Star Wars Battlefront 2
Star Wars Battlefront II is an action shooter video game based on the Star Wars film franchise. It is the fourth major installment of the Star Wars: Battlefront series and seventh overall, and a sequel to the 2015 reboot of the series. It was developed by EA DICE, in collaboration with Criterion Games and Motive Studios, and published by Electronic Arts. The game was released worldwide on November 17, 2017 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Microsoft Windows.
Upon release, Battlefront II received mixed reviews from critics. The game was also subject to widespread criticism regarding the status of loot boxes, which could give players substantial gameplay advantages if they purchased the loot boxes with real money. A reply from EA's community team on Reddit on the topic became the single most downvoted comment in the site's history – and in response, EA decided to temporarily remove microtransactions from the game until a later date.
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Gameplay
Star Wars Battlefront II features gameplay from the Star Wars prequel films, a feature absent in the game's predecessor.
Star Wars Battlefront II features a single-player story mode, a customizable character class system, and content based on The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi movies.[2] It also features vehicles and locations from the original, prequel, and sequel Star Wars movie trilogies. It also features heroes and villains that can be played based on characters from the Star Wars movies; the hero roster includes Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa, Han Solo, Chewbacca, Lando Calrissian, Yoda, and Rey, while the villain roster includes Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine, Boba Fett, Bossk, Iden Versio, Darth Maul, and Kylo Ren at launch.[3]
The game features a full campaign story mode unlike 2015's Battlefront. The game's single player protagonist, Iden Versio, leader of an Imperial Special Forces group known as Inferno Squad (Janina Gavankar), participates in multiple events in the 30 years leading up to The Force Awakens. There will be segments in the campaign where the player will be able to control other characters such as Luke Skywalker and Kylo Ren. Players can also play in arcade mode – an offline single player or local co-op where players can choose which side to play on and which battle to play in. Battles vary from team battles to onslaughts. Alternatively, players can choose to do a custom match, where they can change some of the settings and location.
Instead of the paid Season Pass downloadable content (DLC) seen in the 2015 predecessor, this game is expanded with free DLC provided to all players with a free EA account.[4][5] Lead actress Janina Gavankar stated that the DLC would be free to all players, using a seasonal structure similar to Overwatch and Rainbow Six Siege. The first season, set to be released in December 13, 2017, will be based on the upcoming movie Star Wars: The Last Jedi, and will include Finn and Captain Phasma as heroes, the planet Crait as a ground map, and a space map above D'Qar.[6]
Multiplayer
Star Wars Battlefront II features five multiplayer game modes with the largest supporting up to 40 simultaneous players. Galactic Assault is centered around unique set pieces set across the eleven planets and locations featuring all three Star Wars eras involving a team of 20 attackers against 20 defenders. In Starfighter Assault, battles take place in space and planetary atmospheres involving 12 attackers against 12 defenders, both teams being reinforced with an additional 20 AI ships. Strikes are battles in close quarter scenarios involving a team of eight attackers aiming to capture a unique objective from a team of eight defenders; essentially one team capture the flag. Heroes vs. Villains is a team deathmatch mode involving the heroes and villains in Star Wars Battlefront II based off Star Wars characters; four light side heroes fight four dark side villains. Blast, the final mode, is standard team deathmatch between two teams of 10 players in which teams try to reach 100 total combined eliminations before the enemy team can.
Campaign
The single-player story mode campaign in Star Wars Battlefront II takes place in the Star Wars galaxy, beginning around the time of Return of the Jedi, but largely between it and Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Emperor Palpatine plots to lure an unsuspecting Rebel Alliance fleet into a trap using himself and the second Death Star, being constructed above the Forest Moon of Endor, as bait, seeking to crush the Rebellion against his Galactic Empire once and for all. The Imperial Special Forces commando unit Inferno Squad, led by Commander Iden Versio, daughter of Admiral Garrick Versio, and made up of Agents Gideon Hask and Del Meeko, is crucial to the success of this planned Battle of Endor, but the Empire underestimates the strength of the Rebellion as its fleet gathers at Sullust.
Plot
Iden Versio is being interrogated for the codes to unlock an Imperial transmission aboard a Rebel Mon Calamari Star Cruiser. She activates her droid, which sneaks to her cell and frees her. Iden had allowed herself to be captured in order to erase the Imperial transmission, which would reveal the Emperor's plan at Endor. She successfully erases it, then escapes the ship by launching herself into space where she is intercepted by the Corvus, the flagship of Inferno Squad. Iden confirms the mission's success to Gideon Hask and Del Meeko, other members of her squad.
Later on Endor, Iden, Hask, and Meeko secure the perimeter around the ruined shield generator, and watch with shock and horror as the second Death Star explodes. Vice Admiral Sloane orders a full retreat, and Inferno Squad recovers TIE fighters to escape the planet, which is being overrun by Rebel forces. The Corvus is attacked during their escape, but Inferno fends off Rebel bombers. Iden meets with her father, Admiral Garrick Versio, on his Star Destroyer Eviscerator.
Admiral Versio confirms to Iden that the Emperor has died. A messenger droid displays a hologram of the late Emperor issuing his last command: to begin Operation: Cinder. Admiral Versio sends Iden to an Imperial shipyard to protect Moff Raythe and his Star Destroyer Dauntless, which hosts experimental satellites vital to the success of Operation: Cinder. The Dauntless comes under attack from a Rebel Star Cruiser, but Iden is able to board it with Hask and disable its ion cannons. Afterwards, they are ordered to attack the Imperial shipyard in order to free the Star Destroyer from the locked clamps. Afterwards, the Dauntless opens fire on the Rebel cruiser, destroying it.
Meeko is sent to Pillio and ordered to destroy one of the Emperor's hidden bases. He encounters Luke Skywalker, who helps him disarm the base's defenses and fend off the local wildlife. They discover that the base contains the Emperor's spoils of conquest. Meeko and Luke part amicably, and Meeko begins to question the Empire's goals and motives.
Following this, Iden and Inferno Squad are sent to the Imperial-controlled world of Vardos, in order to retrieve Protectorate Gleb. As the satellites for Operation Cinder begin destroying the planet with terrible storms, Iden and Meeko try to evacuate the civilians in addition to Gleb, causing Agent Hask to betray them. Disillusioned by the Empire's attack on Vardos, Iden and Meeko escape off world, now traitors to the Empire.
They seek out the Rebel Alliance and are taken to General Lando Calrissian, who gives them the choice to help stop Operation: Cinder, or to escape and make new lives for themselves. Choosing to help, they aid Leia Organa in protecting Naboo, destroying the satellites for Operation: Cinder and reactivating the planet's defenses. After Naboo is liberated, Inferno Squad joins the New Republic.
Iden and Inferno Squad are then sent to Takodana to find Han Solo, who was extracting an Imperial defector carrying critical data in hopes of liberating Kashyyyk and freeing the Wookiees. The data also reveals that Admiral Versio is commanding Imperial operations on Bespin and Sullust. Iden and Del infiltrate Bespin with the intent of capturing Admiral Versio, but he and Hask manage to escape. Meanwhile, Lando investigates the hidden Imperial weapons cache on Sullust, only to find a weapons factory which he destroys. These operations cripple the Imperial fleet, which makes a last stand at Jakku. During the battle, Iden shoots down Hask and boards the Eviscerator, intending to rescue her father. Admiral Versio decides to go down with his ship, and urges Iden to escape and live a new life. Iden takes an escape pod and reunites with Del at the end of the battle. The two embrace and kiss.
Many decades later, Del is captured on Pillio by Protectorate Gleb, who hands him over to Kylo Ren and the First Order. Ren uses the Force to interrogate Del about the location of the map leading to Luke Skywalker. Once Ren succeeds, he leaves Del in the custody of Hask, who survived getting shot down at Jakku. Hask expresses disgust at Del choosing to father a daughter with Iden instead of becoming a soldier and kills him, but not before Del warns him not to confront Iden. Hask then warns Gleb that the Republic cannot find out about "Project Resurrection" and orders her to leave the Corvus on Pillio as bait to lure Iden out of hiding.
Resurrection
Shriv, now an agent for the Resistance, discovers the abandoned Corvus and informs Iden and her daughter, Zay. Shriv also reveals that Del had been helping the Resistance investigate rumors of mass disappearances that may be connected to Project Resurrection before disappearing himself. They head to Athulla, where Del was last seen, to investigate. However, the are ambushed by a Jinata Security fleet. Iden and Zay destroy the fleet and capture the flagship. The surviving Jinata Security crew admit that they had been kidnapping children on the behalf of the First Order, and that Project Resurrection had been moved to Vardos.
Iden, Zay, and Shriv return to Vardos. Iden has Zay stay behind on the Corvus while she and Shriv investigate the surface. Iden and Shriv discover Gleb's dead body and are then captured by Hask, who taunts them by telling them that he killed Gleb and Del and the First Order has already destroyed the Senate and the Hosnian System. He then orders his star destroyer the Retribution to destroy the Corvus along with Zay. Jinata Security personnel, angry at the First Order betraying them, attack Hask's men, giving Iden and Shriv an opportunity to escape. The rescue Zay who managed to board an escape pod before the Corvus was destroyed, and they board the Retribution.
Iden fights her desire to get revenge on Hask and instead focuses on stealing any useful data from the ship to aid the Resistance. They hack a computer terminal and discover that Project Resurrection is a project by the First Order to kidnap children from across the galaxy and indoctrinate them into stormtroopers. In addition, they discover that the First Order has built up a massive fleet large enough to retake the galaxy. Finally, they find the plans for a First Order Dreadnought and steal them. Shriv then goes to secure an escape craft while Iden and Zay plant explosive charges on the Retribution's hyperspace generators. Hask ambushes them but is killed by Iden. The destruction of the hyperspace generators pulls the Retribution out of hyperspace near Starkiller Base right as the Resistance destroys. Iden reveals that she had been mortally wounded during the battle with Hask. She gives the Dreadnought plans to Zay and orders to to escape without her before dying.
Zay and Shriv link up with the Resistance and hand over the Dreadnought plans to Leia. She then orders them to head to the Outer Rim to gather more allies for the Resistance.
Development and marketing
On May 10, 2016, the development of Star Wars Battlefront II was announced, led by EA DICE in collaboration with Criterion Games and Jade Raymond's Motive Studios.[7] The sequel to 2015's rebooted Star Wars Battlefront features content from the sequel trilogy of films.[8] Creative director Bernd Diemer has stated that the company has replaced the Season Pass system of paid expansion of content, because that system was determined to have "fragmented" the player community of the 2015 predecessor game. The new expansion system is designed to allow all players "to play longer".[5] Executive producer Matthew Webster announced on April 15, 2017 at Star Wars Celebration that the worldwide release of the game would be November 17, 2017.[9] The Battlefront II beta test period started on October 4, 2017, for players who pre-ordered the game. It was expanded to an open beta on October 6, and ran until October 11.[10][11] A 10-hour trial version was made available to EA Access and Origin Access subscribers on November 9, 2017.[12]
A tie-in novel, Star Wars Battlefront II: Inferno Squad, was released on July 25, 2017. Written by Christie Golden, it serves as a direct prelude to the game and follows the exploits of the Galactic Empire's titular squad as it seeks to eliminate what was left of Saw Gerrera's rebel cell after the events of the 2016 film Rogue One.[13]
On November 10, 2017, Electronic Arts announced the first in a series of free downloadable content for the game, featuring the planets D'Qar and Crait and the playable hero characters Finn and Captain Phasma. This content is a direct tie-in to December's Star Wars: The Last Jedi.[14]
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