At long last the wait is over! After ten years of on and off development, and several cancellations and reboots, the long awaited next installment to the Star wars Battlefront franchise is here!

Star Wars Battlefront perfectly captures everything that makes Star Wars what it is. It’s powerful and immersive, and puts an emphasis on providing the player with loads of fun, just as the previous installment did. By embracing the universe down to the smallest details, and improving on the mechanics of the classic original Battlefront, developer DICE has made a fantastic Star Wars shooter that’s almost perfect.

The last installment of the previous Battlefront game Star Wars Battlefront 2 launched in the summer 2005. It has been more than ten years since then. So a frequent question asked by fans was, “How are the graphics going to look in this new game?” Well I am proud to say that this game looks absolutely fantastic! Dare I even say photo-realistic. Everything from the environments, weapons, costumes, and explosions look real and the best that the current video game industry has to offer. And when coupled with the advanced sound system offered by the in-game settings, this game is a definite treat to the ears of every Star Wars fan. This is especially evident when the player takes cover from blaster fire in a bubble shield power up, you can just hear the lasers deflect and be absorbed into the surrounding environment and it is amazing! This game does an absolute excellent job in immersing the player into the core of the Star Wars universe and making everything feel authentic to the movies and realistic.

Aside from the great sights and glamour, let’s talk about the actual gameplay. You’ll find that the gameplay in this new Battlefront is a great improvement from the originals. Movements feel more fluid and less robotic, running and shooting feel intense and intimate, and the ability to melee close enemies is a very welcome feature. The games features a plethora of new games modes and match types that all give it some variation in play experience. You and a small team can hunt down significant characters like Darth Vader or Boba Fett in Hero Hunt, or you can join an army and attack the opposing army in a immense all out battle in Supremacy. The game offers so many styles of play.

And now for the criticisms. Although few and far in-between, this game does have some shortcomings that are apparent. For example, the game has a very noticeable lack of content when compared to previous titles. The great modes of Hunt and Galactic Conquest are absent in this new game. The very much popular Instant Action mode in both previous Battlefronts, which many fans claim was the “meat and potatoes” of the franchise, is also nowhere to be found. The Campaign mode featured in Battlefront 2, which told the story of the Star Wars saga from the perspective of the Stormtroopers, is also not expanded upon or referenced in this title. Along with various other missing features from past games such as soldier classes and space battles, the biggest criticism of this game isn’t exactly due to what’s in it but what’s not in it. “ It’s a fairly good star wars based game and very enjoyable, however it isn’t very coherent with the past two which I loved playing”, says Josh Finn, a junior. Although these missing features may be disappointments for hardcore fans, newcomers to the series will find these flaws easy to look past!

In conclusion, the long awaited next installment of the Battlefront franchise is an absolute blast thanks to its realistic effects and visuals, many options of gameplay, ease of access, and accurate authenticity to the world of Star Wars. Despite it lacking many features of the past two games, many will find this installment to be a treat to the eyes and ears as well as very fun to play over and over again.