“I only knew it by its dreadful reputation”
A good feeling about STAR WARS: BATTLEFRONT II
Ithought I was done with Star Wars. I think the last time I really cared about the franchise was when I was still young enough to find Jar Jar Binks funny. But the The Mandalorian has hooked me back in, and now I’m so far down the rabbit hole I’ve been catching up on the last five years of games.
Star Wars: Squadrons is definitely the best of EA’s efforts so far, but the game that’s surprised me most is Star Wars: Battlefront II. I only really knew it before by its dreadful reputation, its launch such a microtransaction-addled mess that it changed the industry’s approach to lootboxes, and even kicked off new government regulation.
It was a shameful showing on EA’s part—a game rendered radioactive by sheer greed. But to the publisher’s credit, they didn’t let the story end there. Jumping into Battlefront II, I discover it’s been transformed by years of content updates. Not only are its microtransaction woes a thing of the past, it even looks noticeably better than it did on launch.
BACK TO FRONT
And I was blown away by the sheer amount of stuff. Even as a fairweather fan, it’s incredible to see a game incorporate basically everything Star Wars into one huge package. Across all three eras—the originals, the prequels, and the new trilogy—you can take control of pretty much anything you’ve ever seen get involved in a fight on-screen.
The odd thing is, the Celebration Edition, which now seems to be the only way to buy the game, unlocks almost everything right off the bat. The result is it has the complete opposite problem than it did at launch. With nothing to unlock, the game’s currencies have no function, and despite there still being an interface for opening lootboxes, there’s no way to earn them. It feels like when an MMO is closing down, and on the last day they just give everyone everything for one last bit of messing about.
I guess that’s what this is, really—a last hurrah for a game that, despite great efforts, will probably still primarily be remembered for its lootboxes. I’m glad, at least, that I took the time, after the dusts of controversy had settled, to experience the game at its best.