There is usually a nostalgia that comes with giving often forgotten classic titles a new breath of life on next-gen consoles. For Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection, that excitement lasted just up to the release of the game.
The March 14 release is in the eye of the storm following a disastrous launch characterized by crashes, bugs, and widespread server issues. The game has been widely criticized across different social media platforms including an “Overwhelmingly Negative” review on the game’s Steam page.
Developed and published by Aspyr, it almost feels as if Star Wars Battlefront was accidentally launched. On social media, various players alleged that the game launched with a maximum of three PC servers which was grossly inadequate to accommodate the enormous community behind the Star Wars franchise.
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The implication of having just three PC servers is that out of the large number of players queuing to have a taste on launch day, only around 192 could access some of the modes in the game. Although the publisher has added more servers, other issues including stuttering and bugs persist.
Some players have reported instances where damage done to other players is not registered. However, the most distressing complaint is that in some instances the stuttering becomes so bad that they find themselves skipping around the level which makes it almost impossible for them to shoot.
It is an almost unforgivable crime for anyone to take another’s childhood memories, make a mess of it, and spit it out. One Reddit user asked how hard it was for a studio to repackage a game without messing it up.
Aspyr is one of the assets that will be retained by Embracer after the sale of core Saber Interactive. Following the poor performance of the game and the level of criticism that it has attracted since launch, it would not be a surprise to wake up one day and hear that Aspyr has been shuttered or hit by layoffs due to Embracer’s restructuring.
What Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection was meant to be and what it is not
Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection was meant to be a complete classic collection that includes online and offline play. In the game’s description on all storefronts, it was said that Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection will have “massive locations with up to 64-player online support”.
Reading through the description will make any player set a high expectation for the game. Did Aspyr deliver on the hype? Certainly not! The extent of the frustration felt by those who have played the game can be read from the reviews left on the game’s Steam page.
“Shots that you hit players with won’t register at all,” wrote Kamaji in an update to his earlier complaint on how difficult it was to get into the game. “Every player is popping in and out everywhere to the point where you will just die randomly. Swimming through molasses would be smoother than multiplayer combat. I hope they fix these server issues because good God, it is disgustingly bad.”
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However, Kamaji praised the single-player gameplay and framerate saying it is the only good thing about the collection. “I’ve personally heard of bad experiences happening there [single player] such as input lag and the occasional crash, though I’ve had a wonderful experience playing single-player.”
Buck Plankchest insinuated Aspyr was the wrong studio to have worked on the game. “Concerning trend lately in the industry of smaller teams being bought by larger parents, contracted and licensed projects like this, and completely missing the ball,” wrote Plankchest. “Licensed a PC Windows port to a subsidiary that specializes in Mac and Linux ports. Proof is in the pudding.”
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Star Wars Battlefront Classic Collection comes with all original bonus content from the 2004 and 2005 releases and supports crossplay between consoles and PC. The official announcement read:
“Fight across the Star Wars galaxy in this collection of large-scale combat classics. Featuring the 2004 Star Wars Battlefront and its 2005 sequel Star Wars Battlefront II, each game features solo campaigns, local multiplayer matches, and massive online battles of up to 64 players.”
