Star Wars: Battlefront is shaping up to be a fun first person shooter in the vein of DICE’s previous Battlefield games. Many, however, were understandably disappointed that the game will not feature any space battles. After all, ship to ship engagements were one of the most beloved features of 2005’s Star Wars Battlefront 2. Well, it appears as though DICE has something planed that’s almost as good: air battles.
What are these air battles?
Well, we recommend you watch the trailer above but it appears at least one version of the mode is centered around one side tasked with destroying a target that the other side must defend. In the particular case of the trailer it is the Rebels who are trying to destroy an Imperial shuttle on Sullust. The players on the Imperial side are doing their best to make sure the shuttle reaches a Star Destroyer in one piece.
It also seems that in addition to the players in the air, there will be an additional 20 fighters controlled by the AI to make things even more frantic.
So… it’s an escort mission?
Well, um, yes.
Ugh.
To be fair, it does look pretty fun. And we got to see more playable vehicles.
What ships are now confirmed to be playable?
Well, in the trailer we see X-Wings, A-Wings, Tie Fighters, Tie Interceptors, the Millennium Falcon, and Boba Fett‘s Slave I.
We’ve also seen Snowspeeders, AT-STs, and AT-ATs in playable forms. Unfortunately, it seems as though the Y-Wing will be in the game but only as an NPC bombing ability.
How does the A-Wing handle?
It seems fast and maneuverable, which is right in line with canon. It’s blasters also seem a bit weaker than the X-Wing, which is also very true to the previously established universe. In a nice nod to the expanded universe as well, it’s a TIE Interceptor that gains the upper hand on the A-Wing.
How about the Millennium Falcon?
It actually seems a bit more maneuverable than previous games where it’s been playable. It’s quad laser cannon emplacements also seem extremely powerful. We’re big fans of the graphical touches on the ship, such as the way the air rushes past and is highlighted by the blue glow of the engines as it makes a turn.
What about Slave I?
Unfortunately, we don’t see much of the ship in action, but we’re really hoping it has those seismic charges from Attack of the Clones.
What map is this taking place on?
Sullust. The team at DICE has done a really great job bringing the planet to life with a lot of geological formations, erupting lava, the cloudy skies. We may never see the planet in the films, but this is the next best thing.
