Our Imperial Cadet Alleef Ashaari booted up Star Wars: Battlefront II a few days earlier than everyone else and here are his early thoughts of the game that’s going through hard times – even before it is open to public tonight.

Amidst all the controversy and outcry regarding EA’s microtransactions, I booted up my copy of Star Wars Battlefront II Elite Trooper Deluxe Edition, a few days in advance ahead of the Standard Edition’s release on Friday. Is it worth it and how does the final product hold up against the complaints? Let’s find out. 

Warning: Potential Spoilers Abound. You have been warned. Article continues after the video:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNUTWw17rkM&w=560&h=315]

In case you’ve been living under a rock (or somewhere in the Outer Rims), The Battlefront II campaign places you in the role of Commander Iden Versio, in charge of Imperial Special Forces commando unit Inferno Squad and daughter of an Imperial admiral. Playing on the side from the perspective of those fighting for the Empire makes for a unique experience and a dream come true for Star Wars fans like me who sometimes prefer the Dark Side. In the very first level, I encountered an easter egg when Admiral Ackbar appeared in a hologram and speaks to the Rebel forces whilst the player attempts to escape the Rebel Cruiser with our trusty Imperial Probe Droid named… Droid. The next mission has the player fighting on Endor, eventually witnessing the destruction of the Second Death Star during the events of Episode VI: Return of The Jedi. Thereafter, you escape Endor on a TIE fighter and fly through the ruins of the Second Death Star while avoiding the space debris, which was truly a sight to behold.

The shooting feels satisfying enough and it’s extremely exhilarating using the most authentic blasters ever recreated in a game. The sound and visual effects are top-notch, further cementing the notion of starring in your own Star Wars movie. However, it still feels weird that you can’t take cover in shootouts but that’s just my pet peeve. I like using my Droid to zap unsuspecting Rebels in the back using my Imperial baton stick to beat them into submission. Star Wars Battlefront II really makes the player feel like an elite Imperial Commander, exterminating these Rebel scum for the glory of the Galactic Empire.

The starfighter sections in the campaign are decent and you have to complete a few objectives while getting hounded by X-fighters but besides that, to be frank it’s much more exciting and intense in multiplayer mode when you’re up against real players. I’m playing on the hardest difficulty and I still managed to fly circles around the enemies’ X-Wings. The starfighter sections does make me miss the aerial dogfighting in Ace Combat and I hope I’m not the only one eagerly anticipating 2018’s Ace Combat 7:  Skies Unknown.

Speaking of multiplayer, I haven’t been able to pour in adequate amount of hours into it to warrant a fair assessment of it. However I did managed some rounds of Galactic Assault and Starfighter Assault during the Beta phase. We will update you with our thoughts of it in the following days.

On the subject of loot crates, in-game currencies and whatnot, I can tell you the game doesn’t do a good job of explaining it, if at all. I received a bunch of loot crates from the get-go since I pre-ordered the Elite Trooper Deluxe Edition but heck if I know what most of the Star Cards, etc actually does. For a breakdown of how Star Wars Battlefront II’s loot boxes and progression system works, head on over here.

I sincerely hope that no matter what how you feel about EA’s microtransaction policy, the developers deserve to be supported when they make good games. I haven’t played enough to write a full-fledged objective review yet but what little I’ve played so far has been great. Stay tuned on Kakuchopurei for future updates on Star War Battlefront II and other gaming news.