Star Wars Battlefront review round-up (Updated)

Word has it that Star Wars Battlefront is stunning to look at and provides some brilliant – and incredibly authentic – Star Wars moments but the fun doesn’t last for long, with many critics claiming that after 10 hours or so tedium was starting to settle.

A lack of content, then, is its biggest failing. Surprisingly though, reviewers found that being a relatively simple and straightforward shooter was a strength rather than a downfall. Accessibility is something DICE has seemingly nailed.

At the time of typing the space-bound shooter is yet to receive a score higher than 8.5 from Metacritic’s pool of 20+ reviews.

This makes us wonder if EA will reconsider their estimate of 13 million copies sold by March 2016 – we’re sure they were expecting to see a few 9/10s and perhaps even some 10/10s to whip up a last minute pre-order frenzy.

A review round-up follows:

8.5 – God is a Geek: “Accessible, well made and full of really, really cool moments, it’s hard not to love it”

8.1 – Game Trailers: “Despite the lack of battlegrounds, characters, and a story-driven, campaign structure, Star Wars Battlefront is an epic, cinematic experience. If you’ve felt the force awakening in you this year, let it in”

8/10 – The Metro: “One of the best-looking video games ever made and although relatively shallow the spectacle and excitement of the Star Wars universe comes across superbly well”

8.0 – IGN: “Star Wars Battlefront captures the essence of the original trilogy, but applies it to an uneven set of modes”

4/5 – Time: “By stripping out the story and making the whole affair a leaner grab bag, DICE is pitching an immaculately visualized arcade-casual experience”

4/5 – GamesRadar: “A beautiful recreation of Star Wars, and a solid if simple shooter. This is a game you’ll love intensely albeit for a short space of time”

4/5 – The Telegraph: “This is not an armoury for the hardcore, for the 200-hour player. This is a glass display case for Star Wars fans, a relatively simply playset offering accessible tactical combinations that are always things from the movies first, things to play with second”

7.5 – GameInformer: “It’s a game I plan to revisit often, but not for extended periods of time. Forthcoming DLC could certainly change this approach, but for the time being, the thrills out of the box are extremely limited”

7.0 – EGM: “The Star Wars Battlefront name is holding strong, but if this is set to reboot the franchise, they could have packed a little more meat on its bones”

7/10 – GameSpot: “Battlefront feels more like an [sic] homage to Star Wars than a substantial Star Wars game in itself”

7/10 – The Sixth Axis: “Undeniably, if you’re a Star Wars fan, Battlefront remains one of the year’s most essential purchases – and you can probably add an extra point to the score below – but you will have to rely on, and invest in, DICE’s future plans for it to be an experience you’ll return to time and time again”

7/10 – VideoGamer: “Too limited in its maps and modes to keep people hooked, it will nevertheless provide enough fun to jump onto once in a while, hear that famous score and maybe take down an AT-AT”

3.5/5 – US Gamer: “It may reach its potential in a year; but for now, it’s one more potentially great game sabotaged by what appears to be a cynical marketing plan”

3.5/5 – Attack of the Fanboy: “While it stacks up in terms of presentation to other contemporary shooters, Battlefront is an extraordinarily thin offering when it comes to content, making it less enjoyable the more you play it”

6/10 – Destructoid: “Star Wars Battlefront feels authentic in many ways, but that authenticity is aggressively pursued at the cost of gameplay, and is often tacked-on. If you’re in the mood for a relatively shallow shooter with caveats you likely won’t be disappointed, but I wish that DICE had a little more time to polish it and add more substance”

3/5 – Giant Bomb: “Battlefront initially checks all of the boxes for being a great Star Wars game, but its limited amount of content and lack of meaningful progression kept me from wanting to return for more than a brief visit”

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