What you need to know
- Nintendo held a Partner Direct today, announcing the Star Wars Battlefront Classic Collection.
- Star Wars Battlefront Classic Collection releases on March 14th for Switch, Playstation, Xbox, and Steam.
- If you have never enjoyed what a true 64-player multiplayer sandbox should feel like, Battlefront 2 was the best to do it.
Aspyr Media might as well be called the Star Wars remake/re-release studio. They have released a handful of games for modern platforms from the extensive Star Wars catalog. Unfortunately, they were supposed to be working on the Knights of the Old Republic remake, but if rumors are true, that development has hit rocky shores.
Some of the fantastic games they have brought out can be found in the Star Wars Heritage Pack, which includes Star Wars Republic Commando, Star Wars Jedi Knight Jedi Academy, Star Wars Jedi Knight II Jedi Outcast, Star Wars Force Unleashed, Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic one and two, and Star Wars Racer. That is a ton of Star Wars all in one package, but they saved the cream of the crop for last.
Star Wars Battlefront Classic Collection features Battlefront 1 and 2 with bonus maps and modes and is available on every platform.
Now this is pod racing, I mean 64-player FPS goodness.
I'm actually ecstatic to play Battlefront II again in 2024. I know what some of you might be saying: this is GoldenEye all over again, and nobody will play it for more than a few minutes. I don't think I agree with that sentiment. It comes down to controls and the feel here, though. If Aspyr made these games run at a smooth 60 FPS and the controls feel responsive, this collection might find a place alongside classic arena shooters such as Unreal Tournament, Team Fortress 2, and Counter-Strike.
If you haven't checked out the trailer yet for the game, give it a watch. I highly recommend bumping it up to 4K because it looks pretty impressive for a 20-year-old game.
Ah, the nostalgia. I put so many hours into Battlefront II back on my OG Xbox as a kid. I loved Star Wars and being able to play through scenes and environments from the movies was just the bee's knees. Here are some of the features coming in the Classic Collection.
- Fight in iconic battles from across the STAR WARS galaxy.
- Play the classic STAR WARS Battlefront games on modern consoles, online and offline in this complete classic collection.
- This Classic Collection includes: STAR WARS Battlefront (Classic) -Includes Bonus Map: Jabba's Palace STAR WARS Battlefront II -Includes Bonus Maps: Bespin: Cloud City, Rhen Var: Harbor, Rhen Var: Citadel, and Yavin 4: Arena -Includes Bonus Heroes: Asajj Ventress & Kit Fisto.
- Traverse the Galaxy in Campaign Mode & Galactic Conquest Galactic Conquest: Devise your strategy, recruit your troops, and execute your tactical vision for conquering the galaxy.
- STAR WARS Battlefront Campaign: Experience iconic battles from STAR WARS Episodes I-VI STAR WARS Battlefront II Campaign: Join the rise of Darth Vader’s elite 501st Legion of Stormtroopers.
- Massive Locations with up to 64-player Online Support -Fight on the ground: Wookiee Warriors, Jet Troopers, Droidekas and more in massive multiplayer action -Drive iconic vehicles: Speeder Bikes, AT-STs, AT-RTs, and more in offensive and defensive battles.
- Pilot legendary starships: TIE fighters, X-wings, and more in space and air dogfights
- Expanded Hero Assault Hero Assault is playable on all ground maps including: Death Star, Kashyyyk, Kamino, and Naboo for the first time ever.
- Fight with heroes: Mace Windu, Yoda, Luke Skywalker, and many others!
- Battle with villains: Darth Maul, General Grievous, Darth Vader, and many others!
When everybody plays, we all win.
I think the Star Wars Battlefront Classic Collection has a chance to actually have a decent-sized player base, and that is largely because it will be on so many platforms. I haven't seen any confirmation of cross-play yet, but it would be a very foolish decision for Aspyr to not have cross-play enabled in a re-release of a 20-year-old game. Looking at their previous releases though, it seems like they didn't have cross-play, but Aspyr needs to make that happen at least between Switch, Xbox, and PC if PlayStation doesn't want to join in on the fun.
While the game doesn't appear to be coming to Game Pass, my Game Pass subscription frees up a lot of my budget so I can spend money on more niche/random games like this. If you don't have Game Pass yet, there are some deals below to get your subscription started.
Do you know that feeling you get when you go back and watch a movie from the 90s or early 2000s and the movie is just a good movie? It isn't trying to set up a 20-year cinematic universe or force corny jokes that won't be relevant in 5 years. I feel like this battlefront collection might be able to capture that feeling. Battlefront II was a complete game. It had amazing campaigns, ship combat, several different classes and playstyles and let Star Wars fans battle it out as their favorite heroes and villains.
If nothing else comes from this re-release, I hope it shows current game development studios how to make a complete game that has the full package and a game doesn't need a battle pass or microtransactions to be fun.
