Star Wars Battlefront Collection
Developer: Aspyr
Publisher: Aspyr
Platforms: PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 (Reviewed), Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Release Date: Available Now
Price: $34.99 USD – Available Here
Overview
Sometimes releases in this industry find a way to align with our own story. Star Wars Battlefront Collection is that type of release. Twenty years ago, I found myself spending countless nights both online and off with the original title (and its sequel later), which in my opinion was one of the founding pillars of online shooters for its era. This collection was kind of just dropped unexpectedly by Aspyr, putting together one of the most successful sets of licensed title of all time on modern consoles. Can these two still live up to their past and find fame with modern audiences? Let’s find out.
Story
I am going to try to compile both titles into one section here as even though there are a lot of story element to both games, that is still not a focus and as a result, both titles are not exactly remembered for the narratives within. Star Wars Battlefront shines light on two great rivalries, which are the Rebels vs the Empire and the CIS vs the Galactic Republic. When I was younger I think I felt there was a lot more weight here, but honestly the first game just uses editing in of the actual movie franchise to make the narrative feel important. This still is a cool effect and better than most other shooters of the era in terms of a story mode, but alas, you may be looking for something meatier when it comes to a story, which will bring you to Battlefront II.
Battlefront II does what the first did not, which is make an identifiable character within the main modes. Players now control the 501st Legion in the Rise of the Empire mode, and must make their way through two different eras as they revisit history. Movie footage is again used to assist with the narration, adding more depth and tying together the timeline properly for the player alongside the standard narration. This storytelling is pretty impressive, even to this day, and stands out on the collection due to its hefty campaign size and replay-ability. Yeah, this isn’t what you came for with either one of these titles in this collection, but its still nice to revisit.
Gameplay
Years ago, when the Xbox 360 was still in its prime, Microsoft put both original versions of Battlefront I and II on the storefront. Both games still exist there to my knowledge, fully backwards compatible, lacking every feature but online and the DLC which was featured on the Xbox version. This collection in some ways feels just like that, but now online is back and some refinements have been put in place to “modernize” the experience. You see, this is not a remake at all, but more of a polished port of both titles, with a few features re-added in to kind of give of it a complete feel. That mindset works for this collection fine, and most hunting nostalgia will be elated to know that these titles still look and play like they did in their prior release.
Star Wars Battlefront may have only launched a year before II, but the changes II made are quite dramatic. Battlefront primarily features a mix of modes such as conquest, where players have to find checkpoints, gain ground of that area, and turn the checkpoint to their side so they can spawn from their new base, basically squeezing the opponent out through “conquest”. There are also standard skirmishes with assault, which are a lot of fun to play. Its sequel is so much more in terms of content. We now have heroes, which add in a super-powered hero from the movies, as well as space battles, one and two flag capture the flag matches, other variations you can customize through the options of each match. Thankfully, the gameplay still feels tight in the sequel. Both play just fine, but the lack of the ability to sprint in the first title as well as other additions made in the first title make II where I spent the biggest chunk of my time. Its kind of like playing the original Sonic and then playing II, where the spin-dash changed the way the game was played. Battlefront is fine and maybe even better than I remembered it, but II just feels like the fleshed out version that truly gave this franchise its legs.
Now the true excitement for having this collection was the mode most returning players will be most excited about, which is online. Sure, the split screen is fine and well made, but this was a cornerstone for an entire era, rivaling Halo 2 and Socom back then – so the importance for the online function has to be noted. Sadly, Aspyr have launched this in a state that is confusing and a chore to play with friends. There are very few public servers, and if you want to play with a friend, there is no way to invite them to your game or even join their server properly, even when utilizing the Playstation 5’s “join game” function, as the wait timer times out, leaving the player with an error message every time. There are dedicated servers that keep the online play fluid, but there is still a lot of lag in most game modes, and even finding named game rooms is tedious due to the separate servers players are randomly assigned to by entering the mode. I finally got some games in by finding friends, but this took over an hour to figure out. These games were better than this then, and its puzzling how this was not the first feature that was prioritized for these ports’ development. Considering Battlefront is known for its online, a lot will be let down due to how much of a mess this mode is in its current state.
Audio
The audio is mostly how I remember it. There are a few bugs that keep light sabers humming in hero matches, but mostly, the presentation of the originals is in tact and that soundtrack is still stunning to see on consoles all of these years later. The voice acting is also fine, as LucasArts original vision holds up, with what were probably mundane narratives enhanced by the performances given by the cast involved. You may not get the best quality out of the audio here, but Aspyr did manage to at least capture the essence of the originals to an acceptable degree.
Visuals
Well, the games look the same? Textures and models are smoothed and enhanced, and the game has no issues staying at 60 frames while playing. Its actually great to see the work done in that area as while not perfect, most of the visuals hold tight throughout both games. There are still some odd bugs such as enemies disappearing and reappearing at random times, and the poor AI kind of runs with this by running into walls or seemingly doing nothing while their model has a freakout of sorts. Not game breaking really, but it does give this re-release a rough texture to itself.
Overall
Star Wars Battlefront II was one of the greatest video games of all time. Its part of my own history as a player. The franchise as a whole is so important to what online gaming is today, so while Aspyr may have came out of nowhere with this collection, it doesn’t make it less important. Sadly, Star Wars Battlefront Collection is a mess right now where is matters most. Online feels like it was stapled together by a small team with little resources, making it hard to recommend this collection without a patch. The nostalgia is there, and we almost have it right with presentation, but those hunting for those feelings of late nights and Logitech headsets will be disappointed to return to a port that feels rushed and lacking where it matters the most.
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