Gameplay Journal #1: Star Wars Battlefront II (2017)
For this week’s Gameplay Journal, I played Star Wars Battlefront II (2017). I really like this game, first and foremost. When this game first launched back in 2017, it was in rough shape to say the least when it came to it’s progression system. But today in 2021, the game has definitely made it’s nearly impossible comeback a reality.
Every time I jump in for a match in Battlefront II, it’s always a great time. I love it when you squad up with people who know what they are doing, especially when you play the Supremacy game mode in multiplayer. It’s honestly one of my favorite sensations in a multiplayer game, grouping with other players who know the game well and support each other to complete the objective. It helps make me a better player knowing that there’s at least another player who is actively playing the objective and supporting teammates causing me to do the same to them. Forming bonds with complete strangers in an online game is such a fascinating thing. As Dovey and Kennedy state, “the world wide web itself enables the formation of particular kinds of social bonds based on a position towards and facility with technology alongside particular cultural tastes and interests” (Game Cultures, page 17). Over the years of me playing online games, I’ve made friends from the west coast of the United States to the mountains of Matsumoto, Japan through common interests like other online games like Call of Duty, Battlefield, and Overwatch.
When it comes to organizing or disciplining a certain kind of player, Battlefront II caters to all types of players. A player could be a massive Star Wars fan but not the best at shooters, so Supremacy mode allows each team to have A.I. controlled allies as “easy kills”. I don’t mean “easy” as in, they will just stand there to be killed, but they will actually fight back and cause damage. Titanfall 2 (amazing game, btw) does the same thing in their multiplayer mode. They are there to for those kinds of players to have a good time. A player who loves shooting games (like me) can still be familiar with the mechanics especially if they have played Battlefield before, which is another series of games the developer, DICE, is responsible for. You don’t really have to hold the controller a specific way to get an advantage. I feel like that is more reserved for fighting games like Tekken 7 which is a game I actually play with a controller placed flat playing it like an arcade stick (maybe I should invest in an actual arcade stick at this point?).
Let’s Play video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ex9SOc_iagc
