Sometimes in "Star Wars: Battlefront" ($60 for PS4, Xbox One, PC; rated Teen), you just have to stop all the fighting and stare like a slack-jawed fanboy at what's happening around you.
The game is gorgeous, cinematically capturing "a galaxy far, far away" better than any previous video game. Imperial Star Destroyers cruise above the desert world Tatooine. Elephant-like AT-AT walkers lumber across the ice planet Hoth. Speeder bikes race amid giant trees on the forest moon of Endor.
It's also one of the best online multiplayer games available, which is no surprise since it comes from DICE, the developer behind the fantastic "Battlefield" games. Up to 40 players can battle in various scenarios and settings from the "Star Wars" universe.
A favorite is Droid Run, a six-on-six skirmish to control three droids for your side — kind of like a mobile version of capture the flag. Another top pick is Fighter Squadron, which pits dozens of rebel and imperial fliers — including X-wings, TIE fighters and even the Millennium Falcon — against one another in glorious air battles. In the huge 40-player land battles, iconic characters such as Darth Vader, Boba Fett and Luke Skywalker even join in amid all of the blasting.
Unfortunately, for offline solo players, "Battlefront" offers little adventure, just a series of training scenarios and repetitive missions, some co-op. They largely serve as a brush-up for the deep multiplayer experience. There is no solo story campaign, which is a big disappointment. If you're not connected online (PlayStation Plus or Xbox Live on consoles), the game will grow tiresome before long, even with all of the eye candy.
But online, it's "Star Wars" geekdom on hyperdrive.
