I recently got a chance to travel to a galaxy far, far away in EA and DICE's Star Wars: Battlefront. Being mostly a fan of single-player games, Battlefront was very daunting to me. So daunting that out of the few hours that I've already played, I've only played online a few times.
You see, the game gives you single-player scenarios divided into three sections, Training, Battle and Survival. The latter is a standard horde-mode that doesn't do anything out of the ordinary, especially once you realize that all four maps play exactly the same, and the Battle mode is essentially simulating an online environment with bots. It's the Training missions that got me though, and had me wishing for more just like that.
There are five missions in total: An X-Wing dogfight on Tatooine, a Speederbike chase on Endor, an AT-ST defense mission on Sullust, a Villain mission with Darth Vader and Palpatine destryoing rebels in a Hoth base, and lastly a Hoth mission where you have to take down AT-STs and AT-ATs with your Snowspeeder.
All of these feel like they could have been part of a much larger narrative, since they both open and close with a short cutscene, and have dialogue sprinkled throughout the mission. Granted, most of them retread a story we already know, but does that really matter? Especially to hardcore Star Wars fans?
After completing the X-Wing training mission I decided to hop online and try out Fighter Squadron. The key difference between Fighter Squadron and the training mission is that I didn't feel like the hero. I felt like a disposable pawn, where my death was completely meaningless in the grand scheme of things. I'm not sure who I was supposed to be in the X-Wing mission, whether it was Luke, or Wedge or just some unnamed Rebel Pilot, but I felt like that mission was centered around me. I was the focus, and at the end of the day, I helped take down those Empire fighters and protected the rebel base. That's simply a feeling that, for me, is non-existent when playing online.
Hearing lines like "I can't shake him!" or "I got one!" as I gunned down those poor Tie Fighters, though cliche and overused, felt right for Star Wars, and it immersed me in that brief scenario that much more. But I wanted more. More missions that had me flying on various defense missions, bombing missions. But I guess what I'm asking for is another Rogue Squadron game, so I guess the joke's on me.
This feeling extends further into the online modes that support Hero units. Playing as Luke Skywalker and then being gunned down by a random Empire drone, and lastly being teabagged as Luke just sits there taking it, is truly one of the most depressing sights. Lovely. "That's just how I remember Star Wars!" said literally no one, ever. Playing as a Hero rarely feels like it should.
But ultimately, the reason why I wish there was more single-player content was because there simply is no impact of winning or losing a battle online. Sure, you can play Walker Assault on Hoth, which is supposed to emulate the Battle of Hoth from Empire Strikes Back. But either side can win, which makes the whole battle seem pointless in the grand scheme of things. The Hoth missions were among my favorite in any past Star Wars title, as it allowed me to relive that epic moment, ultimately taking down the giant AT-ATs single-handedly. In Battlefront, since any outcome is possible, there is no weight to the results. Simply, winning or losing, and then rinse and repeat. A single player scenario gives you a much higher sense of purpose, because if you fail, the game is over.
Let's take this a step further and look at the upcoming Battle of Jakku map that will be released in December. There is only one outcome of that battle, the movie proves that. And yet, the outcome in Battlefront doesn't matter. Sometimes the good guys will win, other times, the bad guys, again, completely eliminating any sort of weight of the battle. At least that's what single-player missions would fix, bringing that sense of importance to each and every battle.
So here I am, replaying those same missions over and over, enjoying myself mind you, with a slight hope that somewhere, EA is collecting data on just how much people are playing those. Perhaps in the inevitable sequel, we'll see a much more fleshed out single-player campaign.
