Out of nowhere back in February, Aspyr announced that it was remastering the Star Wars: Battlefront series – well, the classic games from the PS2/Xbox era, anyway – for current consoles. It was a nice surprise when we didn’t expect it, and, done the right way, could easily pave the way for more feel-good online retro vibes.
The emphasis, however, is on “done the right way.” While the games included here have good intentions and some great gameplay, there are also some notable problems, mainly with the lack of crossplay (a crucial feature in this day and age) and critical errors that can get in the way of performance.
It does have its fun moments, but this is a series that could’ve used a little more time in the docking bay.
Two Fronts In One
The Collection features both Star Wars: Battlefront and Star Wars: Battlefront II in all their retro-fied glory. I do like the set-up here, as it feels like you’re playing the original Xbox games all over again. And the technical touches are nice at first, with a steady frame rate (for the most part) and lots of nostalgic settings in which to engage in your battles. Seeing some of these older maps return is cool.
That said, there are some problems. The first is that the game has glitches. They’re hard to avoid. We only ran into one game-breaking bug and reset back in with no problem, but I can’t help but think this section could use a little ironing out.
Also, we can’t help but overlook the possibility that Aspyr may have stolen some art from mods. Unfortunate, if true. Of course, we’ll see how this plays out, so we won’t hold it against the publisher for now.
As for the audio, the voice effects are good (though a little old), and the sound effects deliver. Of course, the Star Wars themes aren’t bad either.
Overall, Aspyr didn’t do half bad with Battlefront’s content. But there is some stuff that shows they might have rushed a little. Hopefully, we’ll see a patch in the future that cleans things up.
The Force Is Strong With Gameplay, But…
Battlefront feels like the older games should, with a simplified control scheme compared to the newer EA releases. That might throw some people off, but the idea of combat is nailed down almost smoothly here, mind a couple of quirks with aiming that you can easily fix. The ship combat is also great, though part of me still prefers the smoothness of Starfighter. (Now that’s a series that could use a comeback!)
It’s also great to have “master” characters that you unlock over the course of a match. Whether you’re mowing down soldiers with Darth Maul or cleaning house with Han Solo, they’re a blast to play.
Now, I do wish online was better. We did connect to some matches rather easily, but there were times that the servers were somewhat iffy. Like, they’d be all speed ahead one minute and then, “Hang on, gotta take a smoke break” the next. That’s not to say it isn’t worth trying, you just might have occasional struggles with connection.
And, again, I can’t emphasize this enough. Why isn’t there crossplay? That would’ve been a wonderful feature here, especially for those that bought alternate versions of the game. Without that, you’ve still got a lot to do, but you miss out on crucial opportunities as a result.
In the end, the Battlefront games are pretty good. But with a little more time, Aspyr could’ve pushed this collection into the stuff of legend.
There Is Another
Even with the technical gaffes and the questionable lack of crossplay, Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collectionis pretty good. Obviously more time in development would’ve gone a long way, but what’s here is sufficient. The online, when connected, works really well; and the old feeling and look of Battlefront is, for the most part, worthwhile.
It all leans on how much you appreciate the games. I’m happy to have them, warts and all, but I can’t help but think these could’ve really been special. Maybe after we see some patches applied, we’ll see the Jedi (or Sith) master it was really meant to be.
GAMERHUB RATING: 3.5 (out of 5) JOYSTICKS
Thanks to Aspyr for the review code!
