Luke Hurley's review of Review of Video Game Battlefront II

Date last edited: 05-31-2024 at 07:25PM

   
Rating: Teen

Review:
Title: Star Wars Battlefront II
Developer/Publisher: published by Electronic Arts and developed by DICE, Motive Studios, and Criterion Games
Genre: Third-person shooter, Fighting game, Adventure game, Adventure
ESRB rating: 13+
Your rating on a 5 star scale: 4.5
Primary audience: teens
Year of release: 2017
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, Xbox Cloud Gaming, GeForce Now


Battlefront II is a video game for teenagers that is based on the popular movie series Star Wars. In this game, there are many possible game modes, you could choose to do a mission, a co-play battle, a battle against bots, etc. In each game mode, the player has the option of choosing a character or ship from the good or the bad side, equipping the character with weapons, and spawning into a battle. Throughout the battle there are many different objectives, but the main one is to eliminate players on the enemy side. In certain game modes, you can advance to more powerful characters or ships throughout the round, based on how well you are doing. Keeping this brief description of the game in mind, it is important for Catholics to know how this game stands in relation to Catholic Church teaching. Using the seven media keys that are based on Catholic Church teaching, and assembled in the book, The Infinite Bandwidth: Encountering Christ in the Media, I will attempt to review this video game and evaluate the pros and cons of the game.

First Media Key: Balance

Balance is important in any type of media. As Dr. Gan emphasizes in his book, we cannot become obsessed with media. We should be consuming it, it should not be consuming us. It is important to be temperate with how we use media, keeping it in its proper place. Fasting from certain media, or staying away from certain media entirely can be very helpful in growing in this first media key.
This relates to video games in the broad sense because this is definitely a type of media that people can become obsessed with. If a person wishes to play any video games, then it is important for that person to do so in moderation, so as not to become consumed with it. Balance also refers to video games in the sense of whether or not the game itself is balanced. Battlefront II seems to be a balanced game. There are various different game modes, and for those who know some basic details about Star Wars, there is also a very basic yet effective storyline behind the game, the battle between good and bad, raging across the galaxies. However, this game probably does lack some balance in the sense that the game modes are all similar in the way that they all include you shooting or slashing enemies with a laser gun or lightsaber. So, in the game itself, there isn’t much of a story, or progression so to speak.

The Second Media Key: Attitude Awareness

Being aware of the attitude in any media you are consuming is very important. Recognizing agendas, underlying messages, etc. are all vital before viewing media. Media made with a good attitude can be very beneficial, and it is important to view media that is made with a good attitude, and avoid many other media.
For a video game such as Battlefront II, the attitude behind the creation of the game is usually to make money. Therefore, these games are designed to be enjoyable and somewhat addictive. From experience, I can say that playing Battlefront II is very enjoyable. Cool characters and weapons, maps, and fights, all add to the fun. Being in complete control of a character, whether it’s just a general soldier or droid, or a more specific jedi knight, sith, etc. is very satisfying. It is cool to see how a show many people love so much can seemingly “come to life” on the screen.

The Third Media Key: The Dignity of the Human Person

In every media we make and view, it is important to make sure that it respects the dignity of the human person. Dr. Gan mentions this several times throughout his book, pointing to the fact that humans deserve utmost respect. Afterall, we are made in God’s “image and likeness.”
For Battlefront II this media key can be applied in two ways. The first way is obvious. This is a game where you are constantly “killing” other characters. In this regard, this game does not do the greatest job upholding the dignity of the human person. Yet, something that is very good about Battlefront II, that many similar shooting games fall short with, is how Battlefront II is not bloody or gory at all. In fact, if a character is killed, they just fall down, and eventually their body will simply disappear. I find this to be a very good aspect of this game, and for this reason I think it is much more acceptable over other similar games.

The Fourth Media Key: Truth-filled

All media must convey the truth, and cannot spread lies. It is important for all media to be in line with this media key. The media is where people are gathered, and people, especially today, need truth.
The truth-filled media key relates to video games and Battlefront II, because it should direct us to which games we are allowed to play and which games we shouldn’t. Battlefront II tells the truth that there is a continuous battle between good and evil, in this case the light and dark side. Also, it does encourage players to strive for success. Yet other than that, the game does not convey any other truths, and actually in the case of all these types of shooter games, probably actually glorifies war and fighting in a way. Yet, as long as games are played with the right mindset and in moderation, many of these types of games are still okay for Catholics to play.

The Fifth Media Key: Inspiring

Inspiring media is worth making and viewing. Inspiring media is not only more attractive, but also worthwhile and enjoyable. After viewing inspiring media, people will not be depressed or feel empty as many other media leads us to.
I would argue that Battlefront II is a type of inspiring media. First of all, its creation as a game was itself inspired by the Star Wars movie series. Moreover, as a player you wish to help your team succeed in some game modes, and in some you wish to accomplish various goals. For example, there are certain points in the game where you will be alerted that you should be trying to take over, or protect certain areas on the map.


The Sixth Media Key: Skillfully Developed

Skillfully developed media is the media that many people enjoy. In his book, Dr. Gan says that we should be educated in knowing what the public thinks skillfully developed media is. That way, we can make media based on this knowledge, and hopefully our good media will attract many viewers and/or users.
Although it is slightly older then some new shooter games, I think that Battlefront II is a skillfully developed game. It really does feel like you are present in the scene. It has good picture quality, gives you many different game play options, and many options within those options, such as what character you would like to be, or what weapons you would like to have. You can also choose between different viewpoints for your character, including seeing from the eyes of the player, or seeing your entire player from a third person perspective. Another example is that each character has special abilities that you can use, and even without considering those abilities, you can do many things using the controller. These features and others, along with good quality game play, make the game very exciting and people enjoy it.

The Seventh Media Key: Motivate by or Relevant to Human Experience

The final key is motivated by and relevant to experience. As Dr Gan notes, our role model for this last key is Jesus himself, who came down to earth to become human and who knows our experiences. He also taught people using stories or parables, using examples that were relevant to their everyday life experiences.
Although none of us have ever been on a planet in the Star Wars galaxies, shot a laser gun, or piloted a star ship, Battlefront II is relevant to some human experiences we all have had. The first is the fight between good and bad. We have all experienced this in our lives, and it is represented in Battlefront II as the battle between the light and dark side. In addition, we all share the desire to succeed, and although not useful or meaningful in our real life, there are plenty of chances to succeed or fail in this game.

To conclude, for teeneagers, this game seems to be an appropriate game if played with moderation. It stays in line with all the media keys at least in some way. Even if we can’t necessarily grow from this game, we can at least play this game and know that if we keep the correct mindset while playing, it will not lead us to ruin, like many other games can. For this reason I think that this game is fine for Catholics to play. Also, I think that many people in this audience would appreciate this game because from personal experience I can tell you it is very fun and enjoyable. As Dr. Gan has told us many times, it is crucial that above all, “we stay focused, keep our eyes fixed on Jesus.”


Seven Keys:
Balanced:
Attitude:
Personal:
Truth-filled:
Inspired:
Skillfully Made:
Experienced:

Overall Rating: 24/35

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