Star Wars: Squadrons (XB1/PS4/PC) - Oct 2, 2020

[Osprey]

EA revealed this just today. It's a multiplayer game with a short single-player campaign, ala Star Wars: Battlefront, but focused on dogfighting in space. Oct 2nd, 2020 is the release date.

Star Wars: Squadrons Officially Revealed, Out in October - IGN



There's no gameplay shown off, but the PS4 and PC versions will be playable in VR (though it can be played in non-VR, as well), so that suggests to me that it'll be a first-person, inside-the-cockpit style of shooter/sim. This PC gamer hopes that it's somewhat like the old X-Wing and Wing Commander games, but I won't get my hopes up too high until I see some actual gameplay footage and learn a little more.

Edit: Gameplay footage has been released. Credit and thanks to Cush for this...

Click to read more...

 

[Seedtype]

Well, I'm glad it's a proper first person combat game at least. (I was worried they were going to be ripping off the X-Wing Miniature Game and making a cheap P2W mobile game or something)

Some random thoughts:
-The trailer was nice, and I hope 'full power to engines!' indicated a power management system.
-I appreciate the VR support.
-I hope this game will have full crossplay across all platforms.
-That being said, I hope the console release doesn't mean the gameplay/control of the ship is limited.
-If this is a modern X-Wing vs TIE Fighter I will be pretty happy. Never actually got to play the multiplayer as a kid.
-TIE Fighter is probably the most important game of my childhood, so I have some expectations here.
-I can't believe how long it's been since a proper space focused Star Wars game. Sheesh.

My understanding is there will be gameplay footage unveiled Thursday during the EA stuff. Hopefully it'll be positive.

 

[kingsboy11]

Looks pretty good. Personally wasn't a fan of the Battlefront mechanics so hopefully it'll be more refined. I also hope it'll cover all eras and not just OT and ST X-wings vs Tie Fighters.

 

[Beau Knows]

Could be good. Not a great track record for EA on SW games so far, but Fallen Order was quite good so maybe they've turned a corner.

 

[bleedblue1223]

Looks like a low-effort cash grab to be honest. A worse version of Starfighter Assault. Single-player mode will likely be short, it is only OT era, and multiplayer is just 5v5. Even if the multiplayer has a bunch of bots, it's going to be pretty boring combat. The only real selling point is 1st person for those that like it and the graphics.

When the starting price is $40, that should be a red flag.

 

[Osprey]

Looks like a low-effort cash grab to be honest. A worse version of Starfighter Assault. Single-player mode will likely be short, it is only OT era, and multiplayer is just 5v5. Even if the multiplayer has a bunch of bots, it's going to be pretty boring combat. The only real selling point is 1st person for those that like it and the graphics.

When the starting price is $40, that should be a red flag.

Yeah, the 5v5 multiplayer is a real head scratcher. I just read that the developer, Motive, collaborated with DICE on Star Wars: Battlefront II. That game supported 20v20 multiplayer. I wonder if they're keeping things simple because this is their first game made entirely by themselves.

 

[bleedblue1223]

Yeah, the 5v5 multiplayer is a real head scratcher. I just read that the developer, Motive, collaborated with DICE on Star Wars: Battlefront II. That game supported 20v20 multiplayer. I wonder if they're keeping things simple because this is their first game made entirely by themselves.

Starfighter Assault was just 12v12 though, but they filled it in with a lot of AI. Heroes vs Villains Starfighter was 4v4. The problem was that both modes ended up being a flying in circles simulator until your someone got tired of it and got blown up, so the modes weren't played that much. Maybe a 1st person only changes how the game plays, but it should at least be 10v10 with AI to fill in the rest.

 

[NyQuil]

Do you want to fly for the multicultural Republic or the very white Empire?

 

[Osprey]

It sounds like it's 5v5 because it's very focused on teamplay and is the type of game that will be easy to play with just your friends. Your squadron is like your squad in a Battlefront/Battlefield game, except that there aren't any other friendly squads and you can plan out your missions beforehand and, seemingly, even remain together between missions. Also, between missions, you can customize and upgrade your fighters. Those missions aren't necessarily all just dogfighting with an opponent squad. In some, your mission is to take out the enemy's fleet ship before they take out yours, and, in others, you just need to "defeat as many opponents as possible," which sounds boring, but could indicate that there will be AI fighters (bots). There are probably other types of missions that haven't been revealed yet. Basically, instead of a massively multiplayer, open world experience like Battlefront, it sounds like it may be a smaller scale, more team-oriented experience, more like a co-op game. Maybe that'll attract more serious gamers and some teams will get really good at working together. Who knows.

EA, Motive and Lucasfilm Announce Star Wars™: Squadrons, Available October 2

-I hope this game will have full crossplay across all platforms.

That article confirms that.

Do you want to fly for the multicultural Republic or the very white Empire?

Well, when you put it that way... .

 

[Seedtype]

Apparently it will have HOTAS support.

Star Wars: Squadrons will support full HOTAS setups | PC Gamer

 

[Surrounded By Ahos]

Well, I'm glad it's a proper first person combat game at least. (I was worried they were going to be ripping off the X-Wing Miniature Game and making a cheap P2W mobile game or something)

Some random thoughts:
-The trailer was nice, and I hope 'full power to engines!' indicated a power management system.
-I appreciate the VR support.
-I hope this game will have full crossplay across all platforms.
-That being said, I hope the console release doesn't mean the gameplay/control of the ship is limited.
-If this is a modern X-Wing vs TIE Fighter I will be pretty happy. Never actually got to play the multiplayer as a kid.
-TIE Fighter is probably the most important game of my childhood, so I have some expectations here.
-I can't believe how long it's been since a proper space focused Star Wars game. Sheesh.

My understanding is there will be gameplay footage unveiled Thursday during the EA stuff. Hopefully it'll be positive.

I played a TON of X-Wing Alliance as a kid, but never tried the earlier games, hopefully this takes more after those than the super arcadey Battlefront space battles.

 

[Seedtype]

Looks like a low-effort cash grab to be honest. A worse version of Starfighter Assault. Single-player mode will likely be short, it is only OT era, and multiplayer is just 5v5. Even if the multiplayer has a bunch of bots, it's going to be pretty boring combat. The only real selling point is 1st person for those that like it and the graphics.

When the starting price is $40, that should be a red flag.

Yeah, it wouldn't surprise me if most if not all the ships/model assets are lifted from Battlefront II. It also wouldn't surprise me if most of the concepts in the game is just stuff they cut from Battlefront II as well.
However, this might actually be a sign that EA is willing to experiment with smaller title concepts. Not every movie needs to be a big blockbuster event, same with games IMO. It all comes down to gameplay and how well it performs as a multiplayer game.

I played a TON of X-Wing Alliance as a kid, but never tried the earlier games, hopefully this takes more after those than the super arcadey Battlefront space battles.

Yeah, while I didn't play X-Wing Alliance when it came out, that is also a pretty great game as well(too bad we won't see the conclusion of the main character's family story arc). TIE Fighter is just so fascinating to play because of the unique perspective of the Empire(the Imperial Navy is simply trying to maintain peace and order in the galaxy). Plus each mission had so many goals/side objectives you can do.
If Squadrons does turn out to be arcadey, I probably won't bother getting it. There is a time and place for those kinds of games(I do enjoy the Rogue Squadron games). But I think that's weird for a first-person multiplayer focused game.

 

[Cush]

Hera sighting

 

[Osprey]

Thanks, Cush. I hope that you don't mind that I added that video to the OP.

The gameplay looks good. It probably won't play like the old X-Wing games, but at least it looks sort of like a modern version of them.

Do you want to fly for the multicultural Republic or the very white Empire?

It turns out that we'll get to choose between the multicultural Republic and the multicultural Empire .

 

[Seedtype]

Overall I like what I'm seeing. If there is enough depth in the flight/combat and the modes it could be really good. I also like how they have melded the cinematic cockpit with a practical HUD system.

Are the two modes always the same? Or is it a variety of missions? For example is one dogfighting mission like escorting a transport or something? Is a mission in fleet battle mode assaulting a base of some sort?
I wish EA would be open to modding/players creating their own maps. That could really give the game some legs.

Now one thing I'm not crazy about is unlocking more power/ability by playing. I think you should become a better pilot by simply playing the game and becoming a better pilot. Also, hopefully they'll achieve a good balance with nothing being obnoxiously overpower or cheesy/cheap.

(No B-Wings makes me sad though. )

 

[kingsboy11]

Was hoping we'd see some prequel era ships, but its not the end of the world. I liked what I saw. Hope we can get a demo or a beta because I'm not sure if I'll like the mechanics.

 

[Cush]

O

(No B-Wings makes me sad though. )

Yeah, that's disappointing. No Assault Gunboats either

 

[Seedtype]

Was hoping we'd see some prequel era ships, but its not the end of the world. I liked what I saw. Hope we can get a demo or a beta because I'm not sure if I'll like the mechanics.

Yeah, I think EA should really consider doing a proper open beta period to make sure everything works and to bring people on board. Everyone I talk to is cautiously excited. But it's like everyone is expecting EA to stab them in the back or something.

I enjoyed this interview that's on Polygon(Star Wars: Squadrons — everything you need to know). I'm definitely keeping on eye on this now.

 

[Beau Knows]

That looks pretty cool

 

[Nizdizzle]

Looks good. Most likely won't pick up for a few reasons, which are more my own interests rather than a problem with the game itself:

- 5v5 seems like a really low amount for a Star Wars dog-fighting game. They have a game mode with where each side has a capital ship, 2 cruisers, but only 5 fighters? Interested to see if they flesh that out with a bunch of NPC fighters or how they plan on doing it
- I personally have no interest in online play, I'd like a deep single player campaign (like the original Tie Fighter and X-Wing games) or at the very least a game mode with replay-value like Galactic Conquest in the original Battlefront games.
- Its probably too early to say this because we've seen so little, but the gameplay seems shallow. This part will change for me depending on info we get leading up to release.

 

[Dubi Doo]

Looks like fun. Hopefully it pans out.

 

[Osprey]

I laughed at "Because dying gives the other team points, you can't just suicide run the flagship."

 

[bleedblue1223]

The more I've seen of this, the more optimistic I am that it will feel unique from Starfighter Assault in BF2. Still not 100% sure if it's on my buy list since there are a bunch of games out there and coming out that look promising and I don't play as much as I used to.

 

[Seedtype]

Seeing the fidelity of these cockpits definitely makes me agree with the point in the PC Gamer preview of how frustratingly long it's been since a proper X-Wing game. They are just so well done, I just can't believe we had to wait over 20 years for it to happen...
If this game is good, I hope it'll be a success(even if I don't get into it). Maybe it'll lead to a new X-Wing series for a new generation. Seriously, immersive stuff like these visuals, have a good campaign structure, and maybe have some unique wingmen(the only thing really lacking in the X-Wing series, IMO) is a recipe for a great game.

 

[kingsboy11]

I saw an Ewok bobble head on the dashboard of an X-Wing and I didn't need to see anything else to convince me to buy this game