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    • Star Wars: Battlefront, It’s back, looking more powerful than you could possibly imagine...

      Star Wars has returned. Spirits dampened by the prequels have been re-ignited by the new hope of a JJ Abrams-helmed, George Lucas-free trilogy, and Jar Jar Binks will soon be nothing more than a fading memory. What better way to celebrate than with a shiny reboot of classic multiplayer shooter series Battlefront? Created by Battlefield developer DICE, the game will allow you step into the shoes of either the freedom fighters of the Republic or the Stormtroopers of the Empire and fight it out in online scraps of up to 40 players. The focus is on the planets, vehicles, characters and spaceships of the original trilogy, and the team have entered into a partnership with LucasFilm to make sure things are as faithful to the movies as possible. Access to the hallowed LucasFilm vaults has allowed them to digitally scan the original props for the film into the game, and they’ve made trips to the locations where the iconic battles of Hoth, Endor and Tatooine were filmed. They’ve even had a rummage in the archives at Skywalker Sound and dug out every classic peeeeowww and vwwoooosh noise they could find. “Our vision is to deliver what we consider the most authentic and realistic Star Wars universe ever created for a videogame,” enthuses design director Niklas Fegraeus. ‘Realistic’ might be a bit of a stretch when you’ve got space wizards running around with laser swords, but we appreciate the attempt. The latest footage certainly seems to back up DICE’s claims. It’s in-engine rather than truly in-game, so we would suggest taking it with enough pinches of salt to fill a Rancor pit, but it really does look like the original films. Blaster fire hits with a shower of pyrotechnic sparks, explosions send up startlingly spot-on plumes of smoke, and the spindly scout walker has the perfect herky-jerky, stop motion-style walk. It all ties nicely into Abrams’ new back-to-basics approach to the franchise DICE is trying to get as close as it can get to recreating the various practical effects and other old-school movie magic in-game. You’ll be able to pilot that walker yourself, too, along with speeder bikes, snow speeders, and loads of other iconic Star Wars vehicles. There’s no space combat, but players will still be able to hop into an X-Wing or a TIE Fighter for in-atmosphere dogfights, and the developers have even confirmed a pilotable Millennium Falcon. The towering AT-AT walkers are, unfortunately, AI-controlled, as are the Y-Wing bombers, which can be called in for a handy explosive air strike. In Vader Gamers will even be able to get into the cockpit of… err… Darth Vader’s head. After meeting certain yet-to-be-revealed criteria in a match, one lucky player will be able to temporarily become one of the heroes or villains of the franchise, including everyone’s favourite bounty hunter Boba Fett, and Mr Tall, Dark & Wheezy himself. When one of these characters hits the field, the focus of the battle shifts with their super-powerful abilities (Vader, for example, can deflect blaster fire with ease, and use his favourite employee-management tool, the force choke) they’re effectively boss encounters, and the enemy team will have to pull together to defeat them. “Players Will be able to hop into an X-Wing or a tie fighter for in-atmosphere dogfights” At least if you do find yourself face-to-face with the dark lord of the Sith you’ll have a buddy to back you up. The game’s partner system allows you to designate a friend as your online other half, meaning you can respawn at each other’s locations. Partners also share XP and unlocks, so you’re always on equal footing, even if one of you clocks in more game time than the other. According to the developer, this will, for example, make it easier for parents to play the game with their kids. It’s a nice idea, but we’re not sure if we’re ready to introduce our mums to online voice chat just yet. Fett pack Those unlocks will be the key to customising your character, as this entry ditches the classes of the original games. Instead you’ll be able to pick the weapons and gadgets you want in your loadout, effectively building your own class and tailoring it to exactly how you want to play. There’ll be plenty of toys to choose from, including a jetpack, and a portable force field generator for keeping your squad-mates safe. Your character’s gender and overall style will be up to you too, and you’ll even be able to play alien races including Sullustans and Ishi Tibs (don’t recognise those off the top of your head? And you call yourself a fan?!). With the ability to switch between first- and third-person perspective at any time in-game, you’ll be able to admire your look even in the heat of battle though your team mates will probably prefer you concentrate on firing your blaster. And yes, it’s official, for the first time ever there will be female Stormtroopers, though whether we’ll be able to tell under those helmets is anyone’s guess. The game unfortunately won’t feature a single-player campaign, with its only solo content being a series of custom missions set on the multiplayer maps. These will also be playable in co-op, split-screen, or online. It’s understandable that the developer wouldn’t see any new stories to tell in this well-worn era of the franchise, but it seems a strange omission given that Battlefield’s single-player offerings have only grown in recent years. They’ll need to make sure there’s plenty of content in the multiplayer to make up for it. Colour us tentatively excited. DICE has the right attitude, but the studio’s got a lot to prove after the near-disaster that was Battlefield 4’s array of technical problems. We’re certainly ready for a great new Star Wars game to go with Abrams’ film. How likely is it to look as good as that amazing trailer? Hey, never tell us the odds… Galactic battlegrounds The four planets you’ll be fighting over Tatooine Thankfully there’s not a pod race or precocious child prodigy to be seen. We did spot a Jawa Sandcrawler in the distance those scavenging scamps have probably turned up to loot the bodies. Sullust This lava planet is where the Empire makes its weapons and vehicles, including the AT-ATs. It was mentioned in the films, but never seen, and DICE has been given permission to flesh it out to its own liking. Endor The Ewoks’ villages could provide good verticality to the maps; important with jetpacks on offer. You can even see some of the furry killers running around in the background in the announcement trailer. Hoth Here in the office we’re keen on the idea of riding a noble Tauntaun into battle. On chilly maps like these you may need one - in a pinch, those lovely, steaming guts are warmer than any winter coat.

Sunday, May 24, 2015

Elegy for a Dead World

Elegy for a Dead World challenges you not to play it but to write it. Think of it as a muse, or a quiet invitation to get creative, set in a game-like place. You’re simply an enigmatic, space-suited person and can say what you believe most poignant, given context. Based on the visual impression of a planet, know your words, clumsy or lovely, will serve as its legacy forever. Who has died here? You owe them a beautiful end, so create it with care.

Further, for a challenge, you can follow the form of the Romantic poems referenced, by Byron and Keats. If, like me, you’re not incredibly au fait with these poets, comparing your work to theirs can be intriguing, and hilarious. Will you fill in the blanks provided, rhyme and find a merry meter? Or will you eschew the suggested path and invent your own form? There is no correct approach, only experimentation and words.


As to content, again you can simply let the artwork inspire you how it will. I found I most enjoyed unravelling the mystery of what had happened in each place. At face value, my favourite context involved ice, a long, cold civilisation, evacuation and some kind of machine targeting the sun. I thought I’d captured what had happened there. Of course, you then read someone else’s interpretation of events and it is completely different. They will have referenced details you never even saw.

Structure or context, the game provides just enough of a prompt to compel you to want to write. You don’t have to share the results with the world, but your words are so beautifully presented with little peepholes to the original artwork provided, why wouldn’t you? The final result is to be proud of. I know I find it difficult to publish my creative writing. It is much easier to share within this framework and next to other similar pieces.

The visual contexts are relatively similar to each other. These are worlds evidencing varying cultures and technology, but the narrative output should usually be science or speculative fiction. This doesn’t prevent you from writing a letter, a shopping list or an homage to the colour pink, if you want to, but writers do often thrive when working to stimulus. The process relies on the artwork being beautiful and it really is.

After a few hours, I did notice myself longing for these game narratives to be something I remembered playing in actual games. It was an odd feeling because it didn’t undermine the enjoyment I experienced in writing them myself. It just left me wishing these settings were more real. Perhaps that was the point, I’m not sure. Either way, this is a gorgeous way to get creative. It’s the kind of experience that makes you want to buy a copy for everyone in your writer’s circle, to discuss over your next coffee and cake.

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Item Reviewed: Elegy for a Dead World Description: Rating: 5 Reviewed By: Unknown