Star Wars Battlefront may lack “depth,” To no One’s Surprise

Star Wars Battlefront was a highly talked about and anticipated game. The constant “dev” reveals showcased amazing graphics and artists visit to the actual filming locations to capture the soul of the Star Wars films. Then EA released a sneak preview under the guise of a “beta”. The world (including me) collectively crapped their pants to download and play this game. But a great disturbance in the force was felt instead…

If you feel that the latest Star Wars Battlefront was a soulless, empty shell of a game with a pretty face, your not wrong. The shallowness as reported by Gamespot, and admitted to by Electronic Arts Chief Financial Officer Blake Jorgensen said at the Nasdaq Investor Conference in Europe last week that the game is actually meant to be that way.

“We had designed it to be a much more accessible product to a wide age group,” Jorgensen said, noting that it’s one of just a few teen-rated shooters on the market. “So, an eight-year-old could play with his father on the couch, as well as a teenager or 20-year-old could play the game and enjoy it. It is more accessible. And for the hardcore, it may not have the depth that they wanted in the game.”

I can respect his frank answer, but… it’s a bit of a risky design choice, isn’t it? To be honest, this is an insult to an 8 year old’s intelligence. I grew up with the 8bit Nintendo playing Mario, Final Fantasy, Crystalis and more, which all had far more depth and complexity than this overly simplified FPS.

I enjoyed my time with the beta, but I also came away from it feeling like I’d experienced more or less everything that the game had to offer. I even canceled my Delux Edition pre-order, something I have NEVER done in my long history of gaming.  The full release, has more levels, more weapons, and more vehicles, but nothing in the beta made me think any of this would improve, the core experience in any significant way. In a genre dominated by free-to-play games, gamers are going to expect more from a premium-priced release.

It’s seriously time to boycott EA until they get their act together. Having a landslide vote in favor of the “Worst Company in America” 2 years in a row, any sane person would think they’ve have gone through a huge organizational and business model change by now. Seriously world, it’s time to Boycott EA and get the Star Wars contract out of their hands.