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Star Wars Battlefront Rogue One: X-Wing VR Mission
The best thing I can say about Criterion's Star Wars Battlefront Rogue One: X-Wing VR mission is that I want a full game of this. I want EA to heap money into rebooting the X-Wing franchise, and this is proof of concept.
Don't expect a technical X-Wing experience from this VR experience, though. The controls and gameplay are pulled directly from Battlefront. Everything begins in a "white room" style introduction area. There, you can move to fixed points around a parked X-Wing. This gives players the opportunity to examine the detailed models that are usually whizzing by during Battlefront matches. Once you "climb" up the ladder into the cockpit, you can fiddle with working buttons. Right now, only one has function, though that will change by launch. Pressing a specific one opens and closes the X-Wing S-Foils.
When ready, you can trigger the mission, which sees Grey Wing on a daring rescue into the heart of an asteroid belt to save a blockade runner under attack from TIE Fighters and a Star Destroyer. This is a pure escort mission, and the Corellian corvette you need to protect has already taken a beating. It's your job to take out as many TIE Fighters as possible before they cripple the corvette. You have the entire blackness of space around you, but this mission feels like it's on flexible rails rather than being a free-flowing dogfight.
The experience is highly cinematic without sacrificing interactivity. We didn't get to play the entire thing, though don't expect a particularly lengthy adventure. Criterion says it hopes to use the X-Wing VR mission as an introduction to PSVR for those that haven't spent too much time wearing a head-mounted display.
There's so much potential here, especially as Criterion is also toying with working cockpit functions. Right now, some cool moments are automated. I wasn't able to manually jump to hyperspace, and S-Foils were automated during battle. Putting those controls in the hands of players when it matters would be fantastic.
Ultimately, my hope is that this finds success and EA greenlights a full game like this. You can get your own taste of flying an X-Wing exclusively with PlayStation VR this holiday; Rogue One: X-Wing VR mission is free to all Battlefront owners.
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