The collection currently has a “Mostly Negative” rating roughly a day after launch. Out of the 2974 user reviews on Steam, only 20 percent are positive, which is abysmal. If it racked up more, it could easily rank among the likes of Overwatch 2 (where only 17 percent of its reviews are positive, and that’s before getting into the joke reviews).

That’s far from the legacy some fans expect from classics of this caliber. Is it ironic that despite how beloved the core games developed by Pandemic Studios are, they would face this kind of backlash, especially given the legacy of more recent Battlefront titles? Sure, but something’s got to give.

I should first clarify that I reviewed Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection on PlayStation 5, giving it an eight out of 10. Both titles are quite enjoyable and hold up pretty well, from the immersion of the battles to the solid performance, even with dozens of units on-screen at once. Trying different units depending on the strategy was fun, and Galactic Conquest in Battlefront 2 fed that “one more turn” itch usually reserved for tactical role-playing and turn-based strategy games. I didn’t try the multiplayer, much less split-screen, but even with some nagging issues, I find the collection quite enjoyable for solo play and still stand by my review.

However, there are some severe issues, as highlighted by how Aspyr (which worked on this re-release) chose to handle the technical side of its multiplayer rollout. Several players pointed out on Twitter and Steam that only three servers were available at launch to join. One server accommodates 64 players, and the peak concurrent count at launch was a whopping 9,232 players. You’ve probably noticed, but the math doesn’t add up. Even if Aspyr anticipated much less demand, and this is only for Steam, very few multiplayer games would launch servers accommodating only 192 players at launch.

Aspyr reportedly added new servers over the day, but the problems had only begun. Hero Assault, where one side controls heroes and the other side villains, has an issue where no one can join the hero side. Consider that the collection is the first time the mode is officially available on more than one map, a benefit reserved for the Xbox version of Battlefront 2 when it first launched.

Stuttering, terrible ping, excessive lag, no aim assist in multiplayer, bugs like the respawn timer remaining stuck on 1 (only fixed by relaunching the game), the Xbox Series S version reportedly crashing if you try to play Conquest with two controllers are connected – the list goes on. Though some reviews have pointed out that the server situation is improving, the sheer number of issues from what should have been a straightforward re-release is baffling. That’s not counting the lack of basic functions, like turning off inverted controls while engaging in space combat.

Again, while much of this may not seem a major issue if you’re a solo player, that’s not how Aspyr sold Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection. It was also marketed for the ability to play online, and seeing it handled like this, especially for a $40 re-release of titles nearly two decades old (regardless of how beloved), is disheartening.

You also have to remember that this is a passionate community, one that’s developed some pretty stellar mods for the original games. It’s from reskinned characters to resemble Ventress and Fisto on PC since they were exclusive to Xbox. It overhauled Galactic Conquest to resemble 2015’s Star Wars Battlefront and even added new heroes, maps, units, and campaigns.

It’s also a community that had to face the cancellation of Pandemic’s Star Wars: Battlefront 3 and deal with EA’s Star Wars Battlefront titles, the first lacking content at launch (never mind the paltry single-player offerings) and the second mired by a pay-to-win approach to loot boxes that took years of post-launch support to wash the stink off of.

How this happened is unknown, but this isn’t the first issue players have had with Aspyr and the Star Wars franchise. The first trailer for Battlefront Classic Collection faced controversy for using a mod of Asajj Ventress instead of how the actual character plays in-game. The developer admitted its mistake to IGN, revealing that this was “placeholder footage” and not meant to make it into the final trailer cut.

Of course, the less said about Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic – Remake, the better. Announced in September 2021 for PS5 and PC, development was reportedly paused after a less-than-stellar reception from studio heads to a vertical slice. It’s still reportedly in the works, though unlikely to arrive any time soon.

Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection may have faced issues in its final months of development from internal turmoil. In a recent statement, Aspyr said it experienced “critical errors” with its network infrastructure, resulting in “incredibly high ping, matchmaking errors, crashes, and servers not appearing in the browser.” It’s working to address these and improve network stability and while this may explain the lack of servers, it doesn’t quite account for other quality control concerns.

The question now is how it proceeds, and whether it has the resources to properly support the Battlefront Classic Collection over an extended period. It continues supporting the recent Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered, fixing missing textures, resolving crashes and fixing the lighting in certain areas, so there’s hope. However, since the collection’s concerns are multiplayer-focused, it remains to be seen if the single-player-focused studio can handle it.

Unfortunately, the first impression is usually the most important for multiplayer titles, and by botching the launch of online play, Aspyr may have muddled its long-term prospects. Improving that takes time and effort, but since this is effectively a re-release, that too competing with other multiplayer titles, it may not get its moment of redemption. Time will, of course, tell – after all, we’ve seen the Star Wars Battlefront franchise bounce back from much worse. Nevertheless, this is one collection that banks on positive reception from fans for survival, and right now, that’s in short supply.

Note: The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of, and should not be attributed to, GamingBolt as an organization.

Fortunately, the Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection is here, packing both titles into one package and adding new content, like additional heroes and maps. While the issues that plagued the original releases are still intact, they’re a testament to a more streamlined approach that caters to both single-player and multiplayer fans.

Developed by the now-defunct Pandemic Studios, Star Wars: Battlefront 1 and 2 offered first and third-person shooter action at their core. However, they also jammed in other unconventional elements, from playing as heroes like Obi-Wan Kenobi and Darth Vader to different unit types, each with unique weapons and kits.

From the outset, you have three modes in each title – Campaign, Galactic Conquest and Instant Action. Star Wars: Battlefront 1 covers two eras – the Clone Wars from the prequel trilogy and the Galactic Civil War from the original trilogy. Each features maps modelled after classic conflicts like the Assault on Yavin 4 and, of course, the Battle of Endor. You have a series of objectives, ranging from capturing points to destroying shield generators, with AI soldiers and vehicles by your side.

While the first Battlefront’s narrative approach more closely mirrors the films, Battlefront 2 follows the 501st Legion, from their battles for the Republic against the Confederacy of Independent Systems to their integration into the Galactic Empire and battling the Rebellion. The latter’s campaign offers a more eclectic variety of missions, from quelling prison riots to a suicide mission on Kashyyyk.

"Whichever title you prefer, Instant Action offers some quick gameplay without any story hang-ups. However, Galactic Conquest is arguably where it’s at for both titles."

The authenticity of each battle, from the sound effects to the music, definitely helps in that regard, but it’s surprising how good the shooting feels. From sniping to unleashing with a chaingun, it’s all on point, and each unit’s kit adds a different dimension to the conflict. You could be a sharpshooter taking out droids from a distance, or opt for a Dark Trooper with a jetpack.

You can also roll around as a Droideka and tank massive damage with a shield or gun down multiple enemies as a Super Battle Droid (who also has rockets). The controls for the Droideka can feel a bit awkward, but otherwise, every unit feels good to control. Even the vehicles are lots of fun – there’s just something about commanding an AT-TE and slowly but surely rolling over enemy units and vehicles as they’re helpless to stop you.

Instant Action is where players can play almost any faction on any map with heroes, even creating a playlist of maps to experience sequentially. While Conquest is the standard mode across both titles, Battlefront 2 spices things up with Hero Assault for hero-only battles, Capture the Flag and Space Assault to accommodate the new space battles. Whichever title you prefer, Instant Action offers some quick gameplay without any story hang-ups.

However, Galactic Conquest is arguably where it’s at for both titles. Battlefront sees two sides, either the Republic and Rebellion or the Confederacy and the Empire, battling over various locations on a map. Each side takes turns contesting locations that provide a bonus when fully captured (which provides benefits like jamming enemy sensors and preventing them from seeing your units on the mini-map). Winning four battles in total allows for activating a Secret Bonus ability for game-changing effects, like taking a location off the board completely.

"Unfortunately, as enjoyable as both titles can be, they do have their fair share of issues, the most prominent being the AI."

It’s pretty straightforward and allows for some strong back and forth. Battlefront 2, on the other hand, is where things really take off. This time, you have a fleet that traverses an actual galactic map and takes turns venturing through different routes. Some lead to enemy-controlled locations, which you can control by contesting a ground battle, and award Credits used to recruit new unit types and unlock consumable bonuses (like allowing you to use a hero when starting the mission).

However, your opponent is also making moves with their fleet, and if you clash in a location, the resulting space battle sees both fleets attempting to annihilate the other. From disabling sensors and functions to landing inside the opponent’s hangar bay to sabotage them from the inside, it’s a pitched battle with tangible stakes.

Galactic Conquest ends when one side controls all locations, and it’s possible to build multiple fleets to wage wars on several fronts. Overall, the gameplay loop is great. There’s that feeling of “one more turn” as you look to unseat an enemy’s rule over a location or destroy their fleet to reset them. Enlisting newer units and stacking different bonuses – which the enemy can also employ – keeps battles interesting.

Unfortunately, as enjoyable as both titles can be, they do have their fair share of issues, the most prominent being the AI. While the opposing side will quickly identify when you’re wrecking shop and focus fire, sometimes a little too well, to take you down, your allies alternate between lazing around on an objective or simply running into objects.

They’re more than content to let enemies waltz by and gun you down when they’re not running into grenades and getting blown up. While not a deal-breaker, it’s annoying enough to be noticeable (and may even cost you some matches where you can’t carry hard enough).

Also, while Galactic Conquest is enjoyable, the lack of variety in objectives can make it a little repetitive since it’s mostly Conquest matches. The space battles help to break the monotony and control well enough, but some more varied objectives – especially in Battlefront 2, with what its campaigns are capable of – would have been nice.

Visually, both titles are impressive even after all these years, particularly Battlefront 2. Performance is solid throughout, with dozens of units, vehicles, projectiles, explosions and more on-screen at a time with no slowdown whatsoever. It’s to be expected given their age and the sheer power of current-gen hardware, but still impressive all the same. Sadly, I couldn’t try out multiplayer, which supports up to 64 players and could provide a nice change of pace from Galactic Conquest.

"However, above all else, the collection is a window into a period of video games that didn’t need crazy progression systems and Star Cards to provide an enjoyable experience for dozens of hours."

Despite lingering issues from their bygone era, which can bring the experiences down, the Star Wars Battlefront Classic Collection is still a must-buy for fans. Galactic Conquest is arguably worth the price of admission alone, even if Battlefront 2 is superior on that front over the original.

However, above all else, the collection is a window into a period of video games that didn’t need crazy progression systems and Star Cards to provide an enjoyable experience for dozens of hours. The fact that it runs this well and feels this good to play is just the cherry on top. More than anything, it really makes you wonder what could have been with the cancelled Star Wars: Battlefront 3.

This game was reviewed on PlayStation 5.

Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection will launch next month, bringing both Battlefront and Battlefront 2 to modern platforms. Both games’ single player campaigns will be included, as well as the fan-favourite turn-based strategy mode, Galactic Conquest.

Of course, the main highlight here is going to be the multiplayer mode, with the massive 64-player battles of the original Battlefront duology returning, along with bonus maps and heroes being fully restored and integrated, and Hero Assault being made playable on all ground maps for the first time.

Beyond that, you can expect support for two-player offline splitscreen, as well as Trophies and Achievements.

Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection launches on March 14 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC. You can check out the collection’s announcement trailer below.

Electronic Arts may no longer have exclusive rights to develop Star Wars titles but its output has still been impressive. CEO Andrew Wilson revealed during an earnings call with investors (transcript via Seeking Alpha) that the company’s deal with Disney resulted in $3 billion revenue till date. The first title, Star Wars: Battlefront, launched in 2015.

It was followed by Star Wars: Battlefront 2 and Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order with Star Wars: Squadrons being the most recent. Collectively, the publisher’s Star Wars titles have sold 52 million copies till date across all platforms. If that wasn’t enough, free to play mobile title Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes generated $1 billion on its own.

When asked about EA producing fewer Star Wars titles due to the loss of exclusivity, Wilson said, “I don’t think you should imagine that the fact that some other people will build some Star Wars games is going to change our commitment to that IP or our ability to build the appropriate number of games.” The publisher noted several weeks ago that there were a “number” of unannounced Star Wars games in the works so it should be interesting to see what’s next.

In the meantime, Ubisoft Massive is working on an open world Star Wars title. Rumors also indicate that a new Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic title is in development, though EA isn’t supposed to be handling it. Stay tuned for more details and announcements in the coming years.

Ever since EA got the Star Wars license, their offerings have been somewhat on the slim side. While they released the highly popular Battlefront revival as well as the latest title, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, it feels like the license has not been utilized nearly as much as you’d expect for such an iconic series. Well, it seems another game in the franchise also quietly bit the dust, if a new report is to be believed.

According to Kotaku’s Jason Schreier, EA was working on a spinoff of some kind of the Battlefront games codenamed Viking. It was canceled last year. The game was being worked on by a combination of EA Vancouver and Criterion Games, and was meant to release sometime this year alongside next generation consoles. This comes after the high profile cancellations of two other Star Wars titles, Ragtag by Visceral, as well as Orca being developed by EA Vancouver. This will make the third Star Wars game since 2017 to be canceled by the publisher.

While game cancellations aren’t uncommon, it does seem as if EA has developed something of a troubled history with the license. Schreier does also say that a Fallen Order sequel is in the works, which has been speculated on for awhile, as well as a smaller title. Hopefully, they survive.

The first month of 2020 is already almost over. It’s hard to fathom how quickly time can slip by, isn’t it? One more month down does at least mean that multiple different games are going up on the zillion or so subscription services we now all have to chose from. Xbox Live Gold is a sort of original in that field, and today we got a look at the games we can download free of charge next month thanks to that subscription.

On the Xbox One side of things, we get the detective RPG based on the cosmic horrors of H.P. Lovecraft with Call of Cthulhu. It will be available February 15th-March 15th. TT Isle of Man will race beside it throughout the entire month. The other games will be Fable Heroes on the Xbox 360, and we’re going way old school with the original Star Wars Battlefront on Xbox on February 16th-29th. Talk about a blast from the past.

The February Games with Gold will begin being available at the beginning of the month. All games will be playable on the Xbox One.

So as we gear up for an exciting two months, in this feature, we’ll be taking a look at what we feel are the eleven best Star Wars games to date. Without further ado then, let’s get started.

#11. STAR WARS: SHADOWS OF THE EMPIRE

Shadows of the Empire was far from a darling of the critics when it launched, but though it wasn’t very well received back in the day, over the years it’s developed a strong and dedicated fan following. And it’s not hard to see why- Shadows of the Empire’s Hoth sections by themselves make the game worth a shot, but even beyond those, fans of Star Wars will appreciate the game for how well it captures the aesthetic and tone of that universe. It hasn’t aged very well, as is the case with many N64 titles, but if you can get past its more outdated mechanics, you’ll be in for a great ride.

Right now all eyes are looking toward the upcoming Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order as far as Star Wars in video games go. But the Battlefront series is still going, with the second game in EA’s revival still getting updates. It seems the two games together have also managed to sell quite a bit in their limited time on the market.

During EA’s quarterly conference all, it was announced that the combined sales of Battlefront and Battlefront 2 surpass 33 million copies. The second game was said to miss its expectations back in 2017 and was embroiled in controversy due to the game’s monetization aspects in its multiplayer (something that’s still being felt to this day), but it still seems the games have managed to sell well, which explains why their expectations for the sales of Fallen Order are so high. It is worth noting that EA did choose to combine these sales, and it’s not clear what each version sold individually. Despite this success, it’s also been said that a third Battlefront will not be happening anytime soon.

Star Wars Battlefront and Battlefront 2 are available now on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.

But as we all well know, EA’s management of Star Wars, outside of Fallen Order, has been an absolute mess. In December of 2013, Disney signed a deal with EA that granted the publisher exclusive rights to make games based on the Star Wars license. There was a healthy amount of skepticism in the industry concerning the deal even back then, owing to EA’s less than stellar reputation, and over the years, that skepticism has proven to be not without merit. 

With a string of cancelled titles and a couple of disappointing releases, it feels like EA is squandering the potential of an incredible license, and crushing any ideas for games with true potential based on rushed or frustrating decisions. But how exactly did we get here- with ten years to work exclusively on a property, surely EA could and should have been well-placed to deliver a string of excellent games, which they clearly haven’t done. Just as a teeny tiny example, with Star Wars and BioWare both under EA’s belt, many would have figured that Knights of the Old Republic 3 would have been a no-brainer, but in spite of several efforts on BioWare’s parts to make it happen, EA doesn’t seem to think of it as a good idea. Clearly, things aren’t going the way they should have. So what the hell happened?

Since EA’s acquisition of the license for a ten-year period, we’ve seen them deliver two major Star Wars releases, with a third coming out in November of this year. The first was Star Wars Battlefront, which wasn’t a bad game by any means, but felt like half a game. It had no single player campaign, and even its multiplayer component felt like it was lacking in content. Then came Battlefront 2, a game that certainly wasn’t lacking in content, but royally messed things up in other infamous ways. Thanks to EA’s need for aggressive monetization, a perfectly good game was ruined- and while Battlefront 2 has surely recovered quite a bit in the two years since its release and is now a significantly better game, in the history books, it will always be looked at as a major disappointment.

To be truthful, the Star Wars license had suffered a major blow in the video games industry even before EA tapped up exclusive rights for it. Back in 2012, LucasArts unveiled Star Wars 1313, a stellar looking action adventure title that looked like the Star Wars version of Uncharted. It looked ambitious and exciting, and millions were thrilled to see a game of its kind in development. But the game went through troubles during development, and when LucasArts was acquire by Disney, it was ultimately cancelled. 

And though that was a huge disappointment, not too long afterward, hope arrived, strangely enough, in the form of a Star Wars game being developed under the management of EA, who tasked Visceral Games of Dead Space fame with creating their own single player action adventure title. Under the guidance of Amy Hennig, the creator of Uncharted, Visceral looked set to deliver the ultimate Star Wars experience, and the anticipation of what the title would surely go on to become helped soften the blow of 1313’s cancellation immensely. 

But that game didn’t last too long either. Visceral’s project, which was being developed under the codename Ragtag, was the first of several casualties in EA’s Star Wars massacre. In 2017, Visceral Games was shut down, another name in a long list of studios that have been axed by EA over the years, while Ragtag as we know it was canned.

I say “as we know it”, because the project didn’t completely die, even back then. The shuttering of Visceral was a gut punch to the entire industry, but specifically in the case of their ambitious Star Wars project, it seemed like all hope wasn’t lost yet. EA Vancouver had been assisting Visceral in the development of Ragtag, but after Visceral was shut down and Ragtag was cancelled, Vancouver picked up the pieces. 

Led by Jade Raymond, the new development team took some of the work that had been done by Visceral, and morphed it into a new project- an open world Star Wars game that would still have the Uncharted-like narrative-driven elements that Ragtag was being built around. Of course, that sounded excellent- but of course, that didn’t last long either. As recently as January of this year, we heard that that project had also been cancelled. 

One look at the reasons for all these cancellations is enough to tell us that EA’s decision-making process with all these projects has either been too rushed, or driven by their own shifting practices. The open world Star Wars game was cancelled because the game would have taken too long to finish development, and EA wanted to release a game much sooner. They replaced that project and diverted resources to another smaller scale project, which is currently being developed under the codename Orca, and is expected to launch in 2020.

With Ragtag, it’s become a well-known fact by now that that game, like so many others in recent years, suffered because of having to be developed using the problematic Frostbite engine, an engine which has hamstrung the development for titles like Dragon Age: Inquisition, Mass Effect Andromeda, and Anthem in the last few years. 

There’s also the fact that EA had strictly mandated that single player-only titles with no monetization possibilities simply wouldn’t fly. Recently, in an interview with Eurogamer, Amy Hennig spoke about the same, saying that she was pleasantly surprised that Respawn Entertainment had been allowed to create exactly that kind of game, because when she had been working on Ragtag at EA, Visceral had been strictly told that the game would have to abide by EA’s philosophies. And we all know what those philosophies are- anything that isn’t live service isn’t worth investing it.

And to be completely honest, EA don’t deserve a lot of credit for Fallen Order either. It’s been made abundantly clear by now that the game is solely Respawn Entertainment’s vision, one that EA had nothing to do with, while there are a few other factors to consider as well. For starters, a huge chunk of Fallen Order’s development had already been done before they’d been acquired by EA, which means the game would have been largely been protected by EA’s influence, and by the time Respawn did join up with them, it would have been too far along in production to change significantly. There’s also the fact that, as Amy Hennig speculated herself in the aforementioned interview, Vince Zampella, CEO of Respawn, sits on the executives board of EA, and has a certain amount of say and authority, which he can use to protect the interests of his own studio.

Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order has got a lot of people very excited. We’re all looking forward to it, because it’s checking all the right boxes, and because it looks like it will deliver the kind of story-driven single player Star Wars experience we’ve all been craving for so long. But even if it turns out to be excellent – which it very well might – will anybody be congratulating EA and crediting them for its success? No, it’s fair to say that it’ll be Respawn who will get the praise- and deservedly so. Fallen Order looks excellent because we trust in Respawn, not in EA. 

For now, the best we can hope for is that Fallen Order is a huge commercial success for EA- big enough that they can allow Respawn to continue exercising the level of creative freedom and autonomy that they have been doing. All the evidence suggests that this might be one of the last major big budget single player-focused titles we see coming out of EA, but if it manages to sell well enough and make EA a healthy amount of money, maybe, just maybe, they’ll greenlight more projects of this nature. There’s also the matter of Orca, the new smaller scale Star Wars project that replaced Vancouver’s open world one. It’s a game we know nothing about- here’s hoping we learn more about it soon, and that it will go against the odds and turn out to be another exciting project- one that actually gets finished and released.

It probably wouldn’t be too controversial to say that EA hasn’t been the best at handling the Star Wars license. Star Wars Battlefront was deemed a step back from the original Pandemic developed games, Star Wars Battlefront 2 had such an egregious implementation of loot boxes that it actually caught the attention of governments and legislators worldwide, and EA has cancelled two other Star Wars projects.

It could have been better, is what I am saying. And yet, Disney, the owner of Star Wars, is apparently alright with how EA has been doing on this front. Disney CEO Bob Igor said in an earnings call (via Variety) that EA and Disney shared a good relationship, and that they are happy with how their partnership has turned out.

“We’re obviously mindful of the size of that business,” Iger said. “Over the years, as you know, we’ve tried our hand at self-publishing, we’ve bought companies, we’ve sold companies, we’ve bought developers, we’ve closed developers. And we’ve found over the years that we haven’t been particularly good at the self-publishing side, but we’ve been great at the licensing side which obviously doesn’t require that much allocation of capital.

“Since we’re allocating capital in other directions… we’ve just decided that the best place for us to be in that space is licensing and not publishing. We’ve had good relationships with some of those we’re licensing to, notably EA and the relationship on the Star Wars properties, and we’re probably going to stay on that side of the business and put our capital elsewhere.”

Disney, to be fair, has historically been bad at self-publishing video games, so I do get Iger’s reticence here. But as the success of other multimedia companies such as Warner Bros. in the video games market shows, you can break in if you give it enough effort. Letting EA run amok with the Star Wars license exclusively is surely not the best Disney can do on the video games front, I feel.