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

      0 / 28 May 2015

      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.

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Monday, May 25, 2015
Home > VideoGames > Sword Coast Legends: The return of the dungeon master

Sword Coast Legends: The return of the dungeon master

It’s a bit of a crowded market for PC RPGs nowadays. In fact, there’s such a wealth of great stuff that it’s becoming hard to stand out from the pack. What can a dev do to catch the attention of consumers? Well, you can get the license of the granddaddy of all RPGs, Dungeons and Dragons. You could then opt for the Forgotten Realms setting, the host of many beloved campaigns and books not to mention PC classics like Baldur’s Gate.

But maybe that’s still not quite enough. What the game needs is something big, unique, and dynamic, a chance for players to truly experience the same sort of chaos and camaraderie that the best tabletop D&D sessions offer. Can a PC RPG accomplish that? If what we saw of Sword Coast Legends is any indication, the answer is a resounding “yes.”


Sword Coast Legends developers n-Space and Digital Extremes are obviously big D&D fans, and for this new title, they’ve partnered closely with Wizards of the Coast to make sure even the smallest details stay true to the setting. Many of the team’s staff members are quite experienced with the setting, having previously worked on the likes of Baldur’s Gate and Neverwinter Nights. That alone should be enough to get you interested, but there’s plenty more.

The game features a robust, fully-voiced single player campaign with a player-customizable party, of which we were shown a slice. Our demo had a team of adventurers searching for the powerful necromancer, the Ashen Priest. The party was to meet a contact within a city whose gates had been locked, and they needed to sneak in through the underground sewers. They fought their way through the underground (with classic pause-and-play style combat), looted a few corpses, fought Dead Rats bandits, chased down our (sadly deceased) contact, and eventually took on a zombie horde. It looked beautiful, it sounded great, and was plenty fun.

But that was nothing compared to what the game offers in multiplayer. What truly makes Sword Coast Legends so exciting is the fact that, for the first time in an RPG like this, you can play as a Dungeon Master and shape the adventure around the players. As the DM, you pick the size, number of floors, and creature set for a dungeon, then proceed to change the flow of the game dynamically using a resource called “threat.” Threat is gained by your interactions with the party, and can be used to alter encounters, spawn monsters, set traps, and more. Giving the party a good challenge but not being a complete jerk rewards the DM with more Threat and special “DM loot” like new monsters to use.

Sword Coast Legends isn’t due out until late this year, but what we saw of the game and the sheer awesome potential of DM mode was more than enough to get us hyped up. If you love classic PC RPGs and have always dreamed of crafting your own adventures, Sword Coast Legends should rank high on your watchlist.

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    Item Reviewed: Sword Coast Legends: The return of the dungeon master Description: Rating: 5 Reviewed By: Unknown
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