Excitement has been building about the continuation of the much-beloved “Star Wars: Battlefront” electronic game series. The last installment released ten years ago received extremely high praise and still has a dedicated PC fan base. To tease the fans eagerly awaiting the November 2015 release, EA DICE, the newly anointed game developer, made the decision to allow players access in their beta version, giving players a chance to test the game and get a feel for the overall playstyle for this new installment. EA DICE was given the heavy task of creating the next addition to the “Battlefront” saga, something everyone was apprehensive about. But they proved to be more than up to the task.

The first thing I noticed in the beta play of the new game is how visually appealing it is: the only expression that comes to mind is eye candy. This game is beautiful and artfully crafted, with no detail overlooked. The skies of the planets are photorealistic with huge Imperial Star Destroyers and Rebel Mon Calamari Cruisers in intense battles above the all-out war taking place on the ground. The detail and care that went into making this game is extremely evident and far surpasses the effort and quality of many games in the recent few months.

In addition, this new installment takes a more first-person-focused approach with more detail put into the weapons and sidearms. The player is put by default into the eyes of the soldier being commanded as opposed to the old third person point of view. The new weapons and abilities are unlocked progressively and purchased using the galactic standard “credits.” Players are now also allowed to customize the soldier with whatever abilities and items the player desires. The gameplay feels smooth with a few bumps here and there, which is to be expected from a beta that doesn’t fully represent the full release. However, the full release should be expected to far surpass the expectations of those who were originally skeptical, as EA DICE promised a plethora of weapons and abilities as well as maps and game modes to choose from. Overall, the game seems like it will live up to the legacy and turn out to be a worthy successor to the popular “Star Wars: Battlefront” electronic game series.