Battlefront 2 news

[SylasGaunt]

Okay, firstly I have no links, and secondly I'm operating off memory at the moment. I'll add more when I get home and have access to the magazine articles in question but some of the things I remember (this month's PSM and OXM have the articles)-

1.) Prettier graphics

2.) Improved aircraft controls- You're supposed to be able to have some real dogfights now.

3.) Improved Single-player: It actually has some objective based bits, cutscenes and the like to give some context.

4.) New classes- Each side is supposed to get a new class but they're being fairly tight-lipped about just what it is.

5.) Playable Jedi- again tightlipped, though they mentioned they're still working out how they'll play to keep them balanced with the rest of the classes.

6.) New maps- Screenies I saw included both the Tantive boarding action as well as the Death Star detention block. This is on top of the inclusion of ROTS stuff.

7.) New vehicles- A given with the new maps from ROTS.

8.) SPACE BATTLES!- According to the article some maps will start teams off on opposing capital ships, giving you the choice to hop in a starfighter and man gun turrets.

On the same note... "PREPARE TO BOARD!", you can also take troop transports and land a boarding party on the hostile vessel.

9.) 32 player battles- Mmmmm.. 32, though as I recall the latest update to battlefront let you do that anyway. Still nice having it built in.

That's what I can recall off the top of my head. Game's supposed to be coming out sometime this fall.

[Cabwi Desco]

DROOOOOOOOOL

this is good because I have beaten SW Battlefront into the ground and I need some new conflict.

[Praxis]

Knew and posted a while back most of this info, but...SCREENSHOTS? Sweet, describe more!

[Cal Wright]

I know the PC Gamer has a cover story on this one too. This is sounding more and more like what a Star Wars game should be.

[Uraniun235]

9.) 32 player battles- Mmmmm.. 32, though as I recall the latest update to battlefront let you do that anyway. Still nice having it built in.

32 on a team or 32 total?

[Chris OFarrell]

God I can't wait to lead a platoon of troops onto an ISD shouting 'BOARDERS AWAY' as we make a hard landing inside the hanger bay

It would be just absurdly cool if you could dock on the hull of the ship and cut your way inside...think of THAT. YOu need 30 seconds to cut a hole, during which the enemy is screaming for fighters to shoot you off their hull, troops inside and scrambeling to get into position....

[SylasGaunt]

Gamespot's got shots-

Darktrooper having about 5 close calls

Looks like the Tantive boarding.. you get the funny little rebel hats

X-wing vs. TIE fighter!

Looks like the DS hangar. Ooh.. Falcon..

Tantive again I think

TIE Fighter = PWNED!

Those are pretty much the same ones that were in the magazines.

Which reminds me now that I've got the article in front of me.. one of the reasons for boarding (aside from taking the fight to the enemy) is that you can destroy vital systems on their ship.

[Executor32]

STAR WARS BATTLEFRONT 2
Another chance for you to prove that Stormtroopers can hit the broad side of a barn

The original Star Wars: Battlefront had one extremely big thing going for it -- it was the first time we were able to relive the epic ground battles of all the Star Wars films with dozens of other gamers. And in delivering that wow factor, Battlefront succeeded tremendously. Battlefront 2 follows up on that experience with 16 additional battle recreations and new features that'll tickle your Force senses.

I've played two maps from the upcoming sequel, both of which gave me a sense of how much the developers are emphasizing immersion. The first map was the battle on Tantive 4, which Star Wars fans will recognize as the very first confrontation between the Rebels and the Empire from Episode IV. It's where Princess Leia, C-3PO, and R2-D2 try to make their way out of the Rebel blockade-runner that's under attack by the Empire's Devastator Star Destroyer.

Surprisingly, Battlefront 2 will be the first tme this scene has been re-enacted in any Star Wars game, and its build-up is intense. AI-controlled Rebel troops line up behind the cover of crates and in doorway niches along the hallway in anticipation of the Stormtrooper boarding party (just as in the movie). When the doors open, all hell breaks loose at this crucial choke point. A couple of hand grenades thrown down the hallway from either side can be devastating, sending bodies flying all over the place.

"Taking command points is no longer the only goal," explains Dan Pettit, the game's producer at LucasArts. Instead, much of Battlefront 2 will be objective-driven. On Tantive 4, the light side objective will be to safely escort Princess Leia and her metal friends to escape pods. AI-controlled NPCs will represent the primary characters, through scripted events (LucasArts won't reveal if Darth Vader will make an appearance in the scenario, but we think it'd be geek blasphemy if he didn't show up for at least some menacing breathing.)

TROOPERS WITH BRAINS
One thing I noticed in Battlefront 2 is improved AI. The bots from the first game were hardly more than cannon fodder, but this time around I watched as teammates gave verbal directions signalling where the action was in a context-sensitive manner.

The developers are also going to great lengths to let you see what's going on behind the scenes. You'll get a sense of the events from the movies unfolding as you play each mission, so that you can interface with the storied moments from each map -- but, of course, fights extend to other parts of ships and locales, where you play an important role in the overall success of the campaign, In fact, Pettit tells us that in some cases, you'll be hitting planets and locations seen only briefly in the movies. ILM has even provided BF 2's development team with art assets and digital renders that were made especially for the movies -- even ones that didn't make the cut to film. (A selected few of the developers have also seen Episode III, so authenticity is guaranteed across the full spectrum of the prequel trilogy.

SIX MOVIES WORTH OF FUN
Battlefront 2 will cover scenarios from all six Star Wars films, with a slight emphasis on Episode III. The second map I played is from the opening encounter from the upcoming movie, which also shows off BF 2's most anticipated feature: space battles. Battlefront let us dabble briefly with aerial combat on maps like Bespin Platform, but space combat will play a big part in the sequel.

I watched in awe as capital ships and fighters clashed above the planet-city of Coruscant. The amount of activity going on was overwhelming. Aside from massive destroyers and cruisers (which you can board), the backdrop is littered with scripted ships in combat, amid heaps of explosions and laser fire. Plenty of action happens inside capital ships, too: you can man turrets, assault spawn points with landing parties, and complete sabotage objectives.

Dogfighting is similar to the action in Rogue Squadron, as opposed to a full-out simulation like X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter. Expect to see ships from all the movies, including some you haven't seen yet, like the new Jedi Starfighter (an upgraded version of the one Anakin flew in Episode I). You'll be able to execute combination rolls, spins, and flips, all with the tap of a button. Each class of ship also has special bonuses, such as speed boosts and assault modes, which will aid in completing space-only objectives (such as destroying turrets, communication towers, power generators, and so on).

I was also delighted to hear about the addition of a Jedi class (for both light and dark sides) in certain gameplay modes. Pettit promises that "everything you'd expect from a Jedi, you can do [in the game]." Be prepared to tear up the map with lightsabers, which are employed with contextual-based moves such as combinations of strafe- and jump-slashes. Different Force powers are available depending on which side you choose, and they'll range from basic push and jump powers to lightning and choke attacks.

Game mechanics will be adjusted so you won't always be able to play as a Jedi, but if the arena scene from the end of Episode II makes it into the game, I'd be very much in favor of a battle with more than 30 Jedi onscreen at once.

The core engine is the same one that powered Battlefront, although it's been modified to look better and play smoother. Classes have been tweaked based on feedback, and the new models look great. The PC version will, of course, have beefed-up textures for maps and skins. For multiplay, the net code has gone through some dramatic changes, partly to remove a controversial frame-rate cap in multiplayer games.

You won't have to wait too long to get back onto the front lines, either. Work on Battlefront 2 began immediately after the first game was finished, and development is currently on track for a fall release.


-Norman Chan

Other than Norman's bad Star Wars knowledge and terminology (Devastator Star Destroyer? ), one thing about this article really bugs me. On page 22, there's a screenshot of a Star Destroyer at the Battle of Endor with two hangars in the brim trench. Why couldn't they just use the canon hangar location?

Also, this is not the first time we've seen the Tantive IV scene in a Star Wars game. That honor goes to the LEGO Star Wars game, in the bonus level you unlock after getting all the pieces of the Tantive IV superkit.

[Meest]

Boo using the same engine, other than that sounds ok.

[Praxis]

Gamespot's got shots-

Darktrooper having about 5 close calls

Looks like the Tantive boarding.. you get the funny little rebel hats

X-wing vs. TIE fighter!

Looks like the DS hangar. Ooh.. Falcon..

Tantive again I think

TIE Fighter = PWNED!

Those are pretty much the same ones that were in the magazines.

Which reminds me now that I've got the article in front of me.. one of the reasons for boarding (aside from taking the fight to the enemy) is that you can destroy vital systems on their ship.

Sweetness. Everything I envisioned for the first.

[Praxis]

Looks like the engine (gameplay, not rendering) has been considerably improved though, with capships being destroyed and AI's signalling.

[NeoGoomba]

Guess I'm just a Darktrooper nut, but I wish they'd make them more deadly. Let them keep the Blast Cannon and Jetpack, but give them a rocketlauncher like the Super Battle Droids and a better pistol.

[Cabwi Desco]

Expect to see ships from all the movies, including some you haven't seen yet, like the new Jedi Starfighter (an upgraded version of the one Anakin flew in Episode I).

I sincerly hope that was just him being a LARTing moron. Its N-1 Starfighter you twit!
Anaking hasn't flown a Jedi Starfighter in any movies yet, he flew a N-1 in Episode I. Hell there were NO jedi starfighters even SEEN in Episode I.

Someone send this pile a copy of the films and the ICSs. He needs to learn about what he's writing about before he starts making references.

[Vympel]

Another chance for you to prove that Stormtroopers can hit the broad side of a barn

ROFLMAO

I loved Irvin Kershner's commentary during TESB as to the cliche of the bad guys not being able to shoot straight but the good guys always hitting.

It's too bad my copy of Battlefront doesn't work with my system at all, I was planning on playing it on my new PC, but now it seems that Battlefront 2 will be out by then enyway.

One thing that's annyoing though- Dark Troopers don't look anything like that, dammit.

[FedRebel]

It's too bad my copy of Battlefront doesn't work with my system at all, I was planning on playing it on my new PC

Did you try disabling visual themes in the launchers properties?

[Dartzap]

Excellent News, i always enjoyed BattleFront, expecially Hoth and Ren Var Harbour mission with the AT-AT, hehe



OT: did anyone else notice the 'Halo2' Expansion set which was linked there as well?

[Darksider]

I just came back from playing a demo of the Tantive IV level at SW: Celebration III.

It's pretty cool. The graphics are a little better, and the new objective level seems more fun than just "Wipe them all out."

The only problem is that they appear to have set the AI to extra retarded......

[Macross]

Hmmm, I get the impression that this originally started out as an expansion pack for Episode III and quickly grew from there. Anyway, I am really looking forward to this game!

[Admiral Drason]

I hope they fix the lag from the online play.

Other then that it looks great.