Star Wars Battlefront has always been exciting. But you know what’s better than exciting? Giga-exciting. And fortunately, that’s exactly what DICE’s game now very much is, after its Hoth-based E3 gameplay demo.

It looks insane. It plays like someone just threw a first-person camera into a Star Wars movie battle. It has all the exciting, flash-bang bombast you want, and all the chaotic, intimate, human focus Star Wars needs. It is, quite frankly, a relentless, giddy, air-punch generator, and if you haven’t watched that demo yet, you must do so immediately, below, before you click on to learn all the new Battlefront details from . Also, some guy called Skywalker turned up. We hear he’s quite a big deal.

Also, why not check out everything we know about while you're here? Seriously, why the hell not? It's going to be great!

You know that really smarmy trick devs and publishers play when they know they have a really good looking game? The one where they run what looks like a cut-scene, then reveal it to be in-game just as you’re waiting for the cut? For once, we don’t actually begrudge EA or DICE that smugness. Seeing the gun and HUD come up over that Hoth corridor was, visually at least, the holymotherfuckingshitballs moment at E3. And it continued.

Although transparently choreographed to show the game at its most cinematic, Battlefront’s E3 2015 gameplay demo has us sold. In terms of fidelity, it’s stunning, DICE’s take-photos-of-ever-Star-Wars-prop-ever-and-use-them-for-textures strategy turning in genuinely unbelievable results. Seeing the game running for the first time is – at last – a real next-gen moment. But beyond that it’s the feel of the damn thing. TIE fighters move in just the right way as they scream and bank through the sky. AT-ATs shuffle and judder exactly as they should. Explosions and blaster fire have that same presence and texture you instinctively know is right. Even the radio chatter, right down to the acting style, is 100% Star Wars.

There might not be a strict class system in Battlefront, but that doesn’t mean that this is all-shooting, all the time. Although not formally discussed during the game’s on-stage E3 demo, we saw plenty of very cool, very Star Wars points of difference between the characters in play.

Some have small booster packs allowing quick, extended jumps, ideal for dodging out of the way of incoming fire or beating an opponent in the race to an objective. AT-AT drivers look to be able to pepper the ground with airstrikes. Orbital bombardments are in as well. And to defend against those, some players can also pop up impromptu bubble shields to protect anyone who can hop under them in time. Combined with Battlefront’s breakneck pace and constant pockets of aggression around multiple objectives, the resulting sense of giddy, dynamic, organised chaos feels… well it just feels very, very Star Wars.

It may seem an innocuous point to make, but it’s not. Obviously, this is something that should just happen, but if it didn’t, then the whole deal would be off. It would be catastrophic. Star Wars Battlefront would be over. But fear not. Taking down AT-ATs with Snowspeeder tow-cables is totally a thing. We’re not currently entirely sure how complex a process it is (as in, whether you need to actually aim and fire the cable, before carefully, manually snaring the legs, or whether it’s automated after doing a certain amount of damage), but it happens, it looks brilliant, and those big laser-dogs crump down just as they should. That’s what matters.

Don’t pretend you won’t 100% lose your mind when you first do it. Because you will. It will be lost.

Battlefront purists, fear not. While you may have – understandably – worried that some of the essence of the series would be lost via DICE’s transition from thirdto first-person shooting, that is not the case. This is an equal opportunities Star Wars shooter. Whether you want the immersion of FPS, or the wider viewing angle of TPS, Battlefront has you covered.

As the E3 demo switched between multiple viewpoints, both rebel and imperial, so too did the camera mode. It seems that either perspective will be freely available at the touch of a button. Old fan or new, this Battlefront should let you liberate the galaxy or blast rebel scum in exactly the fashion you wish. Huzzah!

Gameplay aside, this is the other big E3 reveal. Well, insofar as something that was obviously going to happen can be deemed a reveal. Joining the already announced Darth Vader and Boba Fett, Skywalker The Younger is a playable hero character in Star Wars: Battlefront. Sporting an insta-kill lightsaber and a very meaty Force push, Luke is Godzilla to normal ground troops, and a fearsome match for enemy hero units.

Though don’t judge us if we push our nerd glasses up our faces for a moment and question the canonical validity of Return of the Jedi Luke appearing in the battle of Hoth. We’re going to judge ourselves harder than you ever could, believe us.

Star Wars: Battlefront has arrived. At this year's Star Wars Celebration convention, we got the chance to see Battlefront in action and speak with the developers about what to expect from this new game. There's a lot to comb through, but at the top of the pile is the release date, which is currently set for November 17 in North America and November 20 in the UK. It's coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC through Origin.

Not long after that, the first DLC pack will be released, but we'll get to that in just a moment. Did you know that you can play in either first or third-person? We've got those details and so much more straight from the show floor, so read on and prepare yourself for the intergalactic battle of a lifetime.

Meanwhile, here's the latest trailer for December's movie, and our breakdown of its secrets.

If your favorite skirmish from the Star Wars franchise is the Gungan battle on Naboo, well, I've got some bad news for you. Star Wars: Battlefront will focus primarily on the original trilogy, with warzones across four planets: Endor, Hoth, Tatooine, and Sullust. Those first three should come as no surprise to Star Wars fans, as we've seen 'em all before. But that last one, Sullust, is largely unknown outside of the now-defunct expanded universe.

According to Wookieepedia, "All of Sullust was composed of multicolored rock, veined by lava channels; the planet went through atmospheric blackouts caused by gouts of smoke and ash." It's basically a hellish volcano planet, neat. The developers also revealed their first free DLC update for the game, which will be the Battle of Jakku. Naturally, this will take place on Jakku, and will help explain why the planet looks the way it does when you see in it Episode VII.

This DLC will be released to all SWB players on December 8, though if you pre-order the game you'll get the DLC a week early on December 1.

If you were hoping to hop in an X-Wing and fly from the jungles of Endor to the Death Star's core, well, maybe next time. Similar to the developer's own Battlefield franchise, Battlefront will feature three primary ways to wreak havoc on the other teams: troops, vehicles, and aircraft. In the demo we saw, X-Wings, TIE Fighters, Snowspeeders, AT-ATs, AT-STs, Speeder Bikes, and the Millennium Falcon were shown - all of which will be fully playable. They'll also be confined to the planet they're currently stationed on, so don't think you can just bail on a fight by flying into the stratosphere.

Star Wars games, especially the multiplayer ones, have all faced the same problem: everyone wants to be a Jedi (or Sith). Who has time for a lowly Stormtrooper when you could be a lightsaber-wielding, lightning-shooting badass? All the footage we saw featured Stormtrooper and Rebel Alliance soldiers fighting with various blasters and other ranged weapons - that is, until freaking Darth Vader popped in at the end a ripped a few Rebels a new one.

No, there's no Darth Vader character class or anything like that. By fulfilling certain conditions (that are still unknown), players will be able to spawn in as an iconic Star Wars character, such as Darth Vader or Boba Fett. Each of these legendary warriors will be packing their own special weapons and abilities (yes, Vader can force choke people). As for those certain conditions, DICE couldn't confirm if these transformations will be earned as Killstreak rewards or via some other means.

If you and a friend want a more relaxed Star Wars: Battlefront experience - meaning you're not dying over and over in multiplayer - then the co-op missions might be more your speed. These are specific challenges that recreate iconic moments from the original trilogy, such as the battle for Hoth. They're designed to be highly replayable with various customization settings, and can be tackled online with a buddy, or offline via split-screen (also with a buddy).

Partnerships are a sacred contract between you and another player, and once you've entered one you're entitled to certain benefits. For starters, you and your partner can always see each other on the minimap, and you can always spawn on that person so that you're never apart. Presumably, this only applies if both players are on the same team; otherwise, this could lead to some real unfortunate respawns.

Partners can also share unlocks with each other. While the developers weren't ready to talk about all the character progression options in the game, they did note that if one player had unlocked a special, high-powered weapon, they could share that weapon with their partner, even if they're at a much lower level. In this way, players can use partnerships to boost others up who are perhaps new to Battlefront.

Not much more to say about this one. Unlike developer DICE's Battlefield 4, which capped out at 64 players, Battlefront will feature games that hold up to 40 players total. If you're looking for something more manageable, the game will support multiplayer with as few as eight players (or those two-person missions mentioned earlier).

During our demo of the game, we noticed the person playing earned more points for scoring headshots, grenade kills, or other extravagant executions. And then there was the ominous 'Nemesis bonus'. DICE wouldn't comment on what the Nemesis bonus entailed, or if it's attached to a larger Nemesis system, but all those secrets will surely be revealed in the coming months leading up to Battlefront's release.

And for more on all things Star Wars, check out our .

Ubisoft has given a firm release date for Tom Clancy's The Division: March 8, 2016. Yup, you'll be able to play this MMO shooter RPG hybrid thingy early next year on PS4, Xbox One or PC. Your choice. Additionally, those who play on Xbox will get exclusive access to the game's Beta in December 2015. Yup - that's the end of this year. Better start packing your virtual bug-out bag.

The Division is an incredibly ambitious project, and was unveiled back in 2013. Much like Destiny, the gameplay is split into large, co-op friendly missions, socialising, and PvP combat. You get a persistent character, and will randomly encounter other players within the world. It's properly exciting, but don't just take our word for it - here are nine key things you need to know about The Division.

Before the world saw The Division, it was treated to a long, rambling video detailing how precarious civilisation is. Everything is teetering on the edge of ruin, and something as small as a massive catastrophe could bring it all crumbling down. The government has systems in place to deal with such a situation (it actually does, we looked it up), including soldiers ready to mobilise to help rebuild the world.

But in this near future scenario everyone is a threat. Weapons and ammo are relatively scarce and water is even scarcer. You play as a team going on missions in New York City - or what remains of it - attempting to put the pieces back together after a virus that spreads via infected bank notes wipes out a good portion of the population. There's probably a message about capitalism and greed in there somewhere, yeah?

In an early demo, the hero opens up his map, displaying New York City as a hologram around him. Blips on the map show different available missions - one is a public quest in the sewers, and others pull him to different locations around the city. Any of these missions can be accepted, and see you traversing the open-world to head to whichever quest you want. In the demo, the devs opt to take the one marked 'Critical', indicating there's a priority system for in-game missions.

The world of The Division is densely packed, as the gameplay relies on tight shoot-outs that make the most of duck-and-cover mechanics. Ubisoft says the world of The Division is filled with dynamic events meant to keep players on their toes, so expect Destiny-style public events and random encounters. The missions themselves seem fairly straightforward, but it's the world that really makes us this one interesting. According to Ubi, your decisions will change the world too (like Dragon Age: Inquisition) although the true extent of this remains to be seen.

While playing Dark Zone we discovered that not all enemies are just desperate villains with scavenged weapons. Most have split into specific groups, having rallied around leading figures or ideals. The group we encounter are called The Cleaners - they believe that they can burn away the corruption gripping New York. With flamethrowers. Yes.

The Division's focus is on online play, meaning you're sharing the open world with plenty of friends (and foes). There is no offline mode but, like Destiny, you can opt to play solo. Gameplay looks like it's balanced around group encounters, too so while you can play alone, you'll likely appreciate having someone to flank when you're holding out behind cover. Different characters can have different abilities, too, making it important to form a balanced group. Don't worry - you can drop in and out of friends' games, so if your party lacks a certain character class, you should find it easy to invite a new player in.

There are - apparently - 1000s of weapon and gear combinations, so loot clearly plays a key role in the game. You can even craft fresh supplies, and customise the survival kit you carry around.

Even in terms of gameplay, The Division is a fully-fledged RPG. Enemies have health bars above their heads, numbers fly through the air like rice at a wedding when you shoot them, and you can loot weapons from their corpses. The first demo ends with the player looting a sweet new gun from a storage locker.

Interestingly, you'll also be able to trade, which is something missing from most other console-focused RPGs. This is player-to-player trading, so presumably you'll be able to sell others your surplus equipment and unwanted guns. Will this be done face-to-face in world? Maybe in the game's social area? Seems likely.

From what we've seen, the RPG elements mix well with the action gameplay. The characters take cover behind walls that crumble realistically as enemies pepper them with fire. You can shoot holes in billboards to take down bad guys, and blow up walls to get to your targets. At one point in the early demo a player drops a rolling mine that zooms to an enemy hiding behind a car and blows him - and the vehicle - to smithereens.

There are special PvP areas called Dark Zones, which may support between 50-100 players. These are lawless, contaminated areas completely thrown open to player versus player combat. The benefit of the these areas is that you can find special loot and weapons, providing you can escape the zone with it: “In the Dark Zone, the items that you come across, there’s something different about them,” says The Division's Director, Ryan Barnard.

But to avoid losing this gear you have to successfully get out alive, at which point they become yours forever. Where that gets tricky is that extraction involves calling for a helicopter using a signal flare, potentially alerting surrounding players that someone’s trying to get out with a bag full of exciting gear. It takes the chopper 90 seconds to arrive, and anything can happen in that time...

When you're in a Dark Zone, anything goes. Chances are, you'll meet other human-controlled players, and when that happens you can opt to either work with them, or try to gun them down. You're all competing for the same loot, so expect every uneasy alliance to be filled with tension. Yeah, you're probably going to get a knife in your back (or 100 rounds of SMG ammo, more accurately) the minute you call for extraction.

But that's only half the story. If you're a particularly shameless brand of asshole, you can murder your own team while waiting for extraction. You can then loot their furious corpses, and escape on the chopper. It's pretty funny, and you'll laugh heartily until you realise that you're going to die alone.

That's not all when it comes to Dark Zones. When you're inside PvP you'll see a wanted-style rating system that will draw attention to the most dangerous individuals. There’s also talk of dynamic missions against tough AI, where players can form those uneasy alliances with rival teams to help complete quests for high level loot rewards (traditional green, blue and purple style rarity colour ratings are mentioned). Again, yeah, sounds like Destiny.

Did you hear about that Division companion app, which lets you enter the game using a tablet to control a drone? Sorry, that has been ditched, despite sounding very cool indeed. "It was proving to be too much of an advantage in PvP [so] we decided to level the playing field," says associate design director Julian Gerighty.

Makes sense - in Dark Zones especially, the difference between life (and glorious loot) and death (fury and emptiness) is slight, so anything that tips the balance needs to be carefully considered. Shame, but we understand why this happened.

When Ubi announced that The Division was delayed until 2016, it also mentioned - rather too casually - that Ubisoft Annecy was helping out Massive with the game's multiplayer. And while you might see this as one Ubisoft studio being parachuted in to help out another, struggling studio... it's actually a damn good thing. See, Ubi Annecy is the team responsible for creating the excellent Spies vs Mercs multiplayer in Splinter Cell, and the groundbreaking online play in Assassin's Creed Brotherhood. The studio is probably one of the most creative and talented multiplayer devs in the world.

And that gives us massive hope for The Division. Ubi wouldn't bring in the Annecy studio unless it wanted The Division to be the best (they have plenty of other teams to simply 'do a job' if the game simply needed 'fixing'), and to have some genuinely creative features. So put down your pitchfork and flaming torch, and see the good in this latest, rather frustrating delay...