What A Piece Of Junk!

The much anticipated update to the Star Wars Battlefront game has finally been released on a multitude of platforms and after having been mostly underwhelmed by the Beta version I can say that the full release isn't much better.

It is a beautiful looking game. It looks and feels like the scenes we've watched on the big screen and you do get to immerse yourself in the Star Wars universe for some fun Stormtrooper blasting (or Rebel blasting if you join the Dark Side) but the controls and general interface of the game are clunky, cumbersome and downright a pain-in-the-ass to use.

First off, for the main screen interface, you need to be born with Hawkeye's abilities from The Avengers. The fonts and icons are incredibly small and that's me playing on a 47" Flatscreen from nominal viewing distance. I think it was developed for computer platforms rather than gaming systems.

Part of the lack-luster game-play may come from the sense that I have been playing Bungie's Destiny for the past year and a half and its game flow is far superior. It's like driving a Ferrari for a living and then being told you will have to commute to work with a Smart Car.

If you are not a fan of Star Wars I honestly believe you will get absolutely nothing out of Star Wars Battlefront. It is definitely not a game worth owning. I'm extremely glad I passed on the $69 Season Pass.

All that said the game does have one redeeming quality. You do get to do missions with vehicles (although not in space). X-Wings! TIE Fighters! This is something that has been missing from the gaming world for a long while. Is it worth the price tag? I feel a bit ripped off having paid $89 plus tax for the Deluxe Edition but at least I'm having fun behind the cockpit of an X-Wing.

Maybe there will be some upgrades to the gaming engine down the road, but until then this game rates two stars out of five for me. I'd rather be levelling up my Warlock and putting a few new holes in Oryx, The Taken King.

Where's Luke?

There has been a net-wide flurry of chatter over the absence of Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) from The Force Awakens trailers. We have yet to see a character specific poster for the aged Jedi either unlike the other prominent Original Trilogy cast members.

So where is Master Luke?

Has he become an old hermit like Obi-Wan was in A New Hope? Has he turned to The Dark Side and is secretly Kylo Ren? Is he dead and just a Jedi Spirit along with Yoda, Ben and Anakin? There is no shortage of theories amongst fans for Luke's well orchestrated absence so I will throw my own hat into the ring.

I believe Luke has exiled himself after failing at trying to rebuild the Jedi Order. His failure comes at a cost that is deeply personal and has put a wedge between him and his sister Leia and the heroes that helped bring down The Empire. The Force is strong in his family and this includes his nephew whom he took it upon himself to train in the ways of the Jedi despite Han and Leia's disapproval. Kylo Ren is Luke's failure. Kylo Ren is Leia's son. Han is the father.

I could be completely wrong but if the trailers aren't laced with "fake" scenes then it makes the most sense to me story-wise. And Rey? Rey could be Luke's daughter or Han and Leia's but the former feels more plausible. She's no one... A young woman without a mother (possibly killed by an angry young Jedi turning against his master) and abandoned by a failure of a father (said Master).

So how do you defeat a rising new order ruled by someone you still love? How do you repair so many relationships entwined with a common thread? After 30 years what will bring everyone back together to save the galaxy and where do you go from there?

What happens when The Force Awakens?