This is probably old news by now, but there was a time when Star Wars fans would have rather had EA release the old Battlefront games with a few modern touches than do to the series what it did with Battlefront 2015 and Battlefront 2 in 2017. The latter has actually gone on to have a bit of a loyal following, and has a “Very Positive” review score on Steam at the time of this writing. But there were still hardcore fans of the original Battlefront games asking for a remake. And while this release isn’t quite a remake, it brings these games back for people who might want to revisit the past.
Nostalgia distorts a bit, I think. And when I got into the Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection I was in for a bit of a reality check while I readjusted to these games. But once I did, it was like I was back playing on my OG Xbox. These games are pretty damn fun. If you don’t know what they are, here’s the gist: you can play as opposing factions in two of Star Wars’ eras, the original trilogy and the prequel trilogy. That means you can roll around as a droideka in the drone army or blast rebel scum as a Stormtrooper with up to 63 other players.
If you’re thinking, “how is that possible, those games came out in 2004 and 2005 (respectively) how can that be?” and my answer is: get off my lawn. Multiplayer games of this scale were relatively new at the time, and Battlefront was the first Star Wars game to really take advantage of this. And it did so on a massively impressive scale which was only ramped up with its sequel, Battlefront 2.
Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection includes both of the classic Battlefront games, all of the bonus maps, and even some alterations to play modes, like letting you play the Hero Assault game mode on all ground maps–something that wasn’t possible before.
This collection isn’t really a remaster so much as it is Aspyr bringing these Battlefront games to a contemporary gaming audience. And while these servers will probably be filled with crusty old guys reliving their youth, there are some great epic battles to be had in space, on the ground, on foot or in vehicles.
If you don’t like playing online, that’s okay too: you can jump into instant action against bots, or play the single player campaigns from both games which span many iconic battles. You can even play in split screen modes or over a local area network with its LAN. Both of these features are less common these days, but I’m glad they made their way back for this release.
While both of these Star Wars Battlefront games are similar in ways, I would say that Battlefront 2 is the more robust experience. Building off of the first game, it introduces progression and features more refined gameplay. Aspyr seems to realize this too, as they have far more dedicated servers for the sequel than they do the original.
I would have liked to see these games get a full remake treatment, or even the full remaster treatment. But what we got is good enough for me to want to jump into a few matches. Nostalgia is a huge draw, however, and you can’t expect these games to pry modern gamers away from the likes of Helldivers II.
Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection features two classic games that aren’t really like anything that exists today. They might even be seen as janky by today’s standards, but they’re still damn fun.
Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection is available tomorrow on PC via Steam and on Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series S|X, Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.
A Steam key was provided to us for this review