Star Wars Battlefront – the franchise strikes back

(PS4, Xbox One, PC, Electronic Arts, cert: 16)
Despite its mercenary tendencies, EA's galactic shooter wins the war for your heart in the end

" Read the Guardian's full Star Wars: Battlefront review

After a couple of hours with Star Wars Battlefront, it's possible to feel a slight disturbance in the force. A tingling in the midi-chlorians. The dreaded threat of DLC - downloadable content - hangs in the air. We should have known. The moment you're invited to purchase a season pass for your new 45 title, upon firing it up feels like a betrayal every bit as great as Greedo shooting first. But then the game takes hold. A multiplayer shooter, it captures the wonder of George Lucas's universe, wisely focusing on ground and air battles from the original trilogy. It pits you as a Rebel or Empire trooper in up to 20 v 20 skirmishes across a variety of game modes from first- or third-person perspective over four worlds and 13 maps, with more based on the forthcoming Star Wars: The Force Awakens to come for free. Scattered through the wide expanse of familiar lands are bonus icons, unlocking access to vehicles such as X-Wings and AT-ATs, and, if you're lucky, the chance to dive in as one of six of the films' main characters. Force-choking Rebel scum as Darth Vader has rarely been so satisfying.