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Star Wars: Squadrons [PS4/XB1/PC]

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    Star Wars: Squadrons [PS4/XB1/PC]

    I felt that I couldn't really to a first play of this until I'd played it both with and without VR on the PS4. Before I ramble, VR wins.

    The multiplayer is locked until you complete the first mission of the story mode with both factions. The AI Fleet battles are locked until you play the tutorial. The Player Fleet battles are locked until you hit rank 5. After crashing and burning through these walls, everything is open and you can start getting blown out of the sky and unlocking customisations.

    Rather than being limited to a linear progression on snubfighter parts, you are given requisition tokens which can be redeemed for anything from ion cannons to modified shield projectors. One part is one token, levelling up a rank usually nets 2 tokens and 200 visual unlock credits. I've not gotten deep into the visual customisations, but I've seen that you can change the colour scheme of your fighter on the outside along with decals, and visual extras on the inside, like holographic projections. I've found my greatest success with using ion cannons to knock out an enemy, then finish them with missiles or torpedoes.

    I have found my least successful set up was trying to play it on the TV. The reduced resolution of the PSVR really doesn't matter because on the TV it is all SO FAR AWAY! Not the TV, but getting the cockpit onto the TV means ~40% is taken up with that, leaving about 60% for the starfield ahead. It makes actually shooting things down just that little bit more difficult.
    VR has drifting issues that we commonly find with the set up, but it also gives you the ability to interact more naturally, to track enemies by watching them rather than having to move the entire ship. Lock-ons are not based on your head movements, so there's no advantage there.

    Yes, the power distribution options are there! I would have liked the fire-linkage options that the Rogue Squadron games gave us back in the day, but we can't have everything. I'm still happily re-enacting all my favourite flying bits from Michael A. Stackpole's X-Wing series of novels and comics (Bantam House and Dark Horse respectively)

    What I'm also doing is finding that I just can't get away from the really good players. I have found it a little frustrating. In VR, I can dip and dodge around debris, asteroids, etc. but on the TV I'm bouncing off stuff and losing shield coverage instead. Star Destroyers are accurately depicted as bloody tough and packed with enough turbolasers that I feel like Porkins out there most of the time. Yes, you can shoot out the guns on the star destroyer. Otherwise you'll die pretty quickly. Who am I kidding, you will anyway.

    I've tried to give myself options with the controls - analogue vs. discrete throttling, switched the control sticks, inverted y (like there's any other option). I went back to the default today and found it easier than I remembered.

    There are 4 ships per faction - fighter, bomber, interceptor and support. Each has some overlap with the others as to what can be equipped for blasters/shields/etc, along with unique parts for each. It'll take some time to figure out what works for you and what doesn't.

    I haven't played enough to give a big thumbs up/down, but as a Star Wars fan, it is plenty to enjoy. As a fan of games being fun, I'd like some more balancing to even out a few bits here and there. For example, and I know this is accurate to the source material, but TIE fighters having no shields? One good hit and I'm toast most times. Which would be fine if there were more allowed TIE respawns, but both numbers are the same.

    9m30s Dogfight Mode from a random game

    #2
    This is already £25 on cdkeys for Xbox. Without VR is it worth it?

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      #3
      This nearly went back to Amazon as unfit for purpose as it took me several restarts to complete the first mission due to bugs where the AI would just fly around in circles because the next objective didn't materialise.

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        #4
        Originally posted by nonny View Post
        This is already £25 on cdkeys for Xbox. Without VR is it worth it?
        If you like flight sims and Star Wars, I would say probably.

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          #5
          Bluntly - I think the game is OK at best. It's not going to last long and it misses the mark in terms of giving that Star Wars feel and scale that Rogue Squadron gave for instance.

          I think the devs realised that this was not a AAA game as it was £35 on release for PC.

          The PC version has been patched twice since release to fix some really poor VR and HOTAS implementation. Now that they have the game is worth a diversion. VR certainly is immersive (Valve Index) and the campaign worth a play through for the experience.

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            #6
            I hear it's getting zero DLC which I guess is fine but also that multiplayer is two modes and only 6 maps in rotation.... But lean on content but yeah £35 at launch is good.

            It's gone back up to £27.99 on cdkeys so I'll pass for now but I reckon this is one that will get heavily discounted before Xmas.

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              #7
              Damn, this is good in VR - essential purchase if you have a HMD.

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                #8
                Im tempted but I’m trying to see if my joystick is supported first. I’ve heard their support is limited to the more popular stuff. I think some redditors are trying it out so soon as it’s confirmed it’s worth a punt at £27 I reckon. Is the single player any good?

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                  #9
                  The game is tuned for using a gamepad IMO, I don't like playing this with a HOTAS at all.

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                    #10
                    Originally posted by MartyG View Post
                    The game is tuned for using a gamepad IMO, I don't like playing this with a HOTAS at all.
                    Yes. Sadly.

                    I may play it through in 2D and pad and then have a go at it in VR and HOTAS later.

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                      #11
                      Getting destroyed on this most of the time as I can't seem to find a loadout that works and everyone else seems to be 10+ ranks above me. I hit rank 10 last night.

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                        #12
                        Finished the campaign this weekend, entire thing done in VR, it was great fun and the perspective of the cockpits worked really well. Wish it had played about with the concept a little more as levels are broadly very samey but I enjoyed it when it tried to get you to make more precise interior flights too. Only lightly tried online which didn't feel balanced at all in the slightest to happy to leave that one.

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                          #13
                          I'm waiting for this to hit game pass... there's already a 10 hour trial. I give it another few months

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                            #14
                            You could definitely complete it in the trial window. I think each mission took about 20 minutes each and there's around 14 of them so you're looking at about 6hrs in all for the campaign

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                              #15
                              Is this worth getting if you haven’t got vr? It looks like a solid overall package with a decent campaign?
                              Last edited by fishbowlhead; 14-01-2021, 19:17.

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