I
was
so
excited
when
Star
Wars:
Battlefront
Classic
Collection
was
announced.
Wrapping
up
the
two
iconic
Battlefront
games
from
the
early
2000s
is
like
wrapping
up
my
childhood.
I
put
countless
hours
into
these
games
and
always
look
for
an
excuse
to
replay
them.
Launch
day
came
and
went
without
me
because
I
was
busy
doing
something
else,
and
to
my
horror
when
I
finally
sat
down
and
checked
out
the
online
reaction,
the
Classic
Collection
was
getting
decimated.
How
did
Aspyr
fail
so
badly
at
what
seemed
like
easy
money?
And
are
the
original
Battlefront
games
still
worth
playing
in
2024?

To
figure
those
things
out
I’m
going
to
break
this
review
up
into
two
acts:
the
first
is
going
to
focus
on
the
quality
of
the
re-release
that
Aspyr
has
given
us,
and
the
second
will
be
about
the
games
themselves.
So
hold
on
to
your
butts,
because
this
is
where
the
fun
begins.

Remaster?
Remake?
Re-release?

The
first
thing
we
need
to
do
is
determine
exactly
who
the
Classic
Collection
is
for.
On
PC,
the
original
versions
of
both
games
are
readily
available
on
Steam
for
less
than
this
new
package
and
have
fully
functional
multiplayer
and
a
wealth
of
excellent
mods,
including
some
that
add
a
new
lick
of
paint.
So
I’ll
spoil
my
review
here
by
saying
that
if
you
already
own
the
originals
on
PC,
go
ahead
and
skip
the
Classic
Collection,
at
least
for
now.
The
improvements
simply
aren’t
good
enough
to
justify
the
price.

Oddly,
Aspyr
hasn’t
really
advertised
the
graphical
enhancements
in
the
Classic
Collection
which
is
baffling
to
me
considering
how
little
else
it
has
going
for
it.
While
it
is
not
a
massive
leap
up
in
visual
quality,
there
are
a
few
improvements
that
make
the
Classic
Collection
the
best-looking
version
of
both
games.
Unless
you
count
some
of
the
sick
fan-made
mods
for
the
PC
editions,
of
course,
and
you
really
should
because

sweet
Jesus
there
are
some
talented
people
out
there.

The
textures
in
both
of
these
updated
versions
seem
to
have
been
taken
from
the
original
PC
releases
of
Battlefront
and
Battlefront
2,
which
already
looked
significantly
better
than
their
console
counterparts
and
then
upscaled
to
4K.
There
has
been
some
debate
about
whether
the
textures
were
upscaled
using
AI,
but
nothing
has
actually
been
proven
and
Aspyr
hasn’t
said
anything
about
it.
Considering
modern
graphics
cards
already
using
AI
upscaling,
and
the
upcoming
PS5
Pro
will
have
its
own
machine
learning
upscaling,
I’m
not
too
bothered
if
this
is
true
or
not.
That
said,
a
basic
AI
renovation
doesn’t
warrant
the
RRP.
Whether
it’s
by
the
hands
of
a
human
or
the
power
of
an
AI,
the
result
is
a
nice
uptick
in
detail,
though
obviously
nowhere
near
what
a
proper
remaster
could
have
done.
The
PC
version
also
had
a
few
reflective
surfaces
which
have
now
been
extended
to
vehicles
and
other
areas
like
the
floor
in
Coruscant.

Ultimately,
the
value
of
the
graphical
boosts
depends
entirely
on
what
you’re
comparing
to.
If
you’re
a
console
gamer
then
the
Classic
Collection
is
a
solid
step
up
in
visuals,
especially
in
terms
of
the
backgrounds
which
are
no
longer
indistinguishable
blurs.
On
PC
however,
it’s
a
minor
increase
that
you’d
be
hard-pressed
to
notice
at
a
glance.

The
framerate
has
been
boosted
across
the
board
too,
so
now
everything
plays
in
silky-smooth
60fps,
unless
you’re
on
PC
where
the
sky
is
limited
purely
by
your
hardware.
Given
how
little
this
package
demands,
even
a
potato
disguised
as
a
PC
should
be
able
to
get
some
impressive
numbers.
Playing
on
the
PlayStation
5,
purely
because
the
allure
of
getting
some
trophies
on
two
beloved
games
was
too
much
to
resist,
the
framerate
never
stuttered
or
dipped.
Of
course,
if
the
framerate
had
dropped
on
a
console
this
powerful
running
games
from
the
early
2000s
it
would
be
a
gobsmacking
failure.
Still,
credit
where
credit
is
due.

Another
bonus
is
that
XL
mode
is
available
across
every
version
of
the
Battlefront
Classic
Collection,
where
once
it
was
only
accessible
to
the
PC
crowd.
That
means
we
all
get
to
enjoy
the
insanity
of
32
v
32
matches
on
certain
maps
like
Hoth,
because
who
doesn’t
love
64
very
confused
people
armed
with
laser
guns
and
lightsabers
running
around
the
place?

Hero
Assault,
the
mode
which
features
two
teams
comprised
entirely
of
heroes
and
villains,
has
also
been
added
to
every
single
map
in
the
game,
which
is
a
nice
bonus.

Finally,
some
extra
content
is
thrown
into
the
mix.
The
Classic
Collection
brings
in
a
few
bonus
maps
and
heroes
that
were
originally
launched
as
Xbox-exclusive
DLC
for
Battlefront
2.
This
was
not
without
controversy
though,
because
the
two
new
heroes
(Kit
Fisto
and
Asajj
Ventress)
were
alleged
to
use
animations
created
by
an
uncredited
modder
called
iamashaymin,
who
brought
the
formerly
Xbox-exclusive
DLC
to
the
PC
version
in
2021.
 iamashaymin
added
new
animations
to
make
the
two
new
characters
stand
out
from
the
existing
heroes
and
villains.
When
Aspyr
announced
the
Classic
Collection,
iamashyamin
spotted
his
mod
being
used.
Aspyr
apologised,
but

iamashyamin
said
that
the
full
release
also
included
portions
of
his
work
which
were
then
stripped
out
in
updates.
He
went
on
to
say
that
he
didn’t
mind
them
using
his
work,
but
wished
they
would
credit
him
for
it.

The
game’s
launch
on
March
13
was
nothing
short
of
an
embarrassment
for
Aspyr.
Due
to
some
sort
of
technical
issue,
the
vast
majority
of
the
dedicated
servers
didn’t
appear,
leaving
people
with
a
measly
three
to
choose
from.
The
ability
to
create
servers
also
wasn’t
working
correctly,
so
on
launch
day,
people
were
left
unable
to
tackle
the
multiplayer.
On
top
of
that,
players
quickly
discovered
that
the
singleplayer
portion
had
its
own
problems
–
entire
cutscenes
were
missing
from
Battlefront
2’s
campaign
mode,
decimating
the
story
of
the
501st.

The
good
news
is
that
most
of
the
major
launch
issues
have
been
resolved.
The
cutscenes
are
working
properly
and
the
servers
are
showing
correctly.
There’s
still
a
little
touch
of
lag
in
the
dedicated
servers,
but
that
should
hopefully
be
fixed
quickly.
However,
the
player
count
has
already
dropped
below
500
concurrent
players
per
day
on
PC.
Like
the
Jedi
before,
the
Classic
Collection
may
be
fading
into
memory.
Crossplay
between
PC
and
consoles
could
have
helped
keep
it
alive,
but
alas,
we
didn’t
get
it
and
there
are
no
plans
to
add
it.

So,
as
a
port/remaster/re-release
or
whatever
you
choose
to
call
it,
how
does
the
Classic
Collection
stack
up?
Poorly.
This
is
a
low-effort
release
that
can’t
justify
itself
on
PC
where
the
original
games
are
still
going
strong.
Xbox
players
are
in
the
same
boat,
but
at
least
the
Classic
Collection
offers
a
visual
boost,
even
if
it
isn’t
huge.
PlayStation
and
Switch
owners
benefit
the
most
from
this
release
as
it
lets
them
experience
two
fantastic
games,
albeit
in
a
disappointing
package.

The
Games
themselves

As
a
sales
pitch
the
original
Battlefront
kind
of
sounds
like
a
stupid
idea:
let’s
take
one
of
the
most
iconic
movie
franchises
of
all
time,
a
series
renowned
for
space
monks
with
laser
swords
and
a
badass
villain,
and
make
a
game
based
on
it.
Great!
That
sounds
fantastic.
What
should
the
game
be
about?
Maybe
you
play
as
Darth
Vader
annihilating
rebels?
Or
how
about
a
Jedi
who
survived
Order
66
and
is
now
on
the
run?
You
could
have
Force
powers
and
build
lightsabers
and….wait,
what
was
that?
You
want
to
make
a
game
about
being
one
of
the
thousands
of
faceless
soldiers
waging
war
in
the
background
while
all
the
cool
characters
do
awesome
things
off-screen?
Are
you
sure?

It
works,
though.
Every
match,
whether
it’s
against
AI
bots
in
singleplayer
or
against
other
people
online,
drops
you
onto
a
battlefield
where
you
pick
from
a
few
different
classes
of
soldiers
and
then
head
out
to
gun
down
the
opposition
and
capture
strategic
points.
The
first
team
to
run
out
of
reinforcement
tickets
losses.
Simple
stuff,
yet
massively
entertaining.

The
campaign
of
Battlefront
loosely
follows
the
movies
(the
prequels
and
the
original
trilogy)
by
bookending
each
mission
with
a
brief
scene
lifted
directly
from
the
films.
One
mission
sees
you
assaulting
Naboo
as
the
robotic
forces
of
the
Separatists,
for
example,
while
later
on
you’ll
be
fighting
as
one
of
the
Rebels
on
Hoth
facing
down
the
slow,
steady
advancement
of
the
Empire’s
massive
AT-ATs.

The
action
gets
spiced
up
a
little
through
the
use
of
vehicles
that
litter
the
map.
There
are
all
manner
of
tanks
to
take
for
a
spin
and
even
some
spaceships
like
the
iconic
Tie
Fighter
that
you
can
hop
into
and
vy
for
aerial
supremacy.
Unsurprisingly,
the
mixture
of
infantry
and
vehicular
combat
drew
a
lot
of
comparisons
to
Battlefield
1942
which
came
out
a
couple
of
years
beforehand.
It’s
a
completely
fair
comparison
too:
Battlefront
owes
a
lot
to
Dice’s
shooter.

This
single-game
mode
is
called
Conquest
and
if
it
sounds
like
a
multiplayer
design
masquerading
around
as
a
singleplayer
game
you’d
be
right.
The
original
Battlefront
launched
at
a
time
when
multiplayer
on
consoles
was
starting
to
become
a
reality,
with
the
Xbox
version
supporting
32
players
while
the
PS2
could
only
handle
16.
PC,
of
course,
was
where
the
real
multiplayer
action
was
to
be
found
thanks
to
online
connections
being
far
more
common
and
the
ability
to
have
64
people
in
a
match.

Playing
Battlefront
in
2024,
you
can
definitely
feel
its
age.
The
movement
is
slow
and
the
entire
game
is
simplistic,
and
yet
there’s
a
rough
charm
to
the
experience.

Looking
to
capitalise
on
the
success
of
Star
Wars:
Battlefront
and
to
coincide
with
the
DVD
release
of
Revenge
of
the
Sith,
the
sequel
was
released
just
one
year
later
which
is
why
the
basic
idea
of
capturing
points
and
gunning
down
the
enemy
team
wasn’t
changed.
A
bunch
of
the
maps
from
Battlefront
were
also
carried
over,
strengthening
the
idea
that
the
sequel
was
rushed
out
of
the
door.

However,
there
are
a
couple
of
very
cool
additions
resulting
in
Battlefront
2
completely
supplanting
the
original
game,
in
my
opinion.
The
first
was
full-blown
space
battles
where
you
could
dogfight
in
a
X-Wing,
bomb
cruisers
and
even
land
on
the
enemy
capital
ship
before
trying
to
blow
up
their
internals.
These
add
some
much-needed
variety
to
the
core
gameplay
loop.

By
far
the
biggest
gameplay
change
is
the
ability
to
play
as
the
special
heroes
and
villains.
Do
well
enough
in
a
match
and
you
can
stride
the
battlefield
as
Darth
Vader,
fly
over
Kamino
as
Jango
Fett
and
rip
through
the
halls
of
Coruscant
as
Mace
Windu
like
a
lunatic
with
a
glowstick
in
a
rave.
In
the
right
hands,
these
special
characters
are
capable
of
decimating
the
enemy
team,
especially
since
only
the
best
player
in
each
team
is
given
the
chance
to
be
the
hero
character.
Sadly,
this
means
players
who
struggle
to
keep
up
would
rarely
get
to
wave
a
lightsaber
around.

The
heroes
have
their
issues,
mind
you.
As
fun
as
they
are
to
play,
it
can
actually
be
quite
challenging
sometimes
to
properly
use
them
as
the
controls
are
floaty
and
the
hitboxes
are
strange.
A
couple
of
the
lightsaber-wielding
heroes
have
odd
sprinting
attacks,
for
example,
where
its
hard
to
actually
hit
your
target,
and
even
at
close
range
lightsaber
attacks
feel
inconsistent.

It’s
most
noticeable
in
the
new
Hero
Assault
mode
where
both
teams
are
given
unlimited
access
to
the
roster
of
heroes
and
villains
in
an
all-out
slug-fest.
One
team
takes
on
the
role
of
iconic
heroes
like
Obi-Wan,
Yoda
and
Anakin
Skywalker,
while
the
opposing
team
are
the
villains,
spawning
in
as
Darth
Maul,
The
Emperor
and
Boba
Fett.
It’s
a
lot
of
fan-pleasing
fun,
but
the
gameplay
mechanics
don’t
really
support
the
idea,
so
it
often
feels
like
you’re
watching
a
bunch
of
action
figures
being
smashed
together.

Battlefront
2’s
campaign
attempts
to
carve
a
somewhat
new
Star
Wars
story
by
following
the
501st
clone
squadron
across
their
birth
in
the
Clone
Wars,
through
their
turn
to
the
dark
side
during
Order
66
and
into
their
service
to
the
Empire.
Cutscenes
using
in-game
footage
bookend
each
mission
and
do
a
pretty
decent
job
of
providing
some
narrative
structure
to
what
you’re
doing,
even
if
each
mission
is
exactly
the
same
as
the
last
one.

The
real
singleplayer
though,
is
the
improved
Galactic
Conquest
mode
where
you
take
control
of
a
faction
and
duke
it
out
across
an
entire
star
system.
Each
turn
you
move
your
army
one
space
on
the
board,
usually
so
that
you
can
attack
a
planet
and
take
control
of
it.
Each
planet
you
nab
earns
resources
which
can
be
spent
on
power-ups
for
future
battles,
like
improved
health,
special
turrets
defending
your
command
points
and
whether
or
not
your
faction’s
hero
will
be
playable.
It’s
a
lot
of
fun
to
slowly
conquer
the
galaxy,
even
if
it’s
very
simple.
I
really
wish
the
newer
Battlefront
games
from
EA
had
brought
Galactic
Conquest
back
and
expanded
upon
the
idea,
perhaps
by
adding
some
multiplayer
as
well,
but
I
suppose
Galactic
Conquest
was
the
least
of
those
games’
issues.

It
can
be
difficult
to
replicate
glitches
and
problems
in
games,
so
it’s
hard
to
say
which
problems
I
encountered
have
simply
carried
over
and
which
might
be
new.
The
AI’s
habit
of
standing
still
and
doing
nothing
is
certainly
a
problem
that
was
in
the
original
games
as
well,
but
some
of
the
graphical
issues
I
ran
into,
like
Hoth
turning
into
a
patchwork
quilt,
seem
to
be
unique
to
the
Classic
Collection.

In
conclusion…

It’s
difficult
to
review
a
package
like
this
because
I’m
trying
to
judge
two
distinctive
parts:
the
quality
of
the
port/remaster,
and
the
games
themselves.

While
they
certainly
are
showing
their
age,
there
is
no
doubt
in
my
mind
that
Battlefront
and
the
even
better
Battlefront
2
are
excellent
games
still
worthy
of
being
played
in
2024.
Experiencing
them
again
brought
back
a
lot
of
fond
memories
from
my
teenage
years
and
a
deep
sense
of
disappointment
that
they
never
got
the
sequel
they
deserved.
EA’s
attempts
to
revive
the
franchise
in
2015
ended
up
failing
to
capture
the
magic
and
didn’t
improve
very
much
on
what
came
before.

The
quality
of
this
new
package
doesn’t
do
either
game
justice.
Minimal
improvements
make
it
pointless
for
PC
players
who
are
better
off
sticking
with
the
original
releases.
The
only
people
who
truly
benefit
are
those
on
the
Switch
and
PlayStation
where
the
games
aren’t
accessible.
At
least
the
initial
launch
issues
have
been
mostly
resolved,
although
the
multiplayer
numbers
will
probably
never
recover.
Another
update
should
hopefully
fix
any
remaining
problems,
but
the
online
will
be
dead
by
that
point.

Truthfully,
that
isn’t
a
problem
for
me
because
I’m
quite
happy
to
fire
up
both
games
in
single-player,
either
through
Instant
Action
matches
or
Galactic
Conquest
mode.
You
better
consider
whether
you’ll
be
happy
sticking
with
the
offline
elements
of
the
games
if
you
plan
on
buying
the
Classic
Collection,
too.

If
you’re
playing
on
a
console
and
assuming
the
last
few
problems
do
get
sorted
out,
this
is
technically
the
best
version
of
the
games
available
to
you,
although
the
Xbox
versions
are
already
pretty
solid.
Even
in
that
context,
it’s
difficult
not
to
feel
disappointed
by
this
lacklustre
package.
So
much
more
could
have
been
done,
but
I
guess
Aspyr
decided
the
potential
audience
wasn’t
big
enough
to
warrant
spending
big
money.

My
recommendation
would
be
to
wait
and
pick
up
the
Star
Wars:
Battlefront
Classic
Collection
when
it
gets
a
price
cut,
especially
if
you’re
happy
enough
to
mess
about
in
single-player
because
the
multiplayer
crowd
will
probably
be
long
gone.
Classic
Collection,
while
you
are
on
the
council,
I
do
not
grant
you
the
rank
of
Master.