Player Preview - Star Wars Battlefront

Title: Star Wars Battlefront
Developer: Dice
Status: Open Beta
Release Date: 17/November/2015

Official Site: http://bit.ly/1K7UGxU
Origin Page: http://bit.ly/1Pfhnbn

 Hey what’s up, Serpentine here taking a look at the multiplayer first person shooter, Battlefront, developed by Dice, the same guys behind Battlefield 3 and Mirrors Edge. Battlefront continues the Rebel and Empire war with infantry, vehicles and ships battling it out for domination.

From outside looking in Battlefront has been labelled as a Star Wars re skin for Battlefield however the game plays more like Planetside 2 more than anything else at least for the assault walker game mode. It’s more about overwhelming the objective with man power and continually zerging until successful or until a new objective pops up. Due to there not being any transport vehicles in the game the player spawns are extremely close to the objective and with no real punishment for dying except about a 5 second respawn timer it leads to brute force pushing rather than any real high level strategies or plays. Unfortunately you can’t select were you spawn out of 2 possible spawn locations so you can end up on the other side of the map from where you want to be. You can however spawn on your partner which is either someone you partied up with beforehand or someone you are randomly matched with in the game.

Being a futuristic shooter, Battlefront does a couple of things differently in terms of its shooting mechanics. Projectile weaponry has been traded in for laser weaponry the biggest difference being the overheating mechanic as compared to ammunition. After a long sustained burst with your gun it will eventually overheat and require a short amount of time to cool off. There is a fast cool down mechanic where if you hit “R” at the right time your gun will instantly cool off. The mechanic is pretty easy to hit the first couple of times but if you keep doing it the space that you’re able to hit will get smaller and smaller. The types of guns are still the common Assault Rifle, Sub machine Gun, Light machine Gun and pistol variants however the sights and scopes for these guns have been removed with all of the guns during the beta having the same sights and zoom except for the light machine gun. So there isn’t any real gun customization in the game. Battlefront also allows you to play in either first person or third person, able to change on the fly and for me at least feels better to play in third person. You can also change your camera position while in an aircraft with the first person having really cool cockpits, fully immersing you into the Star Wars dog fighting experience.

 Your characters loadout consists of a primary gun, 3 pieces of equipment and a trait. The equipment is the cards you see at the bottom left hand side of the screen and is only interchangeable outside of a game. There are obviously going to be more options one released but during the beta you could choose between an Explosive Grenade best used against infantry especially those camping the objective, an Ion Grenade that is super effective against vehicles and turrets, a jetpack that will get you around the map a lot faster and easier as well as getting you places that players without the jetpacks can’t and a sniper rifle that deals a ton of damage if not one shotting them with a headshot. Those pieces of equipment are what’s available to equip on the hand slots but there is also an activatable slot that items like a personal shield that soaks up a lot of damage but makes you incapable of shooting and an ion power up to your primary weapon which makes it effective against vehicles and turrets. These items work a little differently in the fact they build up and use charges which can be found around the map but can also be purchased with in-game credits. You also have to use the in-game credits to unlock additional guns, equipment, traits and activatables. Only one trait was available during the beta being the sharpshooter trait that when you headshot kill someone your equipment cool downs are reduced by a certain percentage. Basically these will be passive bonuses that will benefit certain playstyles.

The vehicles available are somewhat limited at least for ground vehicles. The only truly pilotable ground vehicle is the AT-ST Walker which is extremely powerful at pushing up and clearing objectives but can be focused down relatively quickly. It has 3 different armaments with default laser rifles, an artillery strike for enemies behind cover and a lock on missile that can easily take out turrets and provide some anti-air. This walker is only available for the Empire and honestly more could have been done with the mechanics surrounding them for example weak points, something that isn’t available on the bigger AT-ATs either and could easily be added to the back panelling of each of them for a little bit of strategic play. Something else that I think would be great is being able to steal AT-ST’s by jet packing onto the roof and throwing the pilot out. This would help greatly with the balance problem currently plaguing the game mode while also just being a really cool thing to be able to do. As for the AT-AT’s you basically just take control of the head and weapons and while it might have been cool to control the movement too I see why they opted not too due to the way the game mode is set-up to be a linear movement rather than an open battlefield. The weapons available on the AT-AT include the default laser rifles that are slightly explosive one shotting any enemies nearby, explosive rounds that are best used for taking out turrets on the ground rather than infantry and finally an orbital strike that will lay down devastating fire power in a large area.

Aircraft on the other hand are extremely varied with 5 pilotable variants including X-Wings, A-Wings and Snow Speeders for the Rebels and Tie Fighters and Tie Interceptors for the Empire. Each ship handles differently most noticeably the Snow Speeder were its main purpose is to trip the AT-AT’s, not really dog fighting so it handles like a flying brick. There is some weird auto-piloting going on that pulls up automatically while flying towards the ground in all of the aircraft that make it hard to perform ground assault runs but while you’re not heading straight towards the ground they handle very similar to the Jets in Battlefield with a couple of extra manoeuvres you can perform to either escape a missile lock or to just turn around really fast. They also have abilities on cool downs including missiles, extreme boost and a radar jammer.

All these vehicles are obtainable via power-ups found around the map and will always spawn in the same location. The Empire have it a bit easier than the rebels as all their vehicle power-ups are found at their spawn, rebels however will have to push up to the objectives to be able to get their vehicles which doesn’t make much sense other than to reinforce the fact that the Rebels are in a desperate position and have to fight for every little advantage they can. Vehicles aren’t the only power-ups you can obtain, special equipment can also be found including things like Smart Rockets, Orbital Strikes and various automatic and manually operated turrets. These aren’t terribly important for the Empire to obtain but for the rebels a well-placed orbital strike can deal 1/4 of an AT-AT’s health.

Finally heroes can also be obtained through power-ups, allowing you to take to the battlefield as famous characters from the movies, the beta allowing you to try out Luke Skywalker for the Rebels and Darth Vader for the Empire. They each have their own slight ability variations for example Luke has a force push that will 1 shot a player while Vader instead ops for a force choke. Wielding just a lightsaber you might think they are at a disadvantage from ranged attacks but by simply holding right mouse button you can deflect incoming fire and aim it back at the player. Each time someone activates a hero you will hear their theme music play server wide along with different theme music for when they die. You can’t regen health as these heroes instead you actually slowly lose health so as not to become a nearly unstoppable force. The heroes that are currently expected to be part of the game include Boba Fett, Han Solo, Princess Leia and the Emporer. I really hope they add Yoda to that list as it would be amazing to see him kicking ass out on the battlefield flying all over the place.

The different game modes in the beta included the main Assault Walker were the objective as the rebels is to capture and hold comm links that overtime will generate Y-wings. At certain points in the map the Y-wings will attack 2 AT-AT’s, dropping their shields and making them vulnerable. The rebels have to take them both down before the end to win. The Empire side simply have to defend these Comm-links and the AT-AT’s. Unfortunately playing as the Empire in this mode can get a little boring due to them not really having anything to work towards. They don’t have massive AT-AT’s to destroy, no real overarching goal that they can really impact. There isn’t that same adrenaline pumping moment of trying to take down the last AT-AT at the end of the game. For a pure infantry experience there is Drop Zone which is basically capture the point on a small map were each team is battling for control over escape pods, nothing too out there with this mode having no vehicles and no heroes to obtain. There is also Co-Op missions in what is basically a wave based game mode were you and a friend can fight for survival as Imperial units are sent your way. Other game modes listed include Supremacy which will basically be conquest mode from Battlefield, Fighter Squadron which will be purely aircraft dog fighting and Blast which is a Team Deathmatch mode. There are a couple of unknown game modes in terms of their actual gameplay but they are called Cargo and Droid Run. Finally in the missions category you can do battles vs AI or a friend in what looks to be a sort of hero versus hero game mode.

I have to give huge props to the team over at Dice for creating some really cool effects and sounds in the game for example the Thermal Imploder and the amazingly satisfying sound when it explodes, the squad shield and the sounds that come from laser fire bouncing off of it and the aircraft cockpits and sounds are fantastic and really immerse you into the Star Wars experience as opposed to just another shooter.

Other features of the game include character customization as to what extent you can customize is currently unknown as the feature was locked for the beta. You can also collect dioramas or figurines again exactly what this feature is, is still unknown due to it being locked for the beta. Finally there will be a stats page for the people that like to keep track of their kill death ratio. The game also runs extremely well even on older tech, even though my graphics card was listed as a minimum requirement I was still able to get 60+ frames per second with all the important stuff on high and the rest on medium.

Altogether Star Wars Battlefront is a really fun game for what it is, that being a somewhat on rails shooter rather than a massive open map with various vehicles like Battlefield. Even with the game type they went with there still could have been better mechanics to create a truly epic experience like being able to steal AT-ST’s. The games progression system is a little lack lustre especially for those that like to upgrade and customize their weapons and vehicles. If you’re really into the Star Wars universe then Battlefront is definitely worth a look, if you are a battlefield player then I suggest maybe waiting to see how the Supremacy mode plays before making your final decision on whether or not to purchase the game at release.

Anyway, that’s been my player preview for Star Wars Battlefront. The game will be officially releasing on the 17th of November on Origin for $60 or your regional equivalent. If you want to find out more about the game check out the links at the top. Thanks for reading and I’ll see you guys next time.

Player Preview - Warhammer: End Times - Vermintide

Title: Warhammer: End Time - Vermintide
Developer: Fat Shark Games
Status: Closed Beta
Release Date: 23/October/2015

Official Site: http://bit.ly/1OkYCmF
Steam Page: http://bit.ly/1jcEg25

 

Hey what’s up, Serpentine here taking a look at the Co-Op medieval FPS, Warhammer: End Times – Vermintide, developed by fat shark games the same guys behind War of the Roses and Escape Dead Island. Vermintide brings 4 heroes together to push back the Skaven hordes as they mount a full scale offensive on the people.

The comparison to Left 4 Dead is an easy one to make as many of the games mechanics are very similar if not the same. The biggest difference though is instead of fighting off zombies with guns you will be fighting off hordes of rats or Skaven as they’re known in the Warhammer universe with primarily melee weapons like swords, hammers and daggers. Being the same developers behind War of the Roses, a Medieval Combat game, all the melee weapons feel great to use with quick and heavy attacks tearing through the Skaven hordes in a satisfying matter. When things do get a bit dicey or overwhelming you can block enemy attacks at least for a little while until you run out of stamina. If you’re getting completely mobbed you can also push enemies back causing them to stumble, giving you a couple of seconds before they fully recover.

While your melee weapon is your primary form of offense each character also has a ranged weapon, most of which are ammo dependant, the bright wizards fire staff the only exception. These ranged weapons can be bows, crossbows, pistols and single shot rifles. Almost every one of these weapons are a one shot kill however even being extremely powerful as they are, they’re best used to pick off a couple of enemies here and there before the horde manages to reach you. You can’t really use them as your main weapon either due to the ammunition consumption, even using them now and then will result in you running out of ammunition, luckily Ammo crates can be found at various locations around the map so you can top up if need be.

Other items found around the map to help you out on your missions include potions, grenades and healings items, each with their own inventory slot. While utilising these items isn’t entirely necessary in the easy and normal difficulty modes, you will have to take full advantage of them in the other 4 modes. The potions you have available to use include a power potion that increases your damage output and a speed potion that increases your move speed and your attack speed both potions being equally important and requiring you to use them at the optimal time as they only last around 10 seconds or so. As for grenades, there is also 2 options with a normal explosive grenade dealing a large amount of area damage and a fire grenade that will leave all enemies caught in the blast burning and taking damage over time. Lastly the healing items and again there are currently 2 options with bandages that can heal you or can be applied to a team mate and a healing potion which can only be used by the owner both items healing for around the same amount.

As a character based game Vermintide currently has 5 characters to play as, allowing only 4 players for each game this does allow for slight strategic picks. The different heroes include the Witch Hunter with a pistol and rapier best used in the front line attacking extremely quick while also being quite resilient. The Bright Wizard with a fire staff and a Wizard Sword, the only character that relies on a ranged weapon more than melee but you will have to stagger your damage output so as not to blow up. The Dwarf Ranger with a battle axe, shield and Dwarven Crossbow that can take a beating and dish it out. The Waywatcher with a longbow and Dual Elven Daggers that is rather fragile and better of sniping targets at a distance with her bow and finally the empire soldier with a Handgun and Great Sword that is all about brute strength breaking through even the toughest armour. These characters aren’t locked to these loadouts able to change to different weapons once obtained that will have variations in 5 different stats including speed, damage, knockback, targets and finally range depending on weather it is a range weapon or not. 

The missions in the beta, of which there were 3, varied quite a bit. In one mission you will be running through the city streets, the next climbing a massive tower. The mission objective however is a bit the same throughout basically coming down to making your way to a certain objective, activating it and then having to hold out against a very large horde of Skaven. I hope there is a bit more variation in the final game, which I fully expect there to be with different objectives like trying to outrun a horde bearing down on you or even perhaps some boss fights.

The enemies you will be facing are all Skaven based units starting off with the common clanrat with weapons and armour consisting of whatever they can their hands on. Skavenslaves take the next spot but only barely being completely unarmoured with basic weapons and their main purpose of overwhelming their target rather than overpowering. The elite units of Stormvermin are like a Spartan unit with heavy armour and halberds, these guys march around the maps in large groups and are best avoided if possible. That does it for the basic units of the game but there are still quite a few specialist units like the poison wind globadier that will throw gas grenades on your position, The Gutter Runner that will assassinate any team members found by themselves, the Packamster that will single out a player and run off with them trapped in its pole arm catcher, the Ratling Gunner that is equipped with a Gatling gun and finally the most powerful of the lot, the Rat Ogre. A large abomination that is capable of destroying a whole team on its own but when aided by other members of the Skaven horde makes it almost impossible to deal with. 

Vermintide offers some progression elements to the game utilising its unique character loadout system in a really cool way. At the end of a mission that has been completed successfully you will get an opportunity to roll dice in order to unlock and obtain either a weapon, helmet or trinket. The higher the roll you achieve the higher the rarity of item you will be able to unlock. You can help your chances of a better item by collecting tomes scattered around the level that will give you 1 higher chance die for each tome. There are also Skaven Grimoires that will give you a guaranteed roll success but will also reduce your team’s health quite significantly while carrying them. Finally in terms of collectable ways to increase your chances there is a slightly better chance die that can be found in any loot spawn area like chests. The biggest difference in your item rarity chances however is the difficulty level you play a mission at with normal difficulty allowing you to only achieve a blue item on a 6 die success while on harder difficulties you can achieve an orange item, the rarity colour scheme going white, green, blue and then orange. So a 3 success roll on normal you will get a green item but the same roll on hard will give you a blue item.

So what do these rare items do exactly, well their base stats don’t change from the standard version of an item to a red rarity item. Instead, the rarity will provide a weapon with bonus stats. Green giving you 1 bonus, blue giving you 2 and so on. These bonus stats include things like a 5% chance to gain 25% attack speed on a kill or a 10% chance to replenish a weapons ammunition on a kill. These bonuses also work off the same rarity system, for example a green weapon can have an orange bonus stat, and the bonus stat need to be unlocked at the forge with a gem before taking effect. These required gems can only be obtained by deconstructing weapons at the forge with the resulting gems rarity dictated by the deconstructed weapons rarity. Another option you have for unwanted weapons in your inventory is to trade up 5 same rarity items for 1 higher rarity item again via the forge.

Other features of the game include a really nice lobby system that is almost completely void of menus and menu screens. Loading into the game you will load into the tavern as your selected character able to move around, attack, try out new weapons, access the forge, your inventory and the mission map all via the in game tavern. It’s a small feature and not an entirely needed one but it is much nicer then menu screens. Other than that there is also best performance awards given out after every successful mission with most kills, most damage taken and least knockdowns being a couple examples.

Altogether Warhammer End Times: Vermintide is a great Co-Op experience that looks great, feels great particularly on the melee weapons and adds a ton of replayabilitiy to the left 4 dead formula with the RPG item rarity feature. I would like to see some more mission variety and maybe a couple of boss fights here and there as something else to work towards outside of better gear, harder difficulties and completing the storyline. I would also like to see a special ability or ultimate of sorts to add onto the combat system but that may just be the MOBA player inside of me speaking. For anyone looking for a really solid Co-Op game to play with friends with a really great setting and progression system then Vermintide is definitely a game to check out.

Anyway, that’s been my player preview for Warhammer End Time: Vermintide. The game is officially releasing the 23rd of October on Steam for $30 or your regional equivalent. If you want to find out more about the game check out the links Above. Thanks for reading and I’ll see you guys next time.