Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection

Aspyr Media's remastered collection does too little to keep the first two Battlefront games relevant for modern audiences.

Aspyr has done a serviceable, even admirable job with its porting of Star Wars titles up to this point, but the Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection represents a monumental misstep and a much-deserved blemish on its reputation. These are two beloved games representing some of the very best experiences the Star Wars IP has ever offered. To release these remasters in this state is deeply concerning. Our only solace is the fact that, eventually, most of the problems should be fixable.

The irony is that Aspyr has done a nice job with remastering the visuals in both games and we enjoyed seeing the results. But the reality is that these games often feel old, they're extremely buggy, and the online play is hit-and-miss. This should have been a slam dunk. Instead, playing Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection made us feel sad. If Aspyr can fix the slew of technical issues, this might one day be worth picking up on Switch. Until that happens, though, the Force isn't with this one.

At their core, both Star Wars: Battlefront and Star Wars: Battlefront II remain fun to play even with the remaining jank from the era; it's just unfortunate that the collection they're in lacks polish. Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection scratches that nostalgia itch but doesn't elevate itself beyond that.

Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection is close to being enjoyable. There is a solid foundation to build from in these games, but the lack of variety makes them boring. Fans of the originals and of the movies will be unsatisfied since these versions are hopelessly broken, and the online play, which is supposed to be the main draw, is unplayable. If there is an update to address the technical failings, both Battlefront titles are still just a couple of average movie tie-ins from the 2000s.

Star Wars Battlefront Classic Collection is the latest addition to Aspyr's lineup of remastered classics, but nostalgia may be all it has to offer.

While we'd hoped for better things from Aspyr's remastered Star Wars Battlefront Classic Collection, this is nonetheless an adequate way to revisit a couple of shooter greats from a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away. I mean the mid 2000s. No doubt further patches (there's already been a significant one) will improve things somewhat.

Certainly the games have its charms in setting its missions based on epic moments from the Star Wars Saga, looking aesthetically great, and being able to play as fan favorite Jedi. However, these wonderful things are quickly bogged down by a myriad of performance issues, outdated shooter gameplay and overall jank. Aspyr should have made the effort to make this 20 year old classic collection as modernized, as it is graphically enhanced.

The bugs are still too numerous and the collection ultimately doesn't add much to justify the price.

Star Wars Battlefront Classic Collection deserved a full remaster or remake compared to the garbage that Aspyr put out. It is heartbreaking to see how little effort they put into bringing an experience worthy of the series to the modern era. The game’s controls are extremely stiff and you will have to battle aim assist on top of it. If you are looking for a fun trip down memory lane, just buy the games on Steam or when they are on sale.