It’s likely to sell well either way, because Star Wars, but I’d be pleasantly surprised if it skewed towards the Knights of the Old Republic end of the Star Wars game canon and not the Battlefront II or Kinect Star Wars end. Nothing I’ve seen says Jedi: Fallen Order is in trouble or anything-but nothing screams “One of 2019’s best games” either. I’d certainly love Respawn to have two wins in the same year, cementing their worth for EA lest they be unceremoniously shuttered like so many before. I don’t have faith Kestis can do the same. I can’t tell which way it will go though, and after Star Wars: Battlefront II’s mediocre campaign I don’t want to over-promise-and I thought Janina Gavankar’s performance carried that story. Forest Whitaker’s presence is promising as well. With Mafia III’s Aaron Contreras listed as lead writer and pinch-hitter support from Chris Avellone, I’ve got high hopes.
I could’ve imagined it, but it definitely felt like the person playing was better at chaining moves together, mixing up the lightsaber and dodges and various Force powers. I’ll say this: The behind-closed-doors demo looked a lot more fluid than the public demo. Upon summitting the AT-AT, Kestis swings inside and kills a bunch of hapless Scout Troopers. This promo image shows a smaller AT-ST instead of the larger AT-AT vehicles in our behind-doors demo. Maybe it’s just the change from first-person to third-person that makes it feel less fresh? I’m not sure.
That said, nothing in the demo looked as inspired as Titanfall 2’s factory level.
Respawn does draw on its past for some nifty wall-running segments. I tired of these mechanics halfway through Uncharted 4, maybe earlier, and Fallen Order feels about a decade behind on this trend. It’s the least interesting part of Fallen Order to my eyes. Anyway, this sequence began with a very Uncharted setpiece, Kestis swimming towards a pair of AT-ATs as they plod along, then scaling the outside of one by way of conveniently placed moss and vines.