The Force Falters: Star Wars Battlefront Classic Collection's Rocky Release

The gaming galaxy is in turmoil after the highly anticipated Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection’s launch turned into a disaster, leaving players grappling with a myriad of technical issues. The Reddit community, led by the original post from user Leather39, has become a hotbed for disgruntled gamers sharing their frustrations and disappointment over the game’s numerous bugs, crashes, and lagging issues.

The collection, which includes the original Star Wars: Battlefront and its sequel, was meant to be a nostalgic re-release, but instead, it has been met with a chorus of criticism. Players like Nu_Freeze have voiced their anger, saying, ‘This is f***ing absurd. You know the gaming industry is a joke when they can’t release an already completed game without mountains of problems. Shameful.’ The sentiment is echoed across the gaming community, with many regretting their pre-orders and others like ScritchesMcMewington sarcastically thanking those who pre-ordered for their ‘unwitting beta testing efforts.’

“Game Over Star Wars” by Jeremy Brooks is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

Aspyr, the company behind the release, is facing the heat for the game’s poor performance. Just after their successful remaster of the Tomb Raider trilogy, expectations were high for the Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection. However, the launch has been anything but smooth. With over a thousand Steam user reviews branding the game with a ‘Mostly Negative’ rating, the outcry is loud and clear. Players like Dinkleberg have labeled it ‘probably one of the worst launches of all time,’ citing the inability to join games and the shockingly limited number of servers available at launch.

The server issue has been particularly galling for fans. The original Battlefront games were beloved for their multiplayer experience, yet the Classic Collection launched with only three dedicated servers to accommodate thousands of eager players. While Aspyr has since increased the number of servers, the damage to the game’s reputation may already be done.

Beyond server woes, players are also up in arms over the game’s space requirements. The Classic Collection asks for a whopping 62.87GB of storage space, a far cry from the original games’ 12.39GB combined. This has left players like UnXpectedPrequelMeme questioning the necessity of such a large footprint for ‘two old ass games with barely anything done to them.’

Despite the rocky start, some players have found workarounds to improve their gaming experience. @EA_Darko shared a series of steps including running the game as an administrator, clearing cache, and ensuring the use of DX11 over DX12 for a smoother performance. These community-sourced solutions are a testament to the dedication of Star Wars fans, but they also highlight the lack of preparedness on Aspyr’s part.

The Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection’s launch has been a lesson in the importance of thorough testing and server capacity planning. As Aspyr scrambles to rectify the issues, players are left hoping that the force will soon be with them, bringing the Classic Collection up to the standard of its legendary predecessors. Until then, the gaming community’s advice is clear: hold off on joining the battlefront.