In the latest Nintendo Direct, Aspyr and Lucasfilm Games unveiled the Star Wars Battlefront Classic Collection.
This collection will bring the cherished Star Wars Battlefront (2004) and Star Wars Battlefront II (2005) to a new audience. It’s set to release on March 14th for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4 and 5, Xbox One/Series consoles, and PC via Steam, priced at $35.
The Star Wars Battlefront Classic Collection includes restored online play for up to 64 players, expansions to Hero Assault mode, and all previously released bonus content for both titles. Steam users will also benefit from Steam Deck support.
This is great news, especially considering EA’s lackluster rendition. The original two Star Wars Battlefront titles were highly praised and continue to have a dedicated fanbase. Now, newer players will have the opportunity to experience a time when gaming was actually enjoyable, back when games were made to be played by fans rather than pushing bullshit progressive values.
With the exception of one issue, the Classic Collection is set to include all previously released bonus DLC content. Specifically, some content for Battlefront II was exclusively available on the original Xbox.
The Xbox-exclusive DLC introduced two new heroes: Asajj Ventress for the dark side. Ventress wields two lightsabers simultaneously and possesses the ability to throw shuriken-like projectiles.
The second addition was Kit Fisto for the light side, known for his acrobatic attacks and unique force orb blasting abilities, the DLC also included four additional multiplayer maps that were present in the first Battlefront title.
The concern stems from Aspyr’s decision to make previously exclusive DLC available on all platforms in their revised version. Specifically, the way that Aspyr is porting this unique DLC content.
It would seem that Aspyr has blatantly stole an independently developed game mod for the original game into their release, as evident in the reveal trailer.
A Steam forum post by the original mod creator, whose mod “Star Wars Battlefront 2 – Xbox DLC Content for PC” was blatantly used by Aspyr is quickly gaining attention.
The mod creator’s discovery of the situation is rather amusing. It seems that instead of simply incorporating his game modification, Aspyr used an outdated version of the mod, which, according to him, has noticeable issues with character animations.
The game mod in question aims to recreate the exclusive content from the Xbox version for the PC version. To achieve this, a modder reskinned two existing characters in Battlefront II to resemble Kit Fisto and Asajj Ventress.
While the characters closely resemble their DLC counterparts, they retain the default animations and attacks of the other heroes.
Asajj Ventress typically wields two lightsabers connected by a fibercord that she holds in one hand. However, in the trailer, there’s a moment where she is shown holding two lightsabers in each hand, matching the mod’s depiction found here.
The original modder proceeded to update the mod by incorporating the original animations and movesets of Asajj Ventress and Kit Fisto which is now a feature that the Battlefront Classic Collection now lacks.
The mod maker doesn’t seem particularly upset about the blatant use of their creation; in fact, their post comes off as rather smug about Aspyr using an outdated version.
They take pride in their work being utilized to enhance the quality of an official Star Wars product, a situation often seen with passionate fans of a franchise or corporation being taken advantage of.
Game modding used to be about freedom of expression and customization to suit personal preferences, although ultimately, modifying content created by a company means you don’t inherently own the material and are usually prohibited from selling it yourself.
While Aspyr’s actions may be seen as unethical and certainly stemming from laziness, they technically have the right to use the modded content since they are an outsourced client hired to create the particular product.
Though I must admit, the idea of a game developer blatantly taking a game mod from an individual brings to mind instances where companies like Nintendo were found selling consumers pirated ROMs of old games or when Rockstar Games sold copies of games like Midnight Club 2 and Manhunt on Steam with cracked executables.
Aspyr has a history of questionable practices in the video game development scene, and their latest offering, the Battlefront Classic Collection, is no exception. Priced at $35, it’s essentially an updated version of the original titles with content from a ripped game mod added in to port original DLC from the Xbox.
Original owners of the game will need to repurchase it, but they’re offered a “20%” loyalty discount, which is actually just a 10% discount due to a pre-order discount available to everyone.
Aspyr initially announced and later canceled a proposed Restored Content DLC for Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II – The Sith Lords on Nintendo Switch. Despite this cancellation, no refunds were offered to customers unless they contacted support directly, and only then did they receive a free game as compensation.
Additionally, Aspyr promised LAN multiplayer for Star Wars Episode 1: Racer on Nintendo Switch, but this feature was never released. They later admitted that they had no intention of implementing it.
Considering their history and the use of an outdated game mod, I wouldn’t advise spending money on what’s likely to be subpar work from a shady corporation that fails to deliver on promises this release is already turning out to be a total shitshow, and let us not forgot what unfathomable bullshit befell upon their latest release, Tomb Raider 1-3 Remastered.
