Battlefront 2 forced into the open
Death Star levels, space battles, a proper story mode and more according to a preview in Official PS2 Magazine UK.
As some of you may have spotted already, the May issue of Official PlayStation 2 Magazine UK features an extensive overview of Star Wars: Battlefront 2, the sequel to last year's squad-based online shooter, shedding light on a number of details that ought to leave even previously abstinent Star Wars aficionados salivating like Jabba the Hut in front of a pick-and-mix counter.
According to OPS2's preview information, developer Pandemic is building an expansive sequel that remains true to the core values of the first Battlefront whilst also curing a few of its ills.
The team has been mining the original trilogy for more classic scenarios, with talk of Death Star levels featuring the infamous Princess Leia rescue improv, as well as the chance to visit new planets featured in Star Wars Episode III, one of which will be the fiery cauldron of unpleasantness where young Anakin is expected to blacken his name somewhat.
Battlefront 2 is also promising playable Jedi characters, where the original only featured them as marauding and often wildly incongruous NPCs. Pandemic is currently trying to balance the advantages brought by sabre skills and Force powers with believable vulnerabilities. Then there will be Dark and Light alignment concerns to consider.
And, in a nod to the Battlefield series which so clearly influenced it, Battlefront 2 will also open the door to proper space battles rather than mild aerial skirmishing, and these sections will not be isolated, so you could conceivably land inside a ship and battle your way to its heart on foot.
Pandemic is also pledging a proper story-driven single-player game this time around, although it's not clear whether it will replace or merely complement the original's "campaigns" of loosely scenarios. (Our money's on the former.)
There are also said to be key improvements to AI and the systems that govern online gaming in the PS2 and Xbox versions. Clan management should be in, as should persistent stat tracking, according to OPS2's preview.
For more information and some rather glorious-looking screenshots (think: more incidental detail and a Prince of Persia-style soft edge to the visuals), we recommend checking out the May issue of Official PlayStation 2 Magazine UK for yourself.
We'd expect to see and hear a great deal more from Battlefront 2 at E3 this time next month.
