How did Star Wars Battlefront II, one of the most infamous games in recent memory make a surprise (to be sure, but a welcome one!) return to prominence? When the game last made headlines, it was to the vitriol of its in-game loot box system, locking the beloved Darth Vader behind either a paywall or a forty-hour grind and the reactions of multiple countries looking to outlaw the loot crate system entirely out of video games. What was left after this natural disaster in a sixty-dollar box was a reformatted game to omit the system, most likely due to the immense backlash and Disney pressuring EA to get their act together, a disappointed fanbase and a severely understaffed team at DICE working to right the wrongs inflicted upon the game. What happened? The dedicated team at DICE, most famous for their Battlefield games (which inspired the original Star Wars Battlefront titles), would not let the game nor its fans be swept away like the remnants of some old republic.
The team quickly got to work on their roadmap for future updates. Over the course of late 2017 to 2018, new maps, heroes, skins and game modes were added to tie into the two newest movies, The Last Jedi and Solo, as well as that of the original and prequel trilogies. Star Wars fans (myself included), are nothing if not a huge and dedicated fanbase, and despite all the launch problems that plagued Battlefront II, DICE is a quality developer, who made an immersive game for the fans. Every scream, blaster shot, explosion, and lightsaber swing sounds like it is ripped straight from the movies, and some would make an argument that the in-game graphics look better than that of the CGI in the movies themselves. Over time, with new content from the dedicated developers and players ever hungry for more content, Battlefront II began to hit a new stride unforeseen by anyone.
November 2018 brought one of the biggest updates yet, with the Battle of Geonosis poised to bring players back to the game even as DICE’s own Battlefield V had just released. An excellent narrative to the level, involving a ragtag group of clone trooper survivors fighting their way out of a droid factory in an uphill battle to take out a transport ship, the addition of Obi Wan Kenobi, epic dust storm effects and new vehicles led to it being considered the best map and perhaps the best update so far by many in the player base. Yet, there was more to come.
January through February 2019 saw the addition of Count Dooku and Anakin Skywalker, two long requested characters that were but a warm up to the biggest update to the game yet. In March, the Capital Supremacy update launched, focusing on a new game mode that saw players attempt to take command points on the ground in order to gain enough reinforcements to launch an assault on the enemy capital ship that flew above the planet side, currently engaged in a broadside dual with their own allied capital ship. Harkening back to the gameplay of the original two Battlefront titles, the update was critically acclaimed. Word of mouth soon spread of the game’s surprising return to form (including to myself and fellow Gaming Cypher editor, John Pruitt!). The storm that followed the update was a shock to the player base, developer and gaming media – Battlefront II had reached its peak player levels and then some – unseen since the disastrous launch of the game! It was official – DICE had brought the game back to life in a turnabout unforeseen by all, including themselves, proving that the developers themselves must have become true masters of the Force.
As of this writing, the game is still going strong, with many updates in store and future content constantly hinted at by the developers’ Discord channel (ranging from Clone Wars season seven to Episode IX content) and at least one more prequel-era map is due out sometime this month for the capital supremacy game mode. If you are a Star Wars fan, even a casual one, and enjoy the classic Battlefront games and the Battlefield games that inspired them – give Battlefront II a second look, as the game itself has certainly garnered itself a second chance thanks to the dedicated and talented developers at DICE. I can almost certainly say for sure, to the joy of players everywhere, that the Force is with them.
Check Out The Battlefront II Roadmap: https://www.ea.com/games/starwars/battlefront/battlefront-2/roadmap
The Discord channel: https://discordapp.com/invite/HtyAd8E
Your local neighborhood nutjob, gamer, and teacher! I'm an avid fan of many genres such as platformers, shooters, horror, etc. I am also an avid tabletop gamer - hugely into the worlds of Warhammer and all of their spinoffs. I'm a big believer in being objective - even if something is not my cup of tea, I want to talk about it on the objective level - is it well made, crafted with love, and with care for the fans? If so, that's a good game in my book for someone and well worth their hard earned dollarydoos!
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