Battlefront II has been on the Star Wars video game scene for quite a while now, but the recent release of Star Wars - Jedi: Fallen Order means there's a new kid on the block, vying for the top spot. Both games are drastically different in terms of scope, scale and purpose, but that's no reason for us to avoid comparing them!
Certain gamers might prefer the multiplayer madness of Battlefront II, while others may sate their appetites with Fallen Order's cinematic single-player campaign approach. Nevertheless, both games have their strengths and weaknesses. Let's explore them!
Updated by Derek Draven, April 18th, 2020: As mentioned in the introduction, Battlefront II and Fallen Order are both great games, but they each have their own strengths and weaknesses, as well. We've updated this list to look at a few more key areas where Fallen Order beats out Battlefront II, and where it fails to do so.
15 BETTER: No Microtransactions
Let’s start with the best part. There are no microtransactions in Fallen Order, which is unique, considering this is an EA game. What really hurt the launch of Battlefront II were those controversial loot boxes; a game mechanic that caught flack even from government groups.
Even though the game has recovered, many have a hard time forgetting, which is why Fallen Order probably feels like a breath of fresh air to gamers who were originally miffed at EA's approach to the loot-box fiasco.
14 WORSE: Not As Polished
Despite the launch of Battlefront II being criticized due to the aforementioned microtransactions, it still worked out in the end. Sure, gamers experienced bugs, or may have suffered crashes galore, but it appears DICE has mitigated many of these problems.
Fallen Order, on the other hand, suffers from sloppy animations and texture pop-ins, to game-breaking bugs. Previous Respawn games had a lot more polish, which suggests this title was rushed to meet a deadline. Several patches have gone a long way to reducing the issues seen at launch, but this is surprising from the team who gave us the mighty Titanfall series.
13 BETTER: Lightsaber Duels
The one thing everyone wants in a Star Wars game is to wield a lightsaber. It’s not as if these games can’t be good without them, but when Jedi are involved, fan anticipation goes through the roof.
Battlefront II actually does offer lightsabers via their heroes and villains roster, but they don’t feel great. In Fallen Order, one can actually feel the heft of combat. We never grew tired clashing lightsabers against one another, especially during later battles.
12 WORSE: Replay Value
As mentioned earlier, Battlefront II may have started out bad, but DICE stuck to it, and managed to turn the entire thing around. Not only that, but the team at DICE have continued updating the experience every few weeks. It's also quite cheap to pick up, even if you choose the Celebration Edition.
In contrast, Fallen Order offers about twenty hours of play-time, and that's the end of it. No multiplayer, no DLC, and no content updates except EA unlocking all pre-order bonus content for everyone in February.
11 BETTER: Better Single Player Campaign
While there isn’t a lot of replay value to Fallen Order, not all games require a wealth of never-ending content in the form of DLC packs or multiplayer. There are problems with it, but at least it is an original campaign that blends elements from the franchise with Dark Souls and Tomb Raider.
Battlefront II’s campaign, on the other hand, boils down to very linear shootouts in monster closets. It felt like a patched-together multiplayer mode, with a single player narrative build around its campaign.
10 WORSE: A Weaker Story
The gameplay in Battlefront II’s campaign is quite different to Fallen Order, but we actually did like the story more. Battlefront II takes place after Return of the Jedi, exploring how Imperial soldiers would have felt after being defeated on Endor, and their following choices.
Were they on the wrong side of history? It was something new for the series' canon, and not another story about a Jedi that takes place before the original Star Wars.
9 BETTER: Far More Original
Even though we didn’t like the idea of going back to yet another story about a fugitive Jedi, we were at least pleased to see Respawn put their own flair on the Star Wars mythos. While there were nods to previous bits of Star Wars source material, the overall approach felt quite unique.
It’s not that Battlefront II doesn’t offer anything new. Rather, Fallen Order simply offered a more unique overall perspective which helped set it apart from other Star Wars games in its class.
8 WORSE: Less Fan Service
At the risk of sounding flippant, we can’t help but get excited over the fandom in Battlefront II. Seeing heroes and villains clash in battles never before glimpsed is too cool for words. Where else can Darth Maul square off against Luke Skywalker?
There is a lot of homage to the franchise roots in the game, which was designed as a collective playground of "what-if" scenarios for starry-eyed Star Wars fans to live out on in real time.
7 BETTER: BD-1
Move over BB-8 and R2-D2, there is a new droid in town. The absolute best thing about Fallen Order is Cal’s new robot friend, BD-1, which is too cute for words!
The banter between those two is priceless. Even if we don’t know the exact words, we can piece together conversations from context, such as when BB-1 tells a joke. We also like the fact that it looks like a Japanese Famicom console. Was that on purpose, or are we seeing things?
6 WORSE: Graphics
There are some phenomenal looking locations in Fallen Order. The art design is great, but the actual graphics aren't quite as much of a match compared to Battlefront II's lush Frostbite-powered visuals.
Despite being over two years old, Battlefront II still looks a lot more impressive when it comes to visual splendor. When coupled with stellar audio work and fast-paced, kinetic gameplay, it feels like a perfect trip into the universe that is Star Wars.
5 BETTER: The Planets
While Battlefront II focuses on mid-sized conflicts that take place in recognizable Star Wars locales, they serve a singular purpose without a focus on exploration.
By contrast, Fallen Order's four planets are large, lushly detailed and designed in such a way that they can be explored fully. This adds a huge element of immersion to the game, drawing the player into the story by using each planet as a character unto itself.
4 WORSE: The Controls
While lightsaber dueling is one of the best aspects of Fallen Order, other control mechanics aren't quite as refined. Many players became incensed at a less-than-stellar dodge roll which found them unexpectedly tumbling off a cliff and plummeting to their deaths.
This is a strange omission in a game so lauded for its technical artistry. An experienced Jedi wouldn't roll off a mountaintop without catching themselves.
3 BETTER: Gameplay Diversity
Once again, Battlefront II is all about wars of attrition and other kinds of conflicts, which means there isn't a lot in terms of variety. You'll face the same foes, and try your hardest to overcome their skill with your own.
Fallen Order's story-driven narrative means more things to see, a greater pool of enemies to fight, and fairly challenging puzzles designed to vary up the play experience.
2 WORSE: Anti-Climatic Upgrades
Fallen Order never truly reaches its full potential when it comes to lightsaber customization or the skill tree. Most upgrades are cosmetic in nature, and don't vary the weapon's stats.
Similarly, the skill tree is underwhelming when weighed against other games in this class, which can be forgiven if Respawn promises to revamp this system for a potential sequel.
1 BETTER: The Cast
This one was hard to call, especially given that both games have a stellar voice cast that really bring the play experience to life. Battlefront II deserves accolades just for having John Armstrong pull off a near-perfect Harrison Ford impression, with all of Han Solo's quirks.
However, Fallen Order edges it out by a hair with a fantastic cast featuring Cameron Monaghan at the forefront as Cal. It doesn't hurt to have Forest Whittaker reprise his role as Saw Gerrera, either!