While Star Wars fans are collectively catching their breath from watching the final trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, there's still roughly two months between now and the film's release. Advanced ticket sales may be breaking all sorts of records (and a few sites) but no matter how excited we get, time passes just as slowly.

Thankfully there's plenty of Star Wars on the horizon, and chief among the latest tie-ins is EA and DICE's Star Wars Battlefront. Releasing for the PS4, Xbox One, and PC in November, Battlefront sees the return of a favorite Star Wars game franchise, combining elements from previous installments with an experience players expect from any modern first-person shooter.

Fans already had the chance to lay hands on Star Wars Battlefront during the game's weekend-long beta, getting the opportunity to try out a couple of the game's offerings: a single player or co-op mission mode and two online multiplayer modes, the 16 player Drop Zone and 40-person Walker Assault.

During these multiplayer matches, Battlefront allows players to take control of iconic Star Wars characters through the use of a power up. This is a familiar feature to fans of previous Battlefronts, but like the rest of the game, it's been redesigned from the ground up. The game's earliest trailers introduced Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader as the Rebels and the Imperial's available iconic characters, respectively, but today Battlefront developers (via Playstation Blog) revealed three more: Leia Organa, Han Solo and Emperor Palpatine.

Just like Luke and Vader, these iconic Hero and Villain characters each come with their own distinct set of skills. Leia, for instance, is described as being strategic, so her bonuses provide support and buffs, as well as aid in holding positions. Han, however, is more brash, running straight into the thick of it with a gameplay the developers describe as focused on "offensive output, damage, and mobility."

Take a look at Leia, Han, and the Emperor's rather stunning character models below and learn more gameplay details:

Leia Organa

Star Wars Battlefront Leia Organa
  • Support play, buffing team members, and holding positions
  • Players spawning within close proximity of Leia enter game as Alderaan Honor Guards
  • Trooper Bane: hard-hitting, boosted blaster shot fired in single bursts; kills stormtroopers with one blast; deals heavy damage to Villains and temporarily stuns them
  • Enhanced Squad Shield: similar to Squad Shield Power Card, but stronger; stops some Force abilities; when Trooper Bane is active Leia can shoot outwards; ideal for securing areas
  • Supply Drop: activating initiates a variety of power and health drops for allies and Hero characters

Han Solo

Star Wars Battlefront Han Solo
  • Offensive output, damage, and mobility
  • Similar to a Rebel trooper, but with boosted arsenal
  • Rapid Fire: fire blaster as fast as you can pull the trigger; no over heating; lasts for a few seconds; works best for large, compact groups of enemies or for taking down Villains' defenses
  • Lucky Shot: a charge and release power; effective against vehicles and infantry; powerful enough to break Darth Vader's block
  • Shoulder Charge: just what it sounds like; both offensive and defensive; use to get out of battles but also into them

Emperor Palpatine

Star Wars Battlefront Emperor Palpatine
  • Very mobile, deceptive
  • Force Lightening: Palpatine's iconic attack; significant damage to troops within reach; Chained Lightening variation is an area of effect ability
  • Force Dash: extremely fast movement; allows Palpatine to quickly ambush players
  • Imperial Resources: like Leia, Palpatine is the Empire's support character; provides power-ups and health boosts

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What makes the Battlefront series a standout of the shooter genre is the Star Wars license, obviously. From the designs to the sounds, everything appears just as it does in a galaxy far, far away. Playing as an iconic Hero or Villain only further enhances that connection, and clearly, EA and DICE have done their homework. Like the rest of the game, Leia, Han and the Emperor have been painstakingly adapted for the gameplay of Star Wars Battlefront.

Have you been impressed with what you've seen of Star Wars Battlefront so far? Have you pre-ordered the game for the chance to play the Battle of Jakku DLC early? Let us hear from you in the comments below!

Star Wars Battlefront will be available on November 17th, 2015 for the Xbox One, Playstation 4, and PC via Origin.

Source: Sony