STAR WARS: BATTLEFRONT II

Winning back players one planet at a time.

- Kyle Hoekstra

Rebel hero Lando Calrissian leads a handful of troopers through the gloomy corridors of an imperial base, backgrounded by wailing sirens, blaster fire and the odd Wilhelm scream. He vanishes around a corner, from which emerges a volley of lasers skittering over the polished floors and up the walls like confetti, and then nothing at all. I glimpse a heap of corpses, Lando among them, before a red lightsaber flies out and shreds me too. I don't remember this bit in the films.

I've reenlisted in the Star Wars. Specifically those underway in Star Wars: Battlefront II, Dice's 2017 shooter which in 2023 has seen a surprise revival. Its launch was rocky to say the least. Controversy over its multiplayer microtransaction model overtook hype for the game itself and led to loot crate mechanics becoming a topic of mainstream discussion. The negative reaction found an exposed target in the fairly serviceable singleplayer. Cartoon stink lines were left wafting over the whole endeavour.

Dice set to work winning back its players. In the long run, this seems to have worked. Eight years later, Battlefront II is setting itself new Steam player records. This is in the wake of a new Star Wars miniseries, the 20th anniversary celebration of Revenge of the Sith, and a social media campaign asking EA to make Battlefront III. I'm having a good time with it, too. The monetisation mess was ditched and 25 free updates followed. With that tidied up, what's left?

LIGHT AND MAGIC