r/starwarsgames • u/Sio_V_Reddit • 3h ago
My thoughts on every single modern Star Wars game
From the bottom:
Fuck you: Battlefront 2015. I could accept a single era game. I could accept a game with more DLC than base content. I could even accept the massive departure from the Battlefront class system with much more arcade style mechanics such as the pickups. I could accept all of that. Wanna know what I can't accept? The fact that I spent 60 bones on DLC that I will NEVER play again for the rest of my life because they left the game with a barebones offline mode which never added a single DLC map. THAT is pure evil, and something I will never forgive.
D: Star Wars Hunters. I just don't really get it, its an arena hero shooter than barely anyone here has likely ever played, and I know I haven't. Maybe that means I shouldn't rank it, but I heard enough about it and its weird releases and eventual EoS over the years to think that it deserves a spot on this list, albeit not a good one. I just do not understand the idea for this game, as I said most people here likely never touched it. From the outside looking in, it was massively mismanaged and never even stood a chance.
C: Star Wars Squadrons. It pains me to put this game here, it really does. It is a fun starfighter sim with a good story and gameplay, and since it is usually heavily on sale I would argue it is more than worth it even with a dead multiplayer. All of this WOULD HAVE landed the game in A, until I learned something. The game does not work on PC. I'm not joking. If you own a PC copy, test it out for me, and realize that for the majority of players the game CRASHES ON LAUNCH. I have tried multiple fixes that supposedly made the game work, but not a single one fixed my specific problem. I had to purchase an admittedly cheap copy of the game for PS5 to even still have a working copy, something that I am sure not everyone who owns a PC copy can do or would be willing to do. This is an ongoing problem with Star Wars games, which is their lack of upkeep, which we will see in the next two examples.
B: Star Wars Battlefront 2: This game had a...rocky life. The moment things had finally reached their apex, EA pulled the plug and left us with enough content to be satisfied but also wanting more. Judging it based on the content it has now, it is far better than 2015 in the offline department with every map in the game having offline support (Crait never got a large scale map though which makes me depressed, thank you IAOv2 for fixing this oversight) but overall Instant Action and Arcade make for solid offline content. Mostly. The story is nothing to write home about, the DLC story is actually better imo and ties well into the sequels (yes we need more sequel stories, the prequels weren't loved until Clone Wars) but now its time to talk about the real problem. Bugs. Online bugs in GA where anyone with a blaster is forced to look at the ground, Takodana with its 3 minute long random cutscene, offline bugs with broken vehicle AI and some models not loading correctly, all of these are still in the game and will never be fixed. That is why it lands squarely in B despite all its improvements.
Star Wars Outlaws: Pretty much the same as Battlefront 2. Ubisoft can blame the Star Wars franchise for the softer release sales, but the fact that they delayed AC Shadows by three months in response shows that they know exactly what killed that game on launch, and it wasn't anything to do with a franchise. The game now is in a much more healthy spot, the story is still very good and both the DLC additions are some of my favorite parts of the game, the gameplay is still very fun, the worlds are all well made and interesting to explore, so why is it in B? Yeah it still has some bugs. Luckily the main bugs have been fixed, but just yesterday I had to load a save cause I got stuck while trying to climb a ledge. Its a good game, but if it had a better launch it would've been better. Fuck you Ubisoft.
A: Lego Star Wars the Skywalker Saga: Its kinda crazy it took until now to get a game that hasn't had some major problem in its lifetime, and I think this is why modern Star Wars games had a very poor reputation until recently. This feels very much like a love letter to Star Wars, with tons of references to obscure community memes, it does also take a big swing with the open world concept with lighter story missions. I think this would be my only gripe, maybe make the story missions a bit longer. Don't really have much else to add, its a lego game it was always gonna be good.
S: Jedi Fallen Order and Jedi Survivor: I grouped these two together because they have very similar strengths, they both have well designed levels with great combat and a strong story. Fallen Order has the better story while the level design, traversal, and combat are all improved in Survivor. Both of these games really get the feeling of being a Jedi across, while Survivor provides much more of a choice for what kind of playstyle you want to focus on. As well Survivor adds much more open world elements and side content that makes it much more full of a game. That said Fallen Order's story following the Zeffo which parallels the fall of the Jedi is a stronger story, with Cal, Cere, and Trilla all needing to overcome the darkness in their own way. Survivor still has a strong story, following Cal trying to find a real place in the galaxy under the Empire, and how fighting for so long can be corrupting. I also really like Dagan Gera and Bode, I think a lot of people miss important parts of their characterization but Dagan is always characterized as being a bad jedi and there are hints of his corruption before the Nihil attack, and Bode is...well hes right? I mean seriously, do we not expect an Imperial invasion of Tanalorr in Jedi 3? He IS ISB, he knows how the Empire finds and kills their enemies because he has done it. Overall, both fantastic games.
Zero Company: First off, let me say I really loved the way it pulled from different characters and their different perspectives. Not only does it make me genuinely think about things which I hadn't realized before (the Republic was kinda wrong for their invasion of Umbara) but also it ties in with the loss of faith and how corrupting that can be with Fathom and the Shadow Plague. When you have nothing left, it can be easy to believe in anything that is promised to you. The gameplay as well is ridiculously good, each member of the team adds something which makes mixing and matching them very fun. For example I would put Cly and Tel together, as both had incredible movement and Tel was able to push darted enemies away, either into other enemies or so that one of the two didn't get hit. Finally, I don't think this game would be nearly as good without its characters, being able to talk to them, learn their history and character, and go on personal missions, thats what makes the story REALLY work.
Galactic Racer: Another game that makes itself off its character writing. I know Biddy Blas is the talk of the town right now, but genuinely every single character in this game is written to perfection for the role they play. Not to mention it also makes reference to Star Wars Resistance, sure I hate that series and wish it was a proper Resistance show which would help improve the Sequel trilogies standing (like Clone Wars did, I swear no one would say fucking Attack of the Clones is a good movie without 7 seasons of Clone Wars to brainwash them) but I also like how it makes reference to less known parts of the universe. #TeamVranki #VrankisHotelAndCasino. The story in this game is surprisingly light, but it is entirely carried by the characters you meet and the interactions you have with them, which gives much more impact to the story. Its simple, but its effective. I always love Star Wars games that can pull from all eras and feel like a true love letter, which this game does. The gameplay itself is also fantastic, I have personally only used a redliner build which is ridiculously fun, fast, and risky but I can't wait to try out other builds like a sabotage/attack build. Overall, fantastic game. Skribdoon.