‘Star Wars Battlefront Classic Collection’ Review: Neverlasting Love

Aspyr’s mission in 2024 can potentially be summed up in two words: “targeting millennials.” Hot on the heels of his fantastic Tomb Raider I-III Remastered–a brilliant modernization that gave Lara Croft the love she deserved–the (re)developer has now applied a similar treatment to the original Star Wars: Battlefront games. It’s only March.

Of many ways, Star Wars Battlefront Classic Collection-what was it It was only announced three weeks ago during Nintendo Direct–is even more faithful to its source material than tomb raider was. It feels more like an expanded port than a remaster, but why mess with mid-2000s nostalgia? EA already tried to remake the series and look what happened.

Still, Aspyr has overlooked the most crucial element to the success of this remaster, and all of their hard work may be gone in a matter of weeks, at least on consoles. It’s an obvious factor that could have been predicted by any millennial, and I should know…Of course I know them. They are me.

Star Wars Battlefront Classic Collection begins in stark contrast to Tomb Raider 1-3 remastered, which offered deliciously stacked, reinvented menu screens; instead, you land on a boring image to choose your game. There’s not even a hint of John Williams in the background: it’s completely silent. First impressions are not the goal of Aspyr, and he is a bit embarrassing.

However, after just a few minutes, the worries disappear. Star Wars: Battlefront and Battlefront II They have been faithfully upscaled to glorious 60fps, with stunning textures. The controls, with adjustments, feel solid. Even the FMVs are preserved in their delightful glory: the pre-update clips from Trilogy I-III are possibly the best blast from the past, because George Lucas has remastered them at least twice since the games’ release. It’s a time capsule in more ways than one.

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If you have played the originals, Star Wars Battlefront Classic Collection reminds you of the genuine greatness that both games offered in spades. The settings are small but perfectly formed, whether it’s the alleyways of Mos Eisley, the frozen plains of Hoth, or the open-space battles in Y-Wings, TIE Fighters, and incredibly good Republic gunships. Pandemic Studios still deserves the praise it received in the 2000s; No Star Wars title from Battlefront II has led to moments like those fights to defend a shitty base on Kashyyyk, or having to dodge gunfire while running around a frozen AT-AT while the Snowspeeders try to tie it up.

Still, memories of offline nights in the 2000s loom large in these battle front remasters. It’s hard to suppress a wry smile knowing that newcomers will be thrown into these faithfully recreated campaigns, because they’ll get to experience how hilariously unbalanced they can be.

The campaign mode is largely fair: the number of friends and enemies is still roughly competitive if you know what you’re doing, but that’s only because you’re the team’s tank and kill dozens of enemies each match. You will never enjoy a better kill to death ratio. Even with this knowledge, you will embark on a journey that will take you wildly from one extreme to another.

Good sir, the battle front AI sucks. Teammates stay slightly away from capture points to help you advance. They regularly run in front of your line of fire, making you the constant leader in team kills. In the right position, snipers can eliminate static respawns until they run out of ammo. Enemies consider you the main target and who can blame them? You are the main weapon, something that is underlined by realizing at the end of the stage that you managed to kill more people than a real Jedi in a ratio of five to one.

From time to time, both battle fronts It offers stages so unfairly difficult that you’ll have to camp and traverse them: Geonosis and the Jedi Temple is a game of luck rather than skill. Reminds you that OG battle front It was something best experienced with real people, and herein lies the biggest problem with the Aspyr remaster.

Getting angry in multiplayer

Star Wars Battlefront Classic Collection It’s not cross-platform, well, not really. Sure, Xbox Series As a result, you can bet that the only full 64-player lobby on consoles will happen during the first week. Without the support of PS Plus or Game Pass, it simply won’t last.

Hopefully PC gamers will carry Aspyr’s vision into 2024 and beyond.the original battle front and battle front II They are still compatible with GameRanger. following the closure of GameSpy, but nothing beats a simple, faithful update of a beloved master from the past, even if the oldest surviving PCs run the originals with ease. that is what Star Wars Battlefront Classic Collection delivers, and it’s great to see a legend have his moment in the sun once again, with a new generation of players joining the action.

Admittedly, there are more minor things that could have been changed without affecting the main gameplay. The auto lens continues to overcompensate; menus could be clearer, helping you understand how to select power-ups or providing more information on power-ups and classes; The controls are still a pain, with limited options for remapping, at least on consoles.

Still, Star Wars Battlefront Classic Collection It’s a remaster for a reason: it’s equal parts faithful and brilliant. Does it look like an FPS from the mid-2000s? Yes. Is that a bad thing? No, but without more work to introduce true cross-play, console players will see their investment transform from an instant multiplayer experience to a single-player nostalgia trip in a matter of weeks. Sentimentality simply won’t bring popularity to games in 2024, but please let this prove me wrong.