October 8, 2015, brings the second Open Beta for Star Wars Battlefront. If you haven’t checked it out yet, it is easy and free to get from EA.
The Beta is a solid game, and while not showing all of what the final game will have, certainly has enough to get a feel for what the game can be like.
The (February 7, 2015) Humble Bundle is all about Star Wars. With Star Wars Battlefront coming out later this year, and the new Star Wars movie this December, this is a chance to experience some of the classic games based on the series. The new Battlefront game is derived in part from the planned (and unreleased) sequel to Battlefront II. It is a reenvisioning of the game, and while we can’t know everything about it yet, I feel that it is likely to carry over a lot of Battlefront II’s ideas. Mostly, because it was essentially a Battlefield 2 clone of sorts set in the Star Wars universe, with rebels and stormtroopers fighting to control points on the map, with 64 players all in the same game.
If you are looking to expand your game collection this is a great deal. If you want to see what Battlefront can be like, Battlefront II is still a great game. The multiplayer is a bit convoluted with the demise of gamespy. LAN is OK, but online play is more work to manage. The single player modes are fun and work fine, and are more than enough to give you a feel of what this game can be like. Imagine it updated to current graphic and audio standards, plus whatever other innovations can be worked in.
The price of the bundle with Battlefront II is more than just the price of that game on Steam. But if you haven’t experienced the other games yet, they include some of the best Star Wars games out there.
Sadly, so far the excellent Jedi Knight II: Outcast isn’t (yet) in this bundle. It continues the Dark Forces Saga (the first episode of which is in this collection), and is one of the best Expanded Universe stories highlighting hero Kyle Katarn. But there are more than enough other games to keep you busy.
Edit, February 11: Woo Hoo! Dark Forces II and Jedi Knight II have been added to this bundle. If you are into Star Wars at all, and haven’t tried these games before, this is an amazing deal. Sure, a lot of these games are older, but that doesn’t make them too outdated to enjoy. For $12 (minimum donation) for 12 games, this deal is hard to beat. Good until February 17, so check it out now if you’re interested.
