Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection Review – A Great Throwback To The 2000s

Star Wars has become a cultural icon, from trailblazing the box office with the original trilogy to several TV show spinoffs and even video games in the modern era. And by the latter, you’ll instantly recall the Battlefront games from 2004 and 2005, respectively. That said, I’ll discuss those two titles with my Review of Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection and how this updated re-release is the perfect way to evoke nostalgia again.

Story And Setting

To collectively discuss both the titles and their narratives, there isn’t much to say other than they’re based on the movies while also covering a few key beats that weren’t showcased in the moves. To put it more clearly, for anyone who hasn’t played both these titles, the Battlefront games and their single-player campaigns tend to expand on the pivotal battles in the series.

…I strongly recommend going through the entirety of these story-driven campaigns, especially with Battlefront 2, as it gives you a deeper perspective into the Clones and Stormtroopers and their battles during the movies.

Battlefront 1’s campaign has the Clone Wars, branching all the way from the initial wars from Episode II, such as the battle of Geonosis to Kashyyyk. You can also participate in the secondary campaign called the Galactic Civil War, where you play as Stormtroopers fighting side by side with legendary characters such as Darth Vader.

However, in contrast, Battlefront 2 features a singular campaign called the Rise of the Empire, spanning over 18 missions and gives you an entire glimpse into the 501st Legion and their battles during Episode III all the way to the Battle of Hoth from the Empire Strikes Back.

If you ask me, while I equally adore Battlefront 1, I heavily enjoyed my time with the sequel instead, as I also played that one as a kid growing up with the PS2, plus it had a few more gameplay elements going for it. It is also worth noting that you can skip the Ship Battles in Battlefront 2, which is just an option if you’re not a fan of them in between the main missions.

Overall, while nothing new is added or updated with the Classic Collection in terms of storytelling, I strongly recommend going through the entirety of these story-driven campaigns, especially with Battlefront 2, as it gives you a deeper perspective into the Clones and Stormtroopers and their battles during the movies.

Gameplay

Regarding the gameplay of the Classic Collection, Star Wars Battlefront heavily retains the large-scale shooting gameplay of the originals while mainly adding new content that was present as console-exclusivity bonuses like playable characters.

During most Multiplayer battles, you can pick between various types of Clone/Stormtroopers, each with their own type of weapon, such as the Scout Trooper’s Sniper-based playstyle or blowing enemies up using the Imperial Pilot’s Mortal Launcher.

Furthermore, in larger-area battles such as Conquest, the traditional mode of these two games, you can also use a variety of weaponized vehicles from the Star Wars universe, such as the AT-TE Tank and even Separatist Droid machines such as the Hailfire Droid.

While I look forward to playing the Multiplayer with other players during the official release, trust me when I say there is never a better feeling than rushing down your foes via a speeder or obliterating them with an AT-ST.

While I reckon most of your time will be spent playing Multiplayer with friends and other players, I would advise at least checking out the Galatic Conquest mode. This mode is essentially a strategic turn-based format of taking turns against the enemy for total control over the Galaxy, with all four factions throughout the series having their respective special abilities, such as the Sith or Empire being able to eradicate the Planet completely.

Take The Fight To The Stars Or Down In The War

Aside from that special mode, the Multiplayer ones include the traditional Capture The Flag and the Hero Assault Mode, which I found heavily enjoyable, to say the least.

While I look forward to playing the Multiplayer with other players during the official release, trust me when I say there is never a better feeling than rushing down your foes via a Speeder or obliterating them with an AT-ST.

While I had my fair share of fun playing against AI for the most part, I’m eager to jump into Hero Assault with my friends due to how chaotic and dumb fun that mode can be, especially when playing as the Hero characters.

Hero Assault is definitely the highlight for me in Star Wars Battlefront 2 as it allows you to play as iconic characters of the series, from the legendary Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker to his Son Luke Skywalker. Or take it one step further by playing Darth Vader and turning the rebels into dust. You also have the option for Star Assault, the large Ship Battles that can quickly turn chaotic out of the gate.

Lastly, the other two modes that I got to try out were Hunt, which was another case of pure fun at its finest as it allowed you to play as indigenous species of the Galaxy, such as the Tattooine-native Jawas, as they try to eliminate other factions such as the Tusken Raiders for the most amount of kills in a time limit.

While I had my fair share of fun playing against AI for the most part, I’m eager to jump into Hero Assault with my friends due to how chaotic and dumb fun that mode can be, especially when playing as the Hero characters.

Frankly, my main concern is how long Aspyr will keep the servers going for because being able to play both games in their definitive editions is a treat for hardcore Star Wars fans, one that I think will keep this Collection going for the next few years due to the heavy nostalgia.

Visuals And Performance

When it comes to the visuals of both Star Wars Battlefront titles in the Classic Collection, I’d say they’re slightly enhanced than the PC release, but other than that, there isn’t any major visual upgrade offered in the Classic Collection since these games were also announced to be played on the Nintendo Switch.

From the aquatic beaches of Kashyyyk to the ruinous plains of Geonosis, each planet and its atmosphere capture the essence of the episodic movies brilliantly. Given the time when these games were released, I’d say graphics will be the least of your worries, or anyone’s, in this case, since this is a nostalgia trip at its finest.

In terms of performance, I mean the games are hardly demanding as they are given their visuals, and the Minimum Requirements only list a GTX 750. I ran the game perfectly at a crisp 1440p resolution with a locked 60FPS Framerate, so hardware isn’t really a major concern if you’re looking to pick this game up. Just try to have a decent rig that is capable of running classics or even AA titles.

Lastly, there were a few bugs and issues that I was already aware of, but they didn’t cause huge annoyances apart from the audio ones, which sometimes sent loud distortion during my battle on Geonosis.

Verdict

Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection is a definitive package of the two most influential video games that heavily invoke nostalgia. Characters and Maps previously exclusive to other platforms are found here, making the experience for players like me who wanted to play as Asajj Ventress from the Clone Wars feel much more exciting.

You can engage in a plethora of game modes from Starkiller, not to mention diving straight into Battlefront 2’s 501st campaign to learn never-before-seen details about the lore, which can be just as exciting as the multiplayer.

Whether you’re someone who didn’t get to play them back then or if you just want to pick up the lightsaber again and go on a killstreak as Darth Vader, the Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection is definitely worth checking out for a trip down memory lane in your Starfighter.

This has been my Review of Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection. If you enjoyed reading this, then be sure to check out similar articles below:

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