New Star Wars Battlefront Modes: “Blast” & “Fighter Squadron”!

Prepare For Take OffElectronic Arts has released bits of information about Star Wars Battlefront in time for this week’s Gamescom convention in Germany. To build up hype for this even, EA has released new information regarding two modes – “Blast”, which is the deathmatch mode, and “Fighter Squadron”, which is a mode based entirely on aerial warfare.

 

From the official Electronic Arts website:

 

When you’re hungry for a classic, challenging game mode within the Star Wars universe, there is one obvious choice: Blast.

Star Wars Battlefront’s Team Deathmatch mode, Blast, pits the Rebel and Imperial factions against each other with intense 10 versus 10 battles. If your team reaches 100 kills, or are ahead when the 10-minute round is over, you’ve won. Immediate, addictive, and exciting until the very last kill; that is our ambition with Blast.

Blast

Blast offers a lot of variety both in terms of gameplay and the unpredictable nature of the opposing team. Actual levels within the mode also happen to hold great variation as well.

To keep the action dense in this close-quarters mode, the Blast maps are not as vast as in other game modes. You should know that they are all specifically designed for the specific game mode in mind; in other words, these aren’t just smaller versions of maps used elsewhere.

To keep the battles concise and tight-knit, heroes/villains and vehicles will not be available for use in Blast mode (and if the image above is of any indication, it’s not hard to see why vehicles would be impractical for gameplay); pick-ups will prove to be important in-game. It’s sounding like this time around, the game’s maps are being tailored to the modes, and not the modes to the map. Furthermore, from the descriptions of certain map details in the full article (which mentions indoor levels for Sullust and Endor, ice caves on Hoth, and canyons and Sandcrawlers on Tatooine), I’m beginning to think that there might be more than 12 multiplayer maps in the main game based on the variety of modes that are brought up.

 

The mode that a lot of people seem to be the most interested in is the newest – Fighter Squadron. The absence of space battles has been lamented by the fans, and many were under the impression that the iconic starships of Star Wars would not be put to use to their full potential. However, DICE did not let major aerial battles – which is what space battles are, just without the space – go without notice, as demonstrated in this article’s picture and the following clip…

 

 

The clip shown above gives us a better look at how aerial combat works within the game, with the first glimpses of the A-wing and the TIE Interceptor. While there won’t be actual space battles, the excitement will still be there in spirit. Given the sheer scale and uniqueness of the environments shown in the footage, it looks like Fighter Squadron mode more than makes up for the absence of full-scale space battles.

 

EA’s Gamescom presentation will occur this Wednesday. We’ll be back with coverage on the game (and potentially more, if Visceral reveals anything) when the time arrives.

 

+ posts

Grant has been a fan of Star Wars for as long as he can remember, having seen every movie on the big screen. When he’s not hard at work with his college studies, he keeps himself busy by reporting on all kinds of Star Wars news for SWNN and general movie news on the sister site, Movie News Net. He served as a frequent commentator on SWNN’s The Resistance Broadcast.

Grant Davis (Pomojema)

Grant has been a fan of Star Wars for as long as he can remember, having seen every movie on the big screen. When he’s not hard at work with his college studies, he keeps himself busy by reporting on all kinds of Star Wars news for SWNN and general movie news on the sister site, Movie News Net. He served as a frequent commentator on SWNN’s The Resistance Broadcast.

53 thoughts on “New Star Wars Battlefront Modes: “Blast” & “Fighter Squadron”!

  • August 4, 2015 at 8:38 am
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    Like we haven’t seen enough x wings lately.

    • August 4, 2015 at 6:17 pm
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      But it would be good to see this kind of chase scenes in TFA – I think…

    • August 4, 2015 at 10:47 pm
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      That A-Wing plus Tie Interceptor plus guntower shot is awesome in the clip. I hope it reflects the movie.

  • August 4, 2015 at 8:57 am
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    Half of the fun of space battles was that they happened in space, in a 3D environment. While Fighter Squadron mode looks fun, it doesn’t really compare to actual space battles; it feels like DICE is saying “Look, you get to fly ships and that’s the same thing, right?” No dice, DICE.

    I’ve said it before: I’ll play this game and judge it after that. But my excitement is extremely tempered by what I’ve read. Battlefront 3 would have been an exciting and unique game; DICE’s Battlefront looks more like a generic shooter with a Star Wars cover, complete with run of the mill dogfights in the atmosphere. Oh well…

    • August 4, 2015 at 10:39 am
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      Personally I never liked the space battles. Mostly because it lacked the sense of speed. What would be cool though is if it would be possible to go to space by just flying up. … Where you could find orbiting Star Destroyers.

      • August 4, 2015 at 12:13 pm
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        That’s exactly what Battlefront 3 was supposed to feature…in 2008. And DICE didn’t even consider doing anything similar, according to their production diaries.

    • August 4, 2015 at 4:33 pm
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      I think the problem was that the game had to come out before EP7. I guess DICE decided to minimise release features in order to ensure they have a stable, balanced and playable game.

      Within that constraint, I think this is preferable

    • August 4, 2015 at 7:37 pm
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      *sigh* Honey. You seem to have forgotten that this is a reboot of Battlefront 1. There were no space battles in that game. Just fighter battles.

      • August 4, 2015 at 8:21 pm
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        It’s not specifically a remake of BF1 though. It’s a reboot of the franchise; if they were remaking BF1, they would have touted it as such. Instead, they act like this is the end-all Star Wars experience when it is lacking sooo much that the original franchise had a decade ago. I’ll chalk it up to the gaming industry today being more about style than substance, but it’s still disappointing. I’ll play it, I might even enjoy it, but there will always be that part of me that wishes we had gotten BF3 instead.

  • August 4, 2015 at 9:02 am
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    Are there any leaks or rumors about what is going to be shown/presented at D23 next week?

    • December 4, 2014 at 11:07 am
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      I hear whispers that there’s something big in store for the event.

      Bear in mind, that could effectively be anything. But I get the feeling it’s something we don’t know a lot about.

  • August 4, 2015 at 9:26 am
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    I need this now!

  • August 4, 2015 at 9:30 am
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    If we could have a Star Wars version of War Thunder, I’d be very, very happy…

    • August 4, 2015 at 12:12 pm
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      Yes but without the constant grind !

    • August 4, 2015 at 12:44 pm
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      I’m always saying this. I’d even want them to keep arcade/simulator game modes.

  • August 4, 2015 at 9:45 am
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    I’m most likely going to skip this one i saw the gameplay and it seems too much like a Battlefield 4 reskin.

    • August 4, 2015 at 1:11 pm
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      I thought the game looked a bit more like Halo than Battlefield. No player classes, powerups scattered around the map, and bubble-shields are everywhere.

      I actually would have been happier with a Battlefield reskin than what they’ve made.

  • August 4, 2015 at 10:06 am
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    Looks pretty rad to me.

  • August 4, 2015 at 10:38 am
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    Noticing a trend here in new Star Wars media: spaceships that aren’t in space! Every clip fr the TFA trailers showing X-Wings and the Falcon have been in atmosphere and now this. Why are capital ships in atmosphere? I think perhaps Lucasfilm/Disney believes that audiences will think battles in space will be boring.

    • August 4, 2015 at 11:01 am
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      I can’t speak for Disney, but I remember seeing Douglas Chang’s pre-production art of Naboo fighters in the clouds, and I got my hopes up that Episode one would have a visually stunning “in atmosphere” dogfight. I thought that would have been a creative use of the Star Wars Universe, but alas just a derivative space battle. That’s not to say that I wouldn’t love to see more in space (as I’m sure they will pepper throughout the ST). But I am psyched for the new visual dynamic of fighters zipping through the sky 🙂

      • August 4, 2015 at 4:30 pm
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        I would love a battle on Naboo. Just thinking about it makes me warm. Running in the hangar with the naboo pilot. Jumping into the N1 Starfighter. Leaving the hangar bay and swoshing over the green fields and water falls.

    • August 4, 2015 at 11:59 am
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      “Noticing a trend here in new Star Wars media: spaceships that aren’t in space! Every clip fr the TFA trailers showing X-Wings and the Falcon have been in atmosphere and now this.”

      Jesus. You really think they were gonna show us clips from TFA’s climax space battle 8 months ahead of the film?

      • August 4, 2015 at 2:54 pm
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        Good news!!! Now only four months. So less waiting. 🙂

      • August 4, 2015 at 5:02 pm
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        The trailers for both ROTS and ROTJ featured glimpses of their respective space battles… So it would not be out of character for a movie series called STAR WARS to feature space battles in their advertisement.

        Just saying…

  • August 4, 2015 at 10:39 am
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    Star Wars fans are the most difficult fans. I mean, they finally get us a new star wars videogame, and we’re “There’s no space battles, this sucks.” They got us earlier three movies, and you were “Too much CGI, these suck.” They finally work out a timeline and fill it up with novels that get canonized, and we’re “This stuff sucks.” Come on. What kind of a fanbase is this.
    P.S: I love this game so far, and I would play it, if I had a console.

    • August 4, 2015 at 10:48 am
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      Um, what kind of fan base accepts everything within a brand without scrutiny?

      • August 4, 2015 at 3:27 pm
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        It’s not anymore about a simple scrutiny… it starts to be criticism towards everything done for the fans. Can’t you see?

      • August 4, 2015 at 7:12 pm
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        1. You have to remember that Star Wars, even though it can be enjoyed by people of all ages, the true goal is that it’s for youth and young adults. It’s a space fantasy for young generations to enjoy and have fun in watching.

        2. It’s ok for people to have different opinions. What’s not ok is for people to try to pass of their opinions as facts and to force those views onto others. What’s also not ok is to criticize people that like something that you don’t like and to make them feel bad for liking it.

        3. The ideas for Star Wars products are not up for committee. Disney/LFL does not host focus groups in seeking idea inputs for their products, be it movies, TV shows, books, comics, games (well, maybe a little for this area, but for the other stuff, not not really), etc. You have a right to like or dislike what’s out there but don’t assume everyone else dislikes what you dislike (and vice versa.

        4. It’s better to use the word “criticize” than “scrutinize”. Why? Because by using the word “scrutinize” it’s implied that the object of which you’re critiquing has a couple of flaws and you’re just focused on finding flaws. It’s mainly a matter of semantics.

        • August 4, 2015 at 7:59 pm
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          You made a point I’d like to address. The whole “pass opinions off as facts” argument is being used too much to shut down anyone who expresses their opinion. I think we can all agree that most people who post comments are implicitly giving their opinion. Even it they say “it’s a fact”, we all still know it’s just their opinion. I don’t feel we need to be reminded of the “opinion/fact” concept every time someone dislikes a particular aspect of the franchise. Also, regarding the target audience (youth/young adults), any artist must be mindful of how the whole audience will interpret their work. Many of the people who were young adults (like myself) when the PT came out were severely disappointed by the prequels (not all, but many). There is a catharsis to voicing those criticisms (almost like a coping mechanism), as these movies are super important to us. I went to see TPM 11 times in the theater, hoping desperately to like it. It gives me some comfort knowing that others share my criticisms. If enough people share my misgivings about it, then maybe we’ll get better stories/characters in future installments. And of course by “better” I mean better in “my opinion”.

          • August 4, 2015 at 8:13 pm
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            Plus I’m seeing a lot of people on here trying to make anyone who dislikes the PT feel bad by marginalizing them with labels like “hater” “basher” “troll” or, even worse, putting an entire generation (gen-x) in one all-encompassing stereotype. It’s funny that we all think we’re the greatest generation at some point, and we’re all wrong.

  • August 4, 2015 at 11:37 am
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    I’ve always loved that alarm sound from Star Wars. Also… I wonder if that trailer is completely fabricated for hype or if it’s a player versus A.I mode. Because I counted more ships than the player cap.

    Which is still outstanding news as I plan to play bots more than people!

  • August 4, 2015 at 12:09 pm
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    We should get a solid space/air battle-only Star Wars game within a few years.

    • August 4, 2015 at 12:41 pm
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      Someday, someone needs to make a Star Wars game with a good mix of on-foot and space missions. Shadows of the Empire nearly had it right, but was missing Jedi/lightsabers.

      But yeah… may as well just reboot the Rogue Squadron/X-Wing/TIE-Fighter games. Include a good single-player/cooperative campaign, and have large scale multiplayer battles. All of that with graphics and audio on par with this new Battlefront would be fantastic.

  • August 4, 2015 at 12:33 pm
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    I’ve no interest in Blast – team deathmatch is so Quake II/1997 – but fighter squadrons is probably the first thing I’ve seen that appeals to me.

    If only EA/LucasFilm knew how much I’ve been dying to play a solid Star Wars fighter game/sim.

  • August 4, 2015 at 12:53 pm
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    In the name of the mighty Sarlacc, no Death Star attack level?.

    Luke mode on: nooooooooooooooo

  • August 4, 2015 at 5:24 pm
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    They’re saving all the good shit for the next few installments so you have a reason to buy them.

  • August 4, 2015 at 5:29 pm
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    I was confused to why they even had to announce blast mode. There is absolutely nothing new with TDM in shooter games.

  • August 4, 2015 at 5:52 pm
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    While Fighter Squadron mode looks like a helluva lot of fun, it reminds me of the first Rogue Squadron game for N64. While I enjoyed it, it always felt very limited to me in that none of it took place in space. When Rogue Leader came out for Gamecube, THAT was what I’d been waiting for all along.

    Now, after the fantastic space battles of SW: Battlefront II, this does feel like a bit of a step backward. I assume the goal here was to rush a functional game out before TFA opens, and that’s fine, but I really do hope that they give us some bona fide space combat, either via DLC or in the next version of the game.

    • August 5, 2015 at 12:43 am
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      Space battles in Battlefront 2 were awful. Whoever thought that giving missiles to TIE fighters would be a good idea should be shot.
      That, and the whole boarding mechanic ruined the experience for me.

  • August 4, 2015 at 8:04 pm
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    looks cool. Im happy theres a TDM mode. i think space battles are boring and overrated. it was just flying around in the abyss. at least in the atmosphere theres obstacles to fly around. we could still get some in DLC. player customization is what im happy about. customize ships and weapons is pretty cool

    • August 5, 2015 at 12:45 am
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      Does “asteroid field” mean anything to you?
      Or how about a map with two large opposing fleets attacking each other at close range?

  • August 4, 2015 at 8:48 pm
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    It reminds me of this Star Wars Battle Pod game I played at a arcade.

  • August 4, 2015 at 9:44 pm
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    Red 5 Standing By!

  • August 4, 2015 at 10:56 pm
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    Wonder if those SD’s will do anything… Like a fleet vs fleet thing ala Coral Sea from BF1942.

    Would be a shame if you couldn’t reach them or they are there just for show taking potshots at you if you get too close.

    • August 5, 2015 at 12:40 am
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      I sure miss the fleet vs fleet maps in BF1942. Carriers have been indestructible and uncapturable bases ever since BF2, with the exception of Titan mode in BF2142 and Carrier Assault in BF4.
      Would love to see a return to functional ships again… at least the general/commander in 2142 could move the titans around the map.

      I’m pretty sure the Stardestroyers are purely for show.

  • August 5, 2015 at 12:49 am
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    Crikey there’s a lot of pessimistic folk on here!

    I think this game is going to be awesome! Visuals look stunning and the Frostbite engine is superb.
    The Battlefield games have all been very good, much better than COD fir realism and scope in my opinion.

    And those saying it’s just Battlefield 4 with Star Wars skins… You can pilot an AT-AT for crying out loud!

    May the force be with us all in this year of Star Wars awesomeness!

    • August 5, 2015 at 4:08 am
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      I wish it were a Battlefield 4 reskin. Although I’m glad people are unable to spawn as rocket troopers, dropping classes in favour of weapon pickups isn’t the answer.
      Bubble shields never existed in the original trilogy.
      The 2 Fetts were the only people to have jetpacks in the entire series.
      Survival missions and team deatchmatch do not interest me in the slightest.

      So far, the only thing that appeals to my interests, is Fighter Squadrons.

      • August 5, 2015 at 12:40 pm
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        Star Wars video games have never ever adhered to canon my friend. Neither did the original Battlefront games. There’s things wrong with the Rogue Squadron games as well as the Jedi Knight games.

        Sometimes, and I mean all of the time actually, studios sacrifice canon/sense for fun gameplay and more enjoyable mechanics.

        • August 5, 2015 at 1:37 pm
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          That’s not true. Plenty of Star Wars games have adhered to canon. Even games that go into expanded universe, like Shadows of the Empire and Jedi Knight do a pretty good job of maintaining the functional rules of the Star Wars universe (what’s wrong with Jedi Knight?)

          The original battlefront games weren’t too bad, except when it came to those awful space battles.

          Rogue squadron’s biggest crime was adding in those annoying obstacles in the Death Star trench run.

          Bubble shields, jet packs, and heroes are completely unnecessary in battlefront. Not only are they contrary to the canon, but they turn a tactical multiplayer battle simulator into a Halo/Titanfall clone. That’s not exactly my idea of fun.

    • August 5, 2015 at 3:37 pm
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      Someone got Slave I’s flying wrong – the wing(s) isn’t down. But I have to admit, this mode looks to be pretty promising! But I honestly wish it had planetary to space battles like the PSP versions of Battlefront as well as PT/Clone battles. But I know on the latter, everyone has their opinion on that, and that’s fine.

      I think in short, I just hope that there’s a ton of content on disc in rollout, more than what I believe will actually be available. I’d rather not have to download a ton of DLC packs…

  • August 5, 2015 at 12:38 pm
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    https://youtu.be/yjqqwZGNHPg

    Full trailer released. After every other disappointing piece of information for this game, I’d almost buy it just for this.

  • August 5, 2015 at 3:20 pm
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    After seeing the full trailer… I hope they add a SP/Co-op mode where you battle A.I like a horde mode… only in the air!

    Having both the ground and air versions of that makes this game totally worth it. I hope they do it.

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