Marching around the snowy hellscape of Hoth slicing up rebel troopers as Darth Vader proved to be an unparalleled joy in 2015’s Star Wars Battlefront, putting you right in the thick of the iconic sci-fi universe.
That being said, the long-anticipated reboot was an underwhelming feat in a number of ways, with much of its content toned down or locked behind an expensive season pass. EA and DICE have confirmed a sequel is coming in 2017, so we’ve got together to discuss what we’d like to see.
With 14 million copies already sold, Battlefront is only just getting started.
What is Star Wars Battlefront 2?
Star Wars Battlefront 2 is presumably a direct sequel to the 2015 original, building upon the gameplay formula introduced in the first game. It played very much like a mixture of Battlefield and Star Wars, albeit with a slew of fun, unique modes inspired by the movie franchise.
EA has confirmed that Battlefront 2 will incorporate characters and elements from the new trilogy, so we can expect to see Finn, Rey and possibly even BB-8 shooting up the place.
Star Wars Battlefront 2 release date – When is it coming out?
Electronic Arts confirmed in a recent investors call that Battlefront 2 is scheduled to launch in Winter 2017. This would tie-in directly with the release of Star Wars Episode 8, much like the first game did with 7.
Star Wars Battlefront 2 – 5 things we’d like to see
Improved solo campaign
Battlefront’s single-player offering was poor at best. It featured inconsequential wave-based missions and underwhelming vehicle sections disguised as a solo campaign. The presence of challenges and leaderboards kept you coming back, but it was hardly the epic space opera Star Wars is renown for. Battlefront 2 should subvert expectations with a bombastic solo campaign. Why not incorporate the large scale battlefields of multiplayer into daunting single-player skirmishes, having us clash against armies of unstoppable forces.
Back on PS2 we were roaming about gigantic arenas both on foot and in vehicles, taking out targets and slowly completing objectives. It’s easy to understand how difficult it must be for such a visual feat to be replicated on modern consoles, yet it’d be a marvelous sight to behold. DICE could create some compelling new characters in the existing universe, sending us on a journey worth caring about. We know they’re fully capable of eliciting emotion, as seen in the recent Battlefield 1, so why not do the same with Battlefront?
More weapon and vehicle variety
If Star Wars has taught us anything, it’s that all laser weapons sound identical. It’s difficult to differentiate one bright fluorescent red beam from another, especially when it remains a recognisable franchise motif. Battlefront 2 could go a long way in creating a distinct suite of weapons while remaining faithful to the movies.
Every class should have a unique aesthetic instead of the same pitch-black weapon design. Call of Duty and Titanfall 2 have shown how much fun can come from pimping your respective loadouts, so why not give the same pizazz to Star Wars. That is, so long as Jar Jar Binks doesn’t get involved.
Speaking of Jar Jar Binks, it’d be great to have a multi-seated tank for you and your friends to blow him to pieces with. The lack of co-operative vehicles and ships in the first title was noticeable. Battlefield takes pride in the act of riding about in tanks and jets with your friends, navigating the map with a sense of strategic prowess. The whole point of the Millennium Falcon is that Han Solo and Chewbacca fly it together, otherwise it’s a seriously cool looking but LONELY ship.
Iron sights!
We mentioned earlier that the general feel of Battlefront isn’t too dissimilar to the running and gunning of Battlefield, so why not incorporate the same gameplay elements? DICE may run the risk of creating an experience that feels like a reskin, but it’d undoubtedly make pulling off shots far more satisfying. The absence of iron sights in the first game was very noticeable, making it difficult to dispatch enemies at long range.
The return of space combat
Many of us went into Star Wars Battlefront expecting some jaw-dropping space battles. Instead, what we got was a wimpish example of dogfighting on a much smaller scale. Sure, you could pilot the Millennium Falcon and flip about in an X-Wing, but this was all done in the claustrophobic confines of a restrictive skybox. Battlefront 2 has the perfect opportunity to blow us away with some genuinely monumental space combat.
The elements of customization found in infantry combat transferred over to the platforms of interplanetary spaceships would be awesome, lending an extra layer of personality to the game’s multiplayer.
Free content updates
Star Wars Battlefront felt starved of content due to its frankly greedy season pass. Dozens of additional maps and expansions were missing from core experience, with only five planets/maps being available at launch. Electronic Arts eventually released additional content for free, but not before many of us had grown bored of first few maps and modes.
We’d love to see Battlefront 2 take an approach similar to that of Titanfall 2. Respawn Entertainment plans to give all future maps away for free to prevent segregating the player base. EA will likely do everything it can to flog us a season pass upon release, but we need to keep the dream alive. Anyways, frequent free updates alongside major expansions would be ideal for those lacking the funds for big-budget add-ons.
