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General Chat => Video Games => Topic started by: Infinit01 on October 05, 2020, 02:30:35 PM



Title: Star Wars: Squadrons Review
Post by: Infinit01 on October 05, 2020, 02:30:35 PM
(https://images.pushsquare.com/screenshots/109186/large.jpg)
After owning and playing the game for a few days, I will say that it's a good game despite most of it being repetition (IE: space dogfights (mainly team death match), escorting a larger ship, or attacking enemy escorts).  You have four star fighters to chose both on the Republic and Empire's side. Each ship flies and handles differently so mastering them along with constantly swapping powers between weapons, shields, etc. is something you'll have to master as well.  I love it and see a lot of potential for this game in future updates. The leveling system is great, there's no battle passes like 99% of the multiplayer games and you just rank up for the pilot and to upgrade weapons and your ship.

(https://imgix.bustle.com/uploads/image/2020/9/30/c53be319-b82c-4796-a9cf-3e7a774bca02-n.jpg?w=760&h=427.5&auto=format%2Ccompress&cs=srgb&q=70&fit=max&crop=faces)

(https://www.gematsu.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Star-Wars-Squads_08-27-20.jpg)
Campaign
You will pilot both the Republic and Empire star ships depending on the level in campaign mode and what side you're placed with when playing multiplayer so it's really good to play all star fighters for both sides so you can get the feel what ships are best equipped for missions and battles instead of only leveling up one side. Think of the campaign as a really long tutorial for multiplayer which is what it really is but disguised with a small story.  Pay attention and replay each mission as often as you like, this will further hone your skills so that you'll become an effective pilot in multiplayer.

Mutiplayer
(https://images.pushsquare.com/screenshots/109188/large.jpg)

(https://images.pushsquare.com/screenshots/109189/large.jpg)

Squadrons keeps multiplayer lean with only two modes: dogfights (aka team death match) and Fleet Battles, which are tug-of-war contests between two enemy capital ships. If you destroy enough of the enemy team's fighters, you can push forward on the offensive, defeating two medium-size cruisers before tackling the Imperial Star Destroyer or Republic MC75. Fleet Battles are great play spaces because they demand some strategy, but still allow for plenty of flexibility—they provide structure to dogfights that give moment-to-moment victories more meaning. This is a good thing since it forces you to make decisions more complex than picking the fastest ship for a dogfight and going into the fight all guns blazing.  You have to learn how to coordinate attacks, keep enemies off your teams as well as defending the larger and slower ships.

(https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/9mhHVa5zMymZQwtp8LpAvC-650-80.png.webp)

The Pros:
The game is visually stunning and instead of seeing the emptiness of space, each 'map' has a gorgeous background where I often stop to take screen shots of. It looks even better in 4K so if you're able to, play it in 4K. You won't regret it. You can pilot a heavy bomber and work on dealing large damage to capital ships; however, you'll need teammates in nimbler craft, like the A-Wing or TIE Interceptor, to take down enemy fighters. Imperial teams really need a support ship, which can provide them temporary shields, to stick it out in longer battles against the New Republic. The cockpit of each star fighter is really where the game shines, the detail in design along with the monolog during dogfights whether it's the campaign or multiplier is great.   This is probably one of the best Star Wars star-fighter games to date and I don't say this lightly either.  The campaign is more of an 11 hour tutorial for multiplayer which isn't a bad thing and I find myself going back to it as a warm up before playing multiplayer. Need to quickly escape a bad situation? Dump power into your engine, but it’ll come at the expense of your shields and weapons. Enemy on your tail? Quickly double up your rear shields by diverting power there. It’s a constant balancing act. Ship customization plays into this well: Ion cannons can take down shields quicker than lasers, while certain high damage missiles are ideal against capital ships but can only be fired from long range. The flight and shooting mechanics are one of the best, the customization is what will set you apart from your teammates and the best yet, NO MICROTRANSACTIONS.

(https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/raCfADvbQbvakt2kbVprXC-650-80.png.webp)

The Cons:
The story lacks the depth for all if any character to be memorable, the plot starts off great but the overall story line is dull. The game alternates between the New Republic and Imperial perspectives placing you as the fifth pilot in the Republic's Vanguard Squadron and the Empire's Titan Squadron. You get introduced to each character; however, you don't really get to know each character nor do the Devs give us any growth or resolution at the end of the game which is a shame since each character is highly detailed and beautifully designed. I want to love them and get to know them more but you can tell that the Devs spent more time on design than story arc.  Between each mission, you can spend a few minutes talking to each member of your squad, well, it's more of listening to them talk since you don't have any option to respond in a way that changes the story line a bit. Each character stiffly delivers their small backstory to you and that's pretty much it, it's awkward to watch at times and the dialogue is poor. It's a shame since there's so much potential here with the leader in Titan Squadron holding a grudge against the Vanguard leader but you'll get to that once you play it.  The multiplayer player mode is lacking especially since this game is built upon that but hopefully future updates will add more modes along with more maps since you're limited to just a few.  It would be cool if the Devs add some in-game mini games like playing Sabacc while in the hanger awaiting another mission other than talking to each member since the conversations kind of gets boring after a while.  

(https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/yJn4TOWhk2LFZnPLjnfhoyWpQfY=/0x0:3840x2160/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3840x2160):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/21925754/SCREENS_GAME_XWING_HANGAR.jpg)

(https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/xv-H_Kf-s1dVJfilU9YD-Y1SSF8=/0x0:3840x2160/920x0/filters:focal(0x0:3840x2160):format(webp):no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/21925755/SCREENS_GAME_TIEHANGAR.jpg)

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND playing the campaign first versus playing multiplayer since the AI teaches you how to hone and build your piloting skills in regards to the games mechanics and engine.  Trust me, I'm a multiplayer type of gamer and tried the campaign first which really helped a lot. One of the best parts of this game is that you can change your fight type in real time during combat which is great so if you're playing with a bunch of randos in multiplayer and need a bomber or a faster ship, you can do so.  

Final thoughts:
If you like the following Star Wars games then this game will be in your ball park but keep in mind that it's a modern day game so try not to compare it to its predecessors
 
X-Wing vs. TIE Fighter (1997)
Star Wars: Starfighter (2001)
X-Wing (1993)
Rogue Squadron 3D (1998)
Star Wars: Jedi Starfighter (2002)
X-Wing Alliance (1999)

There's a lot of things that were borrowed from the mentioned games you will see in this without giving any spoilers. It's a great game that will tie up a lot of hours (at least for me any way) to become a better pilot as well as upgrading my star fighters both on the good and bad side. If you have PS VR, this game is incredible with VR, there's just something about being able to turn your head and see your S foils in attack position while piloting the X-Wing. It's definitely a good buy at $39.99 for  Xbox, PS, and PC so you're not spending a whole lot as far as modern game prices are concerned nowadays and you'll have loads of fun and a new Star Wars game that is solely built around star fighters 18 years later.  Keep in mind that this is just the beginning of the game, future updates will add more things to fix any bugs and potentially give us more 'maps' to play in.  I will say that if you buy this game solely for the story, you will be sadly disappointed. If you buy it for the dog fights and star fighters, you will be quite happy with it.

Ratings: 7.8 out of 10
Graphics: 9.1 out of 10
Story: 6.7 out of 10
Multiplayer: 7.5 out of 10 (due to lack of variety)
Design: 8.2 out of 10


Title: Re: Star Wars: Squadrons Review
Post by: Tai Chi Chuan Wijchen on October 05, 2020, 03:11:30 PM
Wow, is it really like the old school X-wing? I spend many hours flying that game as a kid.

Unfortunately I have no gaming console whatsoever atm. So this one will probably fly by...

Looks and sounds great though!
Thanks for the review Infinite!



Title: Re: Star Wars: Squadrons Review
Post by: PsychoSith on October 05, 2020, 05:07:15 PM
Great review! I liked the story a bit more than you, but otherwise pretty much my feelings on the dot. I have been LOVING the title!


Title: Re: Star Wars: Squadrons Review
Post by: Infinit01 on October 06, 2020, 12:32:33 PM
I'm glad you gents enjoyed the review. Since I game a lot, I will probably begin to post my game reviews


Title: Re: Star Wars: Squadrons Review
Post by: Lord_S_Gray on October 09, 2020, 02:05:36 AM
Solid review Infinit thanks. I'm not into multiplayer so a bit disappointed at the shallow single player i was hoping some some light rpg mixed in with career progress missions like the old TIE Fighter game...but alas. Will still pick up one day when it is really cheap for the story but want to get what i pay for.


Title: Re: Star Wars: Squadrons Review
Post by: PsychoSith on October 09, 2020, 01:39:12 PM
Solid review Infinit thanks. I'm not into multiplayer so a bit disappointed at the shallow single player i was hoping some some light rpg mixed in with career progress missions like the old TIE Fighter game...but alas. Will still pick up one day when it is really cheap for the story but want to get what i pay for.

I'd disagree a *little* with Infinit's take on the story. Its linear and simple yeah, but its still a balls-to-the-wall space adventure which is what I want from Star Wars, lol.