Electronic Arts’ Star Wars Battlefront II has been out for around a year and a half at this point, and while public perception of the game was nothing short of abysmal when it first launched, the folks over at DICE have been steadily introducing new content to satiate loyal fans of the franchise. It’s been a long time coming, but a healthy dose of Clone Wars-based content just dropped, and it’s time to dissect everything on offer.
First and foremost is Capital Supremacy, the new game mode which promised to deliver a more in-depth and elongated Battlefront experience. Players have long complained that most of the game's maps and modes catered to shorter, more simplistic gameplay, and this new mode definitely feels like a step removed from that. Those still nostalgic for the glory days of the old PS2 version of Battlefront II from 2005, will no doubt feel a wave of nostalgia hit them as they capture their first command outpost, as Capital Supremacy does in some ways feel like a callback to some of the previous games in the series.
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While still a far cry from the all-out multi-world campaigns present in the, now, well over a decade old installment, Capital Supremacy does manage to ramp things up in terms of scale. Republic clone forces rush to capture five objectives, while the Separatists do their best to mount a successful defensive front. Should the Republic capture all of the outposts, players board transports and take the fight to the Separatist capital ship to do it all again. Should the Republic emerge victorious once again, the battle will be over. While it still plays very similarly to something like conquest from the Battlefield games, it’s a welcome inclusion in the often stiflingly-linear Battlefront II scene.
The update also adds two new characters to the multiplayer roster, one apiece for the opposing Republic Federation and Separatist forces. The Republic gets the ARC Trooper, a close-range specialist wielding dual pistols, while the Separatists can take advantage of the BX Droid, which seems to place an emphasis on long-range combat.
This, alongside a smattering of bug and balance fixes, is all of the new content available for download at the moment. It’s important to remember that EA opted to forego the traditional season pass monetization strategy—much as they did with Battlefield V—so all of this content is free of charge. While it should definitely give out-of-the-loop players a reason to return to the dusty, harsh crags and craters of Geonosis, it’s a bit disappointing that, on launch, the new featured game mode can only be played on one map. Sure, Geonosis may be the only truly sizable locale currently on offer, but constant exposure fairly quickly sees the appeal wearing thin.
On the whole, it’s nice to see this title continue to receive updates so long after its botched released. EA could easily have gone back on their word and abandoned it after it took a dive in profitability, but, in this case, they at least seem vaguely interested in making amends.
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