Albeit a bit late, I would like to bring up Electronic Arts and their latest expansion release to their 2015 disappointment “Star Wars Battlefront.”
“Battlefront” has been an interesting subject to me for the past year, primarily because of the reception from consumers and the difference between the original “Battlefront” games and EA’s new iteration. For the past six months, developer DICE and publisher EA have been open in trying their best to improve “Battlefront” by providing more content through free updates and the infamously expensive expansion packs. They want $50 extra for content that should have been in the original release? Ha!
Well…they got it. From me, anyway.
“Battlefront’s” first expansion, dubbed “The Outer Rim,” was healthy with improvements and additions, including a new game mode, and additional maps to a number of the original modes. Outer Rim also introduced the Jabba Contracts, a new feature that tasks the player with various challenges to unlock bonus weapons. Two new characters were added to the Heroes roster, as well. Best part? You can play as Greedo and reverse the fate of Han Solo in battle!
Trust me, the best feeling in the world in this game is when you come across an opposing player and the both of you are either Han Solo or Greedo. It's even better when Greedo wins.
In comparison to initial launch, Outer Rim brought a desperately needed overhaul to “Battlefront.” Does it mean the price justifies the game? No, not by a long shot. Granted, Outer Rim was merely the start of what “Battlefront” should have been.
“Bespin,” the latest expansion, does, more or less, the same thing as Outer Rim. Boasting four new maps, a new game mode, and more Jabba Contracts, players are now free to wage war against each other in Cloud City. This expansion’s selected heroes are bounty hunter and comatose patient Dengar (voiced by comedy actor Simon Pegg) and suave gambler hero/pig traitor Lando Calrissian (voiced by the one and only Billy Dee Williams).
Honestly, after Outer Rim’s release, I was expecting Bespin to do the same, but add something else that was fresher. What Outer Rim succeeded in was keeping its content more surprising. Only a small portion was advertised, making the expansion seem more meaty.
I’m not saying the Bespin expansion sucks. It’s only lacking in comparison to Outer Rim. On its own, Bespin is alright. You get the same old stuff you would in any other multiplayer game.
Now, what does this mean for the future of “Battlefront?” The next two expansions have the bar set a little higher now. Expansion #3: “Death Star” will be released this fall with the fourth and final expansion launching in early 2017, empty of any details regarding its content.
We can only speculate so long on what hasn’t been shown. “Death Star” will have the same format (four maps, two characters, one mode, a number of contracts), but if “Death Star” does the exact same thing as “Bespin,” “Battlefront” may suffer in value.
Electronic Arts has set the bar incredibly high for themselves. At launch, “Battlefront” cost $59.99. Expansion packs cost $14.99 each, unless you buy the Season Pass, which will cost you $49.99. Because of these prices, Electronic Arts is basically selling you a game for $110-$120.
And this is only calculating with the Standard edition.
These days, $120 can get you not just a full-packed game rich in content and gameplay, but an art book, soundtrack, collectible statue/figurine and all future DLC. That’s called the Collector’s Edition for a regular game, and they often come in limited supply.
From what the game has become, from the day of its reveal to now, “Battlefront” has only proven $35 to $40 of its worth. There are a handful of games to play, but only half are worth playing. Heroes and Villains each have robust play styles to change the tides of battle. Jabba Contracts give challenges more reason than just earning credits to buy weapons.
Current rating for “Battlefront?” Two and a half inaccurate Stormtroopers out of five.
Step it up, EA. We'll see how you guys do with "Death Star" come next month.
