Little in Star Wars has been as controversial as Star Wars Battlefront II. Upon its initial launch, the game was met with plenty of criticism from the press and straight-up hatred from the fans. It was hailed as a hollow, glitchy, pay-to-win Star Wars game with a progression system tied to loot boxes. Playing as popular Star Wars characters would require hours and hours of grinding-- unless you pay more money. Thankfully, after an entire saga's worth of bad PR and two dedicated years of updates, Battlefront II has evolved into something fans might actually call "good" and genuinely worth trying. In its current form, it deserves praise, but the developers have worked tirelessly to get it to this point.
Despite the influx of new Disney-era Star Wars media, related video game releases have been fairly disappointing. Developed by DICE and published by Electronic Arts, the rebooted Star Wars Battlefront was underwhelming, to say the least. While it looked gorgeous and played smoothly, the first game in the new franchise was devoid of content. There was no real single-player experience, and the multiplayer lacked any semblance of depth. Perhaps the most absurd issue was the game's inexcusable lack of... well, Star Wars. The first Battlefront ignores the prequel and sequel trilogies, releasing with only a handful of maps and featuring original trilogy characters exclusively.
A Hollow Response
Although the game did receive periodic updates (including some content inspired by Rogue One), the rebooted Battlefront could not live up to its original series. Fans voiced their concerns loud and clear, and EA made it look like they were listening. Star Wars Battlefront II promised a lot more content-- not only would it include a single-player campaign, but it would feature content from every Star Wars trilogy. It seemed like a dream come true for fans, until the open beta testing.
Early players would soon come to find that the game was built with a flawed upgrade system, tying level progression to loot boxes and long grinds. Even playing as iconic characters like Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader was locked behind high-priced walls of in-game credits. Of course, credits could also be paid for with real money, further motivating players to shell out more cash. Not only did the game cost $60 dollars minimum but it was built around squeezing more money out of players to get the "full" experience.
EA and DICE publicly defended the game after the initial reactions, digging themselves into deeper holes. The system was so blatantly greedy and broken that the Belgian Gaming Commission began investigating it for promoting underage gambling via its loot boxes. In defense of the loot boxes and locked heroes, EA took to Reddit to justify the sleazy system as a way to instill "pride and accomplishment" in players who trudged through the hundred-hour-plus grind. Naturally, Star Wars fans called EA out on its ridiculous assertion. EA's "pride and accomplishment" comment was so incendiary in the community that the post has since broken the Guinness World Record for most downvoted comment in Reddit history.
After the critical bashing and customer outrage, many players and fans passed on Battlefront II. DICE did some damage control and the overall experience improved, but only recently has the game recaptured the attention of fans. Since 2017, Battlefront II has received many tweaks and content updates. All of the characters have been unlocked and made free, the loot boxes have been totally disabled, and the game features plenty of new modes, maps, and challenges.
So What's Changed?
For starters, it no longer feels like Battlefront II is preying on your wallet. Without the loot boxes and microtransactions, the game feels fair and rewarding. It's still a bit of a grind to earn credits, which are only used to purchase things like cosmetics and emotes, but they can only be earned by playing the game. Now that it feels like an actual video game, several content updates have since loaded the experience with more to enjoy. An update based on The Last Jedi hit soon after launch, adding Finn and Captain Phasma as playable heroes and adding Crait, the salt planet from the film's finale. An update accompanied Solo: A Star Wars Story, adding locations like Kessel and Jabba's Palace alongside bonus skins of young Han Solo, Lando, and Chewbacca. Prequel fans received updates overstuffed with Clone Wars content. Anakin, Obi-Wan, Count Dooku, General Grievous and several prequel maps are all standout additions to the experience. The game also includes new unlockable costumes for troopers and heroes in every Star Wars trilogy.
All of this fan-service is accompanied by gameplay updates that really shake up the experience. An additional game mode, Capital Supremacy, is a mode that long-time players have been enjoying since March 2019. The mode has players fight over key territories on the battlefield, with the losing team retreating into their capital ship for one last stand. Additionally, a co-op mode breaks up the chaos of multiplayer with a more teamwork-based structure. The game even now has an "Instant Action" option for players who want to enjoy Battlefront's large-scale combat with AI-controlled opponents.
Still A Disturbance In The Force
Battlefront II is much better than at launch, but it isn't perfect. It still has some balancing issues, and it's missing important content. For example, the original trilogy content is still awaiting access to the new game modes, and Rogue One content is totally absent. But if you haven't picked the game up since launch, it's got plenty more to enjoy now, including recently added Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker content.
Sure, EA still has a poor reputation with microtransactions and additional content, but they've really turned things around for Battlefront II. Still, a recent release, Battlefront II: Celebration Edition, is a purchasable content update that unlocks all of the game's cosmetics. It might be a way to milk more money out of the current player-base, but considering most players have already picked the game up at a highly discounted price (seriously, check your local bargain bins), it makes perfect sense. It seems like fan feedback (and perhaps a little boycotting) actually made a difference. It's not the best Star Wars game ever made, or even the best Battlefront ever made, but Star Wars: Battlefront II might actually pretty good now.