E3 has started!
...Kinda...
Electronic Arts had
their big live stream today, in which they showed off a bunch of
stuff they are working on. Among these was their new Star Wars
title, Jedi Fallen
Order; and to be frank, it was
the only one worth talking about. So let's do that, let's have a
look at the fifteen minute gameplay demo that put out, and have a
good old gab about it shall we?
Okay,
first thing to note is that EA has been saying all the right things
in regards to this game, specifically that it's a single-player game,
and there won't be any loot boxes. However, given Electronic Art's
conduct in recent years, and in general, colour me sceptical. I'll
certainly give them their chance, but I remain unconvinced that EA
won't tack extra monetisation on to this in some way, although I do
hope to be proven wrong.
Also,
the creation of a single-player game without loot boxes shouldn't be
paraded as a great achievement.
Anyway,
with that little diatribe out of the way, let's actually look at the
game.
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| Copyright © Electronic Arts |
It
looks okay at the moment, there definitely seems to be some influence
from the recent Uncharted or
Tomb Raider games, but
that's not a bad thing. There was some climbing in there, some
slight solving of environmental puzzles, and a fair bit of combat.
There also seems to be a little Sekiro
in there, with the way the main character leaps down to attack, and I
think I even saw a poise gauge in there. Most of what we saw in
regards to traversing the level was fairly standard, but Jedi
Fallen Order adds a
bit of its own flair by bringing in puzzles that require the
application of force powers to solve, which makes sense. It always
seemed a bit odd that a lot of previous Star Wars
games restricted force powers to combat, with the possible exception
of a double jump, when it would have been so very easy to find
creative applications for them.
Speaking
of the combat, it seems to be where most of the focus for this game
lies, and unfortunately it looks somewhat underwhelming at the
moment. Most of the regular enemies look they can be taking out in
one hit, and there wasn't really any oomph to the attacks. Games
like Dynasty Warriors
get around this by having hundreds of enemies on the screen at once,
and letting send multiple enemies flying with a single swing, and the
1-vs-1000 scenario adds a certain intensity. Whilst there are
multiple clever ways to defeat storm troopers in this, the troopers
themselves seem to crumple like paper, and without the sheer.
Of
course, that lack of impact could come from us seeing gameplay from
someone who already knows the game well, and is making what is
normally challenging seem trivial. We'll probably have to wait until
later, when more people get to go hands-on with the game, to get a
more accurate assessment of what the combat is like.
I
do like that this game ties into the new continuity, as the trailer
features an appearance by Saw Gerrera, who was played by Forest
Whitaker in Rogue One. It
will be interesting to see just how much the game will tie into the
current movies and expanded universe, I personally hope to see a
little more, just so long as it doesn't overwhelming.
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| Copyright © Electronic Arts |
I
do hope they make some better references in spoken dialogue though.
At want point a storm trooper makes a reference to the infamous high
ground meme, and although it fit into the spoken dialogue well enough
it still made me groan a little. Perhaps I'm just being cynical, bit
I'd like the references to actually mean something, rather than just
being random.
Also,
I like how the main characters droid is worked into the UI, handing
you medkits, and displaying the map for you. I always like it when
there is an actual in-universe display for maps and menus, it adds
that extra little bit of immersion.
Finally,
I'd like to say that our main character looks … alright. He's a
little plain, a uninteresting, but he definitely looks like step up
from your usual male, action game protagonist; at least he has hair.
There may be some shaven-headed space marines in this game, perhaps
even many of them, but our boy will not be amongst them!
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| Copyright © Electronic Arts |
I
also appreciate how he despite his situation he looks to be an
optimistic yet inexperienced, rather than some kind of jaded veteran. As evidenced by his excitement over the idea that the rebels "need" him.
So
that is all I've got to say for now. Despite how negative I may have
come across in this article, I do think this game shows some
potential, and will be watching its progress with cautious optimism.
Here's to hoping that we see a good Star Wars game
in the relatively near future.
Until
next time ladies and gentlemen,
PhoenixAct.
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