-AT is pushing its way through the forest, towering above the petty ground skirmishes below. It looks as lumbering and heavy and imposing as an AT-AT should as our star Rebel trooper dashes between its legs. As DICE will later explain, this is a demo of a new mode called Walker Assault, which will support Battlefront’s largest player count with 40 players. Other maps and modes will support smaller player counts, down to as few as eight players.

As the biggest mode (or possibly one of several modes to support 40 players—DICE wouldn’t say), Walker Assault mixes together all of Battlefront’s main ingredients. Some players will shoot it out on the ground while others dogfight in X-Wings and TIE Fighters in the skies above. The demo hints at some objectives or at least interactive elements to the mode. To destroy the looming AT-AT, our star Rebel trooper interacts with a small satellite uplink to call in a flight of Y-Wing bombers. He has to sit on the uplink spot for a few moments, like capturing a control point in Battlefield, before successfully calling in the Y-Wing strike. Barely visible through the forest canopy, those AI-controlled Y-Wings drop an explosive payload on top of the AT-AT, which sags to its knees and collapses after its cockpit explodes.

The demo ends with the Rebel trooper entering an Imperial bunker (think the shield generator in Return of the Jedi), only to watch his comrade levitate off the ground, choking, before being tossed to the side like a doll. There’s some familiar breathing. Mechanical. Ominous. Of course it’s Darth Vader. Of course he bats aside blaster bolts with his lightsaber as he walks towards the camera. And then...well, our Rebel trooper is probably in for a respawn.

That’s just my guess, because DICE’s Battlefront demo doesn’t offer a complete picture of what the game is actually like to play. I didn’t see how you spawn in, or the loadout screen for choosing weapon loadouts. DICE told me that it’s eschewed a distinct class system in favor of more general customization options—players will be able to choose what weapons they take into battle, including different types of blasters and secondary weapons. In the demo, I saw thermal detonators (that’s Star Wars for grenade) and a consumable shield generator that protected rebel troopers with a shimmery blue bubble of energy.

DICE said customization will also extend to abilities, and as you may have guessed from Darth Vader’s appearance, hero characters are most definitely back. DICE confirmed Vader and Boba Fett are both playable, but didn’t specify how they’ll be selectable—whether, like in Battlefront 2, you’ll have to achieve a set goal before spawning in as a hero.

The whole demo felt scripted, following a fixed narrative path through a battle: Kill these Stormtroopers! Listen to these audio callouts from your teammates! Watch this AT-ST explode! Run beneath the AT-AT’s legs! It’s common for press demos, and it’s exciting, but it doesn’t quite capture the scope or mayhem I expect from a real 40-player Battlefront match. It’s too clean and idealized, more flash than fun.

DICE didn’t want to talk much about gameplay modes or features, though it did mention the Partner system, which works a bit like squads in Battlefield. Players can choose one Partner to always be able to see in-game, and always be able to spawn next to. But more importantly, you’ll be able to share item/weapon unlocks with your partner. Battlefront definitely has some kind of progression system for unlocking new weapons, and your partner will be able to use anything you’ve unlocked, even if they’re a lower level.

For this reveal event, EA was focused on showcasing the lengths DICE went to to slavishly recreate the look of the original Star Wars films. They went to Skywalker Ranch to study classic concept art, models, and props, and they used the process of photogrammetry to photograph and “scan” the real physical objects into 3D models. The Stormtrooper models are derived from original costumes. Admiral Ackbar (yep, he’s in the game) is modeled straight from the original mask. X-Wings and the Millenium Falcon (yep, the Falcon’s in the game too) are 3D modeled from photos of the real scale models from the Lucas archives.

The end result looks about as incredible as you’d expect. DICE is shooting for that same degree of authenticity with Battlefront’s maps, which will be set on Tattooine, Endor, Hoth, and Sullust. Those four planets seem to be the only locations Battlefront will launch with on November 17, though DICE is planning a free DLC pack called The Battle of Jakku, which is a climactic battle between the Rebels and the Empire shortly after Return of the Jedi. If you’ve seen the new Force Awakens trailer, that crashed Star Destroyer and other debris are from the battle. That DLC will be available on December 8th, 10 days before The Force Awakens hits theaters (or on December 1st, if you pre-order). When I asked if we’d be going into space, DICE told me it was focused on “epic planetary battles,” which was a tactically polite way to say no.

For this Star Wars fan, the Battle of Jakku is exciting, because it’s the only thing I heard about DICE’s Battlefront that’s new. I love the Battle of Hoth, and the forest moon of Endor, and Tatooine, but I’ve been on those worlds in every Star Wars game I’ve played for the past 20 years. I’ve tow-cabled enough AT-ATs to last a lifetime. I’ve never tow-cabled an AT-AT that looks as good as these, or seen a speeder bike explode in such a lush representation of Endor. DICE’s focus on authenticity looks like it will result in a beautiful game, and the most accurate representation of the original Star Wars trilogy we’ve seen since the movies themselves. But one of the best things about the old Battlefront games was not slavishly adhering to the movies. They went to Kashyyyk and Yavin 4 and Coruscant and inside Star Destroyers, locations that did appear in the films, but they took liberties to create fun play spaces. Star Wars won’t lose its identity the second you step off of Hoth or Tatooine.

DICE has proven that it knows how to make something that looks and sounds just like Star Wars, but I still have little idea how Battlefront will play. Aiming looks very different than Battlefield, but what about movement? What about dogfighting? What about hero characters? What about the gameplay modes DICE won’t talk about? How will the asymmetry of the Rebels and Imperials tie into those modes?

Six months out from release, EA certainly could’ve shown us what a real match of Battlefront looks like. Maybe it would be a little messy, a little rough around the edges, but it would be real—and it would probably be fun. Instead, we’re left guessing at what Battlefront will really feel like to play and how well it will truly stand apart from Battlefield. We’re left guessing at most everything, really—except for the fact that it sure does look good.

If it weren’t for the telltale shimmer of aliasing, I’d swear the dense foliage of the forest moon of Endor was real. In the opening moments of DICE’s Star Wars Battlefront demo, the camera peacefully pans down from the forest canopy to the verdant underbrush, and even though this is pre-alpha footage (running on a PlayStation 4, no less), it looks incredible. It looks like Endor. The Frostbite engine is just showing off. I get it. It has all of the graphics, and those infinite graphics are being used to render Star Wars—specifically classic, original trilogy Star Wars—with as much faithful detail as possible.

Then the action starts. A blaster and minimalist HUD appears on screen and we’re running across Endor in first-person, blasting stormtroopers off speeder bikes (the speeders explode in fiery flashes), blasting stormtroopers in the face, and watching other Rebel troops eat lasers in return. An AT-ST shows up, and another Rebel trooper uses a jetpack to rocket off the ground and blow up its cockpit with a rocket launcher.

There’s no aim-down-sights to be found in first-person, just a reticule in the center of the screen that feels more like classic Battlefront than DICE’s Battlefield. At one point, the trooper picks up a heavy duty sniper blaster and scopes in. At another point, he switches from first-person view to third-person and runs around hip-firing his blaster rifle. Like Battlefront 2, this game will allow for switching between first-person and third-person at any time.

The AT-ST's just the small fry. Soon an AT-AT is pushing its way through the forest, towering above the petty ground skirmishes below. It looks as lumbering and heavy and imposing as an AT-AT should as our star Rebel trooper dashes between its legs. As DICE will later explain, this is a demo of a new mode called Walker Assault, which will support Battlefront’s largest player count with 40 players. Other maps and modes will support smaller player counts, down to as few as eight players.

As the biggest mode (or possibly one of several modes to support 40 players—DICE wouldn’t say), Walker Assault mixes together all of Battlefront’s main ingredients. Some players will shoot it out on the ground while others dogfight in X-Wings and TIE Fighters in the skies above. The demo hints at some objectives or at least interactive elements to the mode. To destroy the looming AT-AT, our star Rebel trooper interacts with a small satellite uplink to call in a flight of Y-Wing bombers. He has to sit on the uplink spot for a few moments, like capturing a control point in Battlefield, before successfully calling in the Y-Wing strike. Barely visible through the forest canopy, those AI-controlled Y-Wings drop an explosive payload on top of the AT-AT, which sags to its knees and collapses after its cockpit explodes.

The demo ends with the Rebel trooper entering an Imperial bunker (think the shield generator in Return of the Jedi), only to watch his comrade levitate off the ground, choking, before being tossed to the side like a doll. There’s some familiar breathing. Mechanical. Ominous. Of course it’s Darth Vader. Of course he bats aside blaster bolts with his lightsaber as he walks towards the camera. And then...well, our Rebel trooper is probably in for a respawn.

That’s just my guess, because DICE’s Battlefront demo doesn’t offer a complete picture of what the game is actually like to play. I didn’t see how you spawn in, or the loadout screen for choosing weapon loadouts. DICE told me that it’s eschewed a distinct class system in favor of more general customization options—players will be able to choose what weapons they take into battle, including different types of blasters and secondary weapons. In the demo, I saw thermal detonators (that’s Star Wars for grenade) and a consumable shield generator that protected rebel troopers with a shimmery blue bubble of energy.

DICE said customization will also extend to abilities, and as you may have guessed from Darth Vader’s appearance, hero characters are most definitely back. DICE confirmed Vader and Boba Fett are both playable, but didn’t specify how they’ll be selectable—whether, like in Battlefront 2, you’ll have to achieve a set goal before spawning in as a hero.

The whole demo felt scripted, following a fixed narrative path through a battle: Kill these Stormtroopers! Listen to these audio callouts from your teammates! Watch this AT-ST explode! Run beneath the AT-AT’s legs! It’s common for press demos, and it’s exciting, but it doesn’t quite capture the scope or mayhem I expect from a real 40-player Battlefront match. It’s too clean and idealized, more flash than fun.

DICE didn’t want to talk much about gameplay modes or features, though it did mention the Partner system, which works a bit like squads in Battlefield. Players can choose one Partner to always be able to see in-game, and always be able to spawn next to. But more importantly, you’ll be able to share item/weapon unlocks with your partner. Battlefront definitely has some kind of progression system for unlocking new weapons, and your partner will be able to use anything you’ve unlocked, even if they’re a lower level.

For this reveal event, EA was focused on showcasing the lengths DICE went to to slavishly recreate the look of the original Star Wars films. They went to Skywalker Ranch to study classic concept art, models, and props, and they used the process of photogrammetry to photograph and “scan” the real physical objects into 3D models. The Stormtrooper models are derived from original costumes. Admiral Ackbar (yep, he’s in the game) is modeled straight from the original mask. X-Wings and the Millenium Falcon (yep, the Falcon’s in the game too) are 3D modeled from photos of the real scale models from the Lucas archives.

The end result looks about as incredible as you’d expect. DICE is shooting for that same degree of authenticity with Battlefront’s maps, which will be set on Tattooine, Endor, Hoth, and Sullust. Those four planets seem to be the only locations Battlefront will launch with on November 17, though DICE is planning a free DLC pack called The Battle of Jakku, which is a climactic battle between the Rebels and the Empire shortly after Return of the Jedi. If you’ve seen the new Force Awakens trailer, that crashed Star Destroyer and other debris are from the battle. That DLC will be available on December 8th, 10 days before The Force Awakens hits theaters (or on December 1st, if you pre-order). When I asked if we’d be going into space, DICE told me it was focused on “epic planetary battles,” which was a tactically polite way to say no.

For this Star Wars fan, the Battle of Jakku is exciting, because it’s the only thing I heard about DICE’s Battlefront that’s new. I love the Battle of Hoth, and the forest moon of Endor, and Tatooine, but I’ve been on those worlds in every Star Wars game I’ve played for the past 20 years. I’ve tow-cabled enough AT-ATs to last a lifetime. I’ve never tow-cabled an AT-AT that looks as good as these, or seen a speeder bike explode in such a lush representation of Endor. DICE’s focus on authenticity looks like it will result in a beautiful game, and the most accurate representation of the original Star Wars trilogy we’ve seen since the movies themselves. But one of the best things about the old Battlefront games was not slavishly adhering to the movies. They went to Kashyyyk and Yavin 4 and Coruscant and inside Star Destroyers, locations that did appear in the films, but they took liberties to create fun play spaces. Star Wars won’t lose its identity the second you step off of Hoth or Tatooine.

DICE has proven that it knows how to make something that looks and sounds just like Star Wars, but I still have little idea how Battlefront will play. Aiming looks very different than Battlefield, but what about movement? What about dogfighting? What about hero characters? What about the gameplay modes DICE won’t talk about? How will the asymmetry of the Rebels and Imperials tie into those modes?

Six months out from release, EA certainly could’ve shown us what a real match of Battlefront looks like. Maybe it would be a little messy, a little rough around the edges, but it would be real—and it would probably be fun. Instead, we’re left guessing at what Battlefront will really feel like to play and how well it will truly stand apart from Battlefield. We’re left guessing at most everything, really—except for the fact that it sure does look good.

If it weren’t for the telltale shimmer of aliasing, I’d swear the dense foliage of the forest moon of Endor was real. In the opening moments of DICE’s Star Wars Battlefront demo, the camera peacefully pans down from the forest canopy to the verdant underbrush, and even though this is pre-alpha footage (running on a PlayStation 4, no less), it looks incredible. It looks like Endor. The Frostbite engine is just showing off. I get it. It has all of the graphics, and those infinite graphics are being used to render Star Wars—specifically classic, original trilogy Star Wars—with as much faithful detail as possible.

Then the action starts. A blaster and minimalist HUD appears on screen and we’re running across Endor in first-person, blasting stormtroopers off speeder bikes (the speeders explode in fiery flashes), blasting stormtroopers in the face, and watching other Rebel troops eat lasers in return. An AT-ST shows up, and another Rebel trooper uses a jetpack to rocket off the ground and blow up its cockpit with a rocket launcher.

There’s no aim-down-sights to be found in first-person, just a reticule in the center of the screen that feels more like classic Battlefront than DICE’s Battlefield. At one point, the trooper picks up a heavy duty sniper blaster and scopes in. At another point, he switches from first-person view to third-person and runs around hip-firing his blaster rifle. Like Battlefront 2, this game will allow for switching between first-person and third-person at any time.

The AT-ST's just the small fry. Soon an AT-AT is pushing its way through the forest, towering above the petty ground skirmishes below. It looks as lumbering and heavy and imposing as an AT-AT should as our star Rebel trooper dashes between its legs. As DICE will later explain, this is a demo of a new mode called Walker Assault, which will support Battlefront’s largest player count with 40 players. Other maps and modes will support smaller player counts, down to as few as eight players.

As the biggest mode (or possibly one of several modes to support 40 players—DICE wouldn’t say), Walker Assault mixes together all of Battlefront’s main ingredients. Some players will shoot it out on the ground while others dogfight in X-Wings and TIE Fighters in the skies above. The demo hints at some objectives or at least interactive elements to the mode. To destroy the looming AT-AT, our star Rebel trooper interacts with a small satellite uplink to call in a flight of Y-Wing bombers. He has to sit on the uplink spot for a few moments, like capturing a control point in Battlefield, before successfully calling in the Y-Wing strike. Barely visible through the forest canopy, those AI-controlled Y-Wings drop an explosive payload on top of the AT-AT, which sags to its knees and collapses after its cockpit explodes.

The demo ends with the Rebel trooper entering an Imperial bunker (think the shield generator in Return of the Jedi), only to watch his comrade levitate off the ground, choking, before being tossed to the side like a doll. There’s some familiar breathing. Mechanical. Ominous. Of course it’s Darth Vader. Of course he bats aside blaster bolts with his lightsaber as he walks towards the camera. And then...well, our Rebel trooper is probably in for a respawn.

That’s just my guess, because DICE’s Battlefront demo doesn’t offer a complete picture of what the game is actually like to play. I didn’t see how you spawn in, or the loadout screen for choosing weapon loadouts. DICE told me that it’s eschewed a distinct class system in favor of more general customization options—players will be able to choose what weapons they take into battle, including different types of blasters and secondary weapons. In the demo, I saw thermal detonators (that’s Star Wars for grenade) and a consumable shield generator that protected rebel troopers with a shimmery blue bubble of energy.

DICE said customization will also extend to abilities, and as you may have guessed from Darth Vader’s appearance, hero characters are most definitely back. DICE confirmed Vader and Boba Fett are both playable, but didn’t specify how they’ll be selectable—whether, like in Battlefront 2, you’ll have to achieve a set goal before spawning in as a hero.

The whole demo felt scripted, following a fixed narrative path through a battle: Kill these Stormtroopers! Listen to these audio callouts from your teammates! Watch this AT-ST explode! Run beneath the AT-AT’s legs! It’s common for press demos, and it’s exciting, but it doesn’t quite capture the scope or mayhem I expect from a real 40-player Battlefront match. It’s too clean and idealized, more flash than fun.

DICE didn’t want to talk much about gameplay modes or features, though it did mention the Partner system, which works a bit like squads in Battlefield. Players can choose one Partner to always be able to see in-game, and always be able to spawn next to. But more importantly, you’ll be able to share item/weapon unlocks with your partner. Battlefront definitely has some kind of progression system for unlocking new weapons, and your partner will be able to use anything you’ve unlocked, even if they’re a lower level.

For this reveal event, EA was focused on showcasing the lengths DICE went to to slavishly recreate the look of the original Star Wars films. They went to Skywalker Ranch to study classic concept art, models, and props, and they used the process of photogrammetry to photograph and “scan” the real physical objects into 3D models. The Stormtrooper models are derived from original costumes. Admiral Ackbar (yep, he’s in the game) is modeled straight from the original mask. X-Wings and the Millenium Falcon (yep, the Falcon’s in the game too) are 3D modeled from photos of the real scale models from the Lucas archives.

The end result looks about as incredible as you’d expect. DICE is shooting for that same degree of authenticity with Battlefront’s maps, which will be set on Tattooine, Endor, Hoth, and Sullust. Those four planets seem to be the only locations Battlefront will launch with on November 17, though DICE is planning a free DLC pack called The Battle of Jakku, which is a climactic battle between the Rebels and the Empire shortly after Return of the Jedi. If you’ve seen the new Force Awakens trailer, that crashed Star Destroyer and other debris are from the battle. That DLC will be available on December 8th, 10 days before The Force Awakens hits theaters (or on December 1st, if you pre-order). When I asked if we’d be going into space, DICE told me it was focused on “epic planetary battles,” which was a tactically polite way to say no.

For this Star Wars fan, the Battle of Jakku is exciting, because it’s the only thing I heard about DICE’s Battlefront that’s new. I love the Battle of Hoth, and the forest moon of Endor, and Tatooine, but I’ve been on those worlds in every Star Wars game I’ve played for the past 20 years. I’ve tow-cabled enough AT-ATs to last a lifetime. I’ve never tow-cabled an AT-AT that looks as good as these, or seen a speeder bike explode in such a lush representation of Endor. DICE’s focus on authenticity looks like it will result in a beautiful game, and the most accurate representation of the original Star Wars trilogy we’ve seen since the movies themselves. But one of the best things about the old Battlefront games was not slavishly adhering to the movies. They went to Kashyyyk and Yavin 4 and Coruscant and inside Star Destroyers, locations that did appear in the films, but they took liberties to create fun play spaces. Star Wars won’t lose its identity the second you step off of Hoth or Tatooine.

DICE has proven that it knows how to make something that looks and sounds just like Star Wars, but I still have little idea how Battlefront will play. Aiming looks very different than Battlefield, but what about movement? What about dogfighting? What about hero characters? What about the gameplay modes DICE won’t talk about? How will the asymmetry of the Rebels and Imperials tie into those modes?

Six months out from release, EA certainly could’ve shown us what a real match of Battlefront looks like. Maybe it would be a little messy, a little rough around the edges, but it would be real—and it would probably be fun. Instead, we’re left guessing at what Battlefront will really feel like to play and how well it will truly stand apart from Battlefield. We’re left guessing at most everything, really—except for the fact that it sure does look good.