“The Dark Side of the Force is the pathway to many abilities some consider to be… Unnatural.”
Today is a day I have been waiting nearly 2 years for. So without any further ado feast your eyes on this bad boy which you can start playing on 20th of November in the UK.
Along with the trailer a bunch of new screenshots were released,
So what do we now know that we didn’t before 18:30pm today. EA/DICE have outlined these 5 reasons to play,
5 REASONS TO PLAY
THE MOST IMMERSIVE GAME
Unprecedented access to original Star Wars props and locations.
Photorealistic visuals and authentic sound design from the talented team at DICE.
Prepare to be transported to a galaxy far, far away.
GROUND-BASED COMBAT ON A GALACTIC SCALE
Wage epic muliplayer battles on Hoth, Endor, Tatooine and the previously unexplored planet, Sullust. Fire blasters, drive speederbikes, snowspeeders and command AT-ATs.
Fight for the fate of the galaxy.
PLAY AS ICONIC STAR WARS CHARACTERS
Fight as the galaxy's most memorable heroes and villains, like Darth Vader and Boba Fett. Interact with some of the most beloved characters from the original trilogy.
Become the hero or villain of the battle.
ENGAGE IN EPIC STAR WARS DOG FIGHTS
Pilot X-Wings, TIE Fighters, the Millennium Falcon and more of your favorite vehicles in exhilarating aerial combat.
Find out which squadrons will rule the skies.
FOR JEDI AND PADAWANS ALIKE
Seamlessly swap between 1st person and 3rd person perspectives. Partner up with a friend in online multiplayer, share unlocks and have each other's backs on the battlefront.
Fight for the Empire or Republic offline, solo or with a friend, in carefully crafted missions.
Now thats all well and good from a marketing standpoint but what do we really know about the game. First and foremost the release date is November 20, 2015 in the UK for Xbox One. That's a month before Star Wars: The Force Awakens hits theaters. Xbox One players get to play Star Wars: Battlefront early via EA Access, according to Microsoft. Nothing more is known about this at the moment but when we know you will know. There is no single player campaign mode instead Star Wars: Battlefront features a series of missions, playable alone or via online and local co-op. There are at least 4 planets featured in the game that we know of Tatooine, Endor, Hoth, and Sullust which are all featured in the trailer and/or screenshots.
In an interview with DICE producer Craig Mcleod after a Star Wars Battlefront demo on Thursday, PC Gamer learnt that Battlefront’s player count will top out at 40, rather than Battlefield’s customary 64. For reference, Pandemic's Battlefront 2, released in 2005, supported 32 players online on the original Xbox, and 64 players online on PC. “It’s important to make the differentiation between Battlefield and Battlefront here,” Mcleod said. “Sixty four players worked really well for Battlefield, and we toyed with a lot of different numbers, and we found that for the experience that we wanted to give, and how we felt that the matches would play out, 40 players was actually the optimum number. Instead of putting 64 in there and just saying that for a number, and having it be too crowded and being a lesser experience, we’ve made it the most optimum number it can be.”
Battlefront will feature a number of gameplay modes built around different numbers of players, but DICE will only talk about one of them. In the demo I saw, DICE showed off “Walker Assault,” which Mcleod says is one of Battlefront’s biggest modes, supporting up to 40 players in ground combat, on ground vehicles like AT-ST walkers and speeder bikes, and dogfighting in X-Wings and TIE Fighters. Other modes will focus on smaller battles with as few as eight players.
Pre-order Star Wars: Battlefront and on December 1st, 2015, be among the first players to experience the Battle of Jakku, the pivotal moment when the New Republic confronted key Imperial holdouts on a remote desert planet in the Outer Rim. Taking place in the aftermath of the Rebel victory in the Battle of Endor, players will experience the events that created the massive, battle-scarred landscape of Jakku shown in Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Players who pre-order Star Wars Battlefront can fight the battle one week early. All other players will get access to this content on December 8th, 2015.
KEY FEATURES
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Learn what happened at the Battle of Jakku, which precedes the events of Star Wars: The Force Awakens
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2 maps set on the all-new planet of Jakku
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7 days early access for those who pre-order Star Wars™ Battlefront™
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Available as a free† download to all players on December 8th, 2015
Battlefront producer Craig Mcleod told IGN that the Battle of Jakku DLC is the only way Star Wars fans can experience this battle, which takes place a year following the Battle of Endor, making it the bridge between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens. "This really ties in what we’re doing with the Original Trilogy era with The Force Awakens," said Mcleod, who also confirmed that more Battlefront content would be coming post-launch.
While it touches on Original Trilogy events, Star Wars: Battlefront won't feature Prequel Trilogy elements like characters, settings, or vehicles. Star Wars: Battlefront won't feature space battles, either, as DICE wants to focus instead on "planetary battles." Mcleod explained, "It’s all about the epic planetary battles and getting that right. Fighting with X-Wings and TIE Fighters, we have that. It’s taken in the atmosphere. This is something we discussed with Lucasfilm and they were happy to be on board with that."
Information is coming in thick and fast right now and this article could just go on and on. I have a good feeling about Star Wars: Battlefront from what I have seen and read so far. This game has got our community buzzing and plans are already underway to see what kind of interest there is Star Wars: Battlefront nights. Let us know what you think in the forum.