A Green Mushroom

The Battle of Jakku is the first (free) downloadable content for Battlefront.  It's the setting of the first major battle that happens after the events of Return of the Jedi.  I got to read all about the battle in Lost Stars which is an amazing Star Wars book.  It's cool to actually get to see the battle in action. In the battle tons of ships get destroyed, fall into the gravity well of the planet, and crash.  It seems like this has made it into a ship graveyard by the time The Force Awakens happens.  I'm writing this post earlier in the month, but I'll probably know one way or another by the time this post goes live since I'm due to see the movie yesterday! Anyway, it's cool to see the battle in full force. It also introduces a new game type that I actually like.  I was mostly only playing Walker Assault and Squadron modes but this new control point mode is really fun too.  I hope they roll it out to other maps as well.  Basically you h...

Now that I've had more time with Battlefront I really need to follow up on my initial impressions .  While I still think this is a must-have for Star Wars fans I'm also starting to see the limitations of the game. Don't get me wrong, it still gives an amazing sense of place and of being in the Star Wars universe.  When I need a quick fix for Star Wars this is an easy game to reach for. But from a gameplay standpoint as a shooter... it doesn't have the same refined qualities as a game like Destiny, Halo, or Call of Duty.  The progression system is too slow and doesn't give enough options.  There are only 4 big maps, and they're cut up into smaller maps for different game types.  So while they say there are something like 16 maps... it's really just 4 tilesets and you'll quickly start to recognize parts of maps within different game types. I'm also a bit disappointed with the single player offerings.  There are a few missions and survival mod...

So good. It's so good. Well... if you're a Star Wars fan it is.  If you aren't a Star Wars fan I don't know if the gameplay is anything groundbreaking enough to recommend it to you. But if you are a fan this is an amazing game.  Everything comes together to make it feel like you're in a real Star Wars battle.  The graphics and sound design are simply amazing.  It's spot on. Now that the full version is released I finally got to play around with all the gameplay modes.  My favorite two are Squadron and Heroes vs Villains. In Squadron mode you are never a trooper on the ground, you spawn in an aircraft and you're always in the air.  It's so much fun.  It makes me crave another Rogue Squadron game.  I'm already thinking that Squadron mode will be my preferred mode of play before too long.  I already love it that much. Heroes vs Villains is a really cool set-up too.  It's a 6v6 match where three people on each team spawn as h...

My regular readers all know by now that I love all things Star Wars. That being said... this is the first Star Wars book in the new canon that is extremely mediocre.  It's not horrible but there's no way I would recommend this one to anybody. Seriously, if you want a recommendation go read Lost Stars .  It's probably my favorite Star Wars book ever and it's in the new canon extended universe. Star Wars Battlefront: Twilight Company is supposed to be a tie-in book to the Battlefront game that releases today.  Actually, it's a very generic sci-fi military novel.  I've never been a big fan of military books.  These are novels that spend the whole time focusing on what it's like fighting on the ground and being one of the troops.  Twilight Company is no exception. There are a bunch of undeveloped flat characters that you spend the whole book with.  They're ground troops in the war against the Empire but they rarely tie into the overall ...

I've been playing the Star Wars Battlefront Beta and I need to say this game fulfills the fantasy of being in the Star Wars universe. That doesn't seem like a big statement by itself so I'm going to say it again. This game fulfills the fantasy of being in the Star Wars universe. And that's all I really wanted. The gameplay is acceptable.  It doesn't feel super slick or modern.  It doesn't have all the bells and whistles we're used to in our shooters these days.  But it's not bad.  It's just fine. The graphics are beautiful.  I typically don't even think about graphics these days but I immediately noticed how gorgeous this game is.  This is the prettiest game I've ever seen.  I've been wracking my brain trying to think of anything that surpasses Battlefront in terms of graphics and I just can't think of anything.  It's amazing eye candy everywhere.  For the first time in years I found myself stopping to just watch thi...

There are so many great announcements coming out of E3 this year.  Here are the games I'm most excited for so far: Mario Maker The footage from the Nintendo World Championship really sold me on this game.  It's my most anticipated game right now.  If it has good sharing and community capabilities it could become one of my favorite games of all time. Star Wars Battlefront Star Wars is my weakness and this is the first real Star Wars game that we're getting under the new management of the franchise.  It looks gorgeous and the gameplay should be a ton of fun.  There's no question this is a day one purchase for me. Fire Emblem Fates I love a good strategy RPG and Fire Emblem was always on my radar, but when Fire Emblem Awakening came out it finally clicked with me.  I loved Fire Emblem Awakening and it was my game of the year for the year it came out.  Fire Emblem Fates looks like the next step in the same direction f...

They should have compressed the EA press conference down to Mass Effect teaser, Unraveled, Mirror's Edge, and Star Wars Battlefront.  It would have saved about an hour and 15 minutes of sports games, driving games, and mobile crap. But omg, Star Wars!  Mass Effect!  Space operas!  I'm so excited!  I'm sure you'll be able to google footage for both very soon.  You should.  If I had videos available right now I would embed them for you, but I don't. Seriously, go look up gameplay for Star Wars Battlefront.  Watch the teaser trailer for Mass Effect Andromeda!  Most of the rest of the EA conference is easily skippable. Now to wait for the Ubisoft conference to start!

The Star Wars The Force Awakens teaser trailer 2 launched at the end of last week and it's amazing.  I'm such a huge Star Wars fanboy.  Star Wars is my weakpoint.  I'll see any movie they put out.  I'll buy all the books and get into the games.  I can't resist. But it's amazing to see such promise for the new direction Star Wars is taking.  I know my own judgement on Star Wars is skewed, but it seems like most people are allowing themselves to get excited for this one.  Not to mention the new information on Star Wars Battlefront and Star Wars Rogue One!  The hype is real!