Is it Worth Your Allowance? Is a column written by 15 year old Nate. Nate reviews inexpensive games and lets your geeklings know if it’s worth spending their hard earned allowance on. Have a game to suggest? You can email Nate here.  My parental perspective appears at the end of the article.

Star Wars Battlefront (3) – Closed Alpha Access

Genre: Action, First person shooter, Third person shooter, sci fi

Developers: EA, DiceStarWars

The Star Wars Battlefront series started 2004 and there is now a new title in the series with improved graphics, and new gameplay, but it differs a little bit from the series. The game is currently in alpha so its not completely finished, but so far it has 4 weapons, two classes and obviously the empire and the rebels. If you were to peruse this page https://www.yesgamers.com/info/top-11-diablo-2-builds-ladder-reset/, you’d know that the game draws concepts from Diablo 2 and overlaps a lot of gameplays. The two classes, one being a more maneuverable scout class wielding a  jetpack and burst fire grenade launcher, and a shield carrying heavy class that has a lock on missile launcher and they can both choose from a sharedarsenal of weapons from the light blaster to the heavy machine gun blaster (its star wars so… its all blasters and sometimes a rocket). There are lots of vehicles for there only being one map; so far there are x-wings, tie fighters, AT-ATs, snowspeeders, and AT-STs. My favorite vehicle is the AT-ST, because it’s a walker like the giant AT-AT but faster and more mobile and you can actually control it unlike the AT-AT where you can only control the head and shoot.

The graphics are beautiful and very life like, the detail is amazing from things like AT-ATs leaving foot prints that can be used as fox holes to the sounds of blasters, x-wings, tie fighters, and the walkers being the same from the movies. When i first booted it up i was amazed at how beautiful it was, it is like you’re really on Hoth and you really are fighting the “rebel scum”. I think that game could be good for everyone because there is no gore, there is violence but nothing horrible.

Though at least for now I think that the first game is the best.  I miss being able to be a stormtrooper and steal an x-wing, because in this game instead of actually getting into a vehicle you can pick up special battlefield pickups.  However they are team specific and you call them in. In the case of the first game, with the map Kashyyyk docks, if you play clone wars, the C.I.S (confederacy of independant systems, or droids) have an island where all there vehicles spawn and if you’re playing as a clone and manage to get to it, there is a free supply of droid tanks and speeders. The space battles from battlefront 2 were amazing, but I don’t think they will be include them in this game. I would love it if they did include space battles, Being able to fly through space it was very original for a first/third person shooter to have space battles in a full 3d environment, and I think the game could have really benefited from adding details like this that have been implemented in the older titles of the series. (Editor’s Note: They have since added space battles. They were not part of the closed Alpha, but footage has since surfaced, see the Update at the end of this article to see video)

This game will probably be about $60, but since it comes out on November 17, 2015 you have time to save up. I think it will be worth your allowance.

So far I think that this game gets a 5/8, but it’s still in alpha so changes are to come.

Parent’s Perspective:  This is a hotly anticipated game, and we were fortunate to get into the closed Alpha last month.  While not all the features were available or fleshed out, it was already an immersive experience that should excite all Star Wars fans.  This is an online shooter, but I appreciated the lack of blood and gore.  All in all, I think it’s appropriate for ages 10 and up with supervision, and ages 14 and up solo – because of the interactive, online nature.

Update: New footage shows Fighter Squadron Mode.  Yay!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjqqwZGNHPg