The Star Wars: Battlefront 10 hour trial unlocked today for EA Access users. I spent some time with the beta already on both the Xbox One and PS4, but I though it'd be worthwhile to jot down a few thoughts of the final product.

First of all the game looks and sounds simply astounding. DICE is known for doing some of the best audio work in the business, but I feel like with Battlefront they've really outdone themselves. Everything from the whizzing of speeder bikes on Endor to the thuds of AT-AT steps and the seamless mixing of the classic Star Wars music sounds as it did in the movies. The same goes for the way the game looks. I'm especially taken by the quality of the foliage on places like Endor. All the green undergrowth actually gives the Rebels a sizable tactical advantage in my opinion, something that's not quite matched by the white Stormtroopers on snow levels.

As for the gameplay itself; well I'm not wholly impressed quite yet. While the vehicles are there providing spectacle to the fights, they don't feel as nimble and integral as in previous Battlefront games or in the Battlefield games. The gun-play on the other hand doesn't have a lot of feel to it. I know that creating interesting weapon feel around laser blasters is no easy feat, but I still find myself missing a little more thud and bang in the gunfights.

I haven't leveled up quite enough yet where I could comment that much on the card-based upgrade system. There seems to be a good amount of character customization and weapon selection though, which I'm eager to dig into during the coming days.

Do I think I'll buy the game after I run out of my trial? It's hard to tell. Right now I'm in a space where most of my game-time is taken up by Fallout 4, and whenever I find myself wanting for some multiplayer action I fall right back into Halo 5. I guess I'm not sure if I have the time for this game right now outside of the 10 hours, but I'm sure that PS4 users for example will find this to be a neat multiplayer title for the winter.

The beta made a really good impression, but I'll have to pass for now. I agree with pretty much all your points.

Battlefield 4 satisfies the huge battle itch, while Halo 5 covers the sci-fi (and the Big Team Battle patch is right around the corner). If I didn't have those, Battlefront would be my most played game this month.

How long do you think the leveling ramp is? Considering there is no prestige and not that many non-cosmetic unlocks I'm curious. Ie. What level are you and what's your time played

@hayt: Leveling seems to happen relatively quickly, but a lot of the interesting cosmetic upgrades like playing as alien races are locked up in the level 30-50 bracket. Looking at the weapons I'd want, I'll probably get everything I need before reaching level 10. Early on I'm able to level once every two matches or so. Level 6 right now after less than 3 hours played, and out of that I spent some time with the single-player stuff which rewards you with less XP.