Star Wars Battlefront 2: 10 Things Fans Need To See
An actual single player story would be good, for a start.
Discussions surrounding the ethical ramifications of releasing what could be interpreted as a glorified tech demo aside, I think it would be fair to say that DICE have got a heck of a lot of feedback to work with when it comes to 2015's Star Wars Battlefront.
As the sequel moves ahead for a 2017 release, and with Star Wars loyalists eager to splurge their Republic credits at the earliest opportunity, their remains one vital question:
What do DICE need to do to re-instil a sense of confidence in the franchise?
Well, I guess coming off of a ridiculously successful launch in Battlefield 1 will help (why on earth you're investing your time reading this instead of playing it, I'll never know), but still, the grandiose nature of the Star Wars license means that demands will always be equally as massive, if not totally unrealistic altogether.
Everything from the prequels to greater levels of character customisation frequently top lists of fan demands for DLCs, sequels and their ilk, and whilst some requests may seem excessive at a glance, you have to remember Pandemic packed in three times the amount of content as DICE in the original 2004 Battlefront. Yes, really.
But I digress, as there's every bit as much a chance that DICE prove their most vociferous naysayers wrong, and turn in something truly spectacular for the sequel. Here are just some of the steps they can take to make it happen...
10. An Engaging, Authentic Single Player Experience
Come on, let's say it together: "Battlefront should've had a story mode." There's no 'umm-ing' and 'ahh-ing' about it.
I've never been one to really tout the original Battlefronts as being among the most engaging of Star Wars single-player experiences (Kyle Katarn has given me more than any shiny Stormtrooper, to be honest); the first was just a weird hodgepodge of AI confrontation that tied somewhat into the canon of the Original and Prequel trilogies. And the sequel, whilst innovative in the sense that it provided insight via monologue into the experiences of clones caught in the rise of The Empire, didn't fare much better.
Granted, they were fun, but they weren't a Republic Commando, that's for sure.
DICE certainly have the potential to make a truly riveting single-player narrative, however, which is partly why I think fans were so frustrated when they found that element to be lacking in their first stab at the Star Wars license. Battlefield 1's 'War Stories' have only confirmed that they're capable of creating an authentic, character-driven narrative, so it's about time they brought that experience to Battlefront 2.
Considering even EA themselves implicitly admitted that it probably wasn't the brightest of ideas to release Battlefront sans story mode, I think it's a safe bet that one will be accompanying the sequel. Whenever the heck it releases.