GAMETECH: Not quite feeling the force of Star Wars Battlefront

HOW does George Lucas get through the forest? Ewoks. That’s a bad joke and we apologise. But at least it’s intended as a joke, unlike recent Star Wars games.

For a universe so ripe with potential, it’s been a shame to see Star Wars on PC and consoles play it safe over the last decade. The problem, of course, has been an overwhelming focus on multiplayer systems. Both the Old Republic and, more recently, Battlefront, have been largely online experiences. More notably, they have largely ‘re-skinned’ other games in a Star Wars get-up. Battlefront was especially guilty of this, and leaked news of its forthcoming expansion won’t inspire too much celebration in its players. The Outer Rim supposedly becomes available on April 5, a few weeks later than originally intended. It brings four new maps, new guns, two new hero characters and a new mode. All of this will cost around €15.

Star Wars Battlefront is tons of fun, but it also lacks ambition. We’ve played this kind of game a hundred times over, and it’s been done better, too. Seeing downloadable content released for €15 — content that doesn’t constitute a major addition to the game — is a little disappointing.