Battlegrounds we want to see in Star Wars Battlefront's upcoming DLC packs
Battlegrounds we want to see in Star Wars Battlefront's upcoming DLC packs
Note: This article was first published on 19th November 2015.
A new hope
Star Wars Battlefront is out and you might have read our coverage about the beta and the Darth Vader limited edition PS4 console (which also released alongside the game). Saying that we're stoked to finally get to play the game barely covers it.
We recently got the chance to play the final version of the game a day before it launched, and we were impressed with how DICE has succeeded in recreating a thoroughly authentic Star Wars experience for fans. However, we can't help but feel that the game is lacking a tad in iconic battlefields. While we know that DICE's planning to release more maps (the Battle of Jakku from The Force Awakens being one of them), we have our own suggestions on what DICE should add in the upcoming DLC packs.
Battle for Cloud City (The Empire Strikes Back)
We'd love to return to the Tibanna filled skies of Bespin and wage war in and around the iconic Cloud City. The original Star Wars Battlefront had a map based on the city and it was incredible. Besides, Cloud City played host to a few of the most iconic moments from the Star Wars saga. The dining room scene where Vader laid in wait for Princess Leia, the carbonite freezing chamber and of course, the innards of Cloud City itself, where Vader dueled Luke and told him the truth about his parentage. A redone Cloud City map would be a great addition to the game's Supremacy mode.
Battle over Coruscant (Shadows of the Empire)
We've seen the Battle over Coruscant once before, in Shadows of the Empire on the N64. Due to the limitations of the hardware though, the battle wasn't as impressive as it could have been. With modern gaming hardware, doing justice to the battle should be no problem at all. We'd love to see Xizor's Black Sun Star Viper fighters tangle it up with the Empire and Vader's Executor in space above the capital world of the Empire, as the Falcon and the Outrider make their dash to freedom alongside Rogue Squadron. Needless to say, the battle is clearly suited for the game's Fighter Squadron mode.
Liberation of Coruscant (Rogue Squadron)
The Liberation of Coruscant is another battle we'd love to see recreated, though this time around, it should be done on the ground instead of space. That's because one of the biggest set pieces of the battle is the emergence of the Lusankya Super Star Destroyer, which was buried under a section of Coruscant itself. We'd love to see that in real time, as Republic and Imperial soldiers clash on foot (and with vehicles), vying for supremacy of the planet. It'd make a great Supremacy map because of this.
Battle of Mon Calamari (Dark Empire)
Originally seen in the pages of Dark Empire and then brought to life in Rogue Squadron, the Battle of Mon Calamari is one of the most iconic battles in the Expanded Universe. The resurrected Emperor's wrath is directed at Mon Calamari, the home of Admiral Ackbar. World Devastators roam the planet and suck up its resources, converting them into machines of war at the same time. We've love to see this battle redone in Battlefront's Fighter Squadron mode, with the Imperials guarding the ponderous World Devastators as they move across the map and the Alliance going on the offensive and trying to take the big super weapons down.
Battle of Endor (Return of the Jedi)
Of course, we'd be remiss if we didn't include the biggest battle of all. While Battlefront has a stage on Endor, it's on the ground and not in space. We'd love to have a pure space battle stage with the full force of the Alliance navy set against the Empire. Who wouldn't want to fly into the innards of the Death Star 2 or strafe the Executor? We'd love to have the chance to do those things, even knowing that we'd probably die a ton of times in the first few seconds of the battle.
Vision of the Future
While we are really enjoying Star Wars Battlefront, we really hope that EA and DICE step up their game and release more maps for the game. There are so many battles from the EU (Expanded Universe) that would make great additions to the game. Yes, we know that Disney's wiped the EU slate clean when they took over from Lucasfilm, but since Star Wars Battlefront is hardly canon, what's the harm in using some of the more famous EU material? While it's true we'd love to see more ground battles, we can't deny that we're really sad that there aren't any battles in space. For a Star Wars game, that's unforgivable and we really hope that the feature makes it into the sequel.
Or is EA and DICE planning to revive the old X-Wing and TIE fighter space simulator series for more space battles? For now, we can only hope.