This is at the point now of being kinda sorta maybe worth it even on PC if you really care about proper controller support and splitscreen. I played this game on PS2 in its day and always thought the old PC version was kind of worthless if you didn't want to play piss-poor online due to the garbage m+k controls (oh my god stop restricting my look speed while I sprint I'm going to cry) and lacking the ability to play galactic conquest and the like on one machine, the main thing I like SWBF2 for. These things are technically possible on the original release with mods and elbow grease but it's such a hacky mess that I don't recommend it, if you want to avoid this collection (which is perfectly understandable, it's a poor value and kind of insulting) then I'd suggest just emulating the PS2 version, or better yet pulling out an original Xbox. I hear Xbox One and Series consoles handle that one pretty well too at modern resolutions.

Much as I hate to be saying there's worth to a horrible mess like this, as the fixes have streamed in it's gotten to the point of being somewhat better than pulling up PCSX2 due to the few additional features and such. Some visual effects are still iffy just like they were on the original pc release but enough is there that it's the version I start up if I can't get someone to huddle around the CRT with me to play on PS2.

Still unacceptable though, beating the og PC version was such a low bar and it's taken them months to do so, and it probably still isn't there yet if you have different priorities from mine.

so here's the deal.

- completely worthless on PC. there are just better releases of these two games with better mod support AND they're cheaper! so don't buy it.

- xbox and ps4/5 have other ways of playing these games too. at that point you'd be playing this collection for online support, which would be fine if the online was stable. it's not.

- the switch would be the clear winner here. you (still!) can't buy the games separate for cheaper and you get portability (sorry steam deck). the catch? this port is 35 gigabytes. the standard edition switch has 32 gigabytes of storage maximum. you need to pay for a microSD to even boot up the game. and when you do? it crashes on you after an hour, the online lobbies are empty, and you can't even get a refund since it's a digital release.

- there have been patches for stability for all releases but the game still crashes if you play singleplayer instant action for too long so what even is the point

how do you even manage to botch this so badly?

Playing the greatest Star Wars battles anyway I want if you only wait MONTHS for it to be patched....

SIGH! Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection is a nostalgic trip back to the original Battlefront games that captivated me with their large-scale battles and authentic Star Wars atmosphere that I cherish till this day. As a fan of the series, I eagerly anticipated this collection as soon as I heard it was going to be released on modern consoles. Having just played Battlefront 2 classic and reviewing it I was hoping it would bring back the magic of the originals while providing some modern enhancements that doesn't require modifications on PC but on console! Here we are in the current 2024 year and it seemed like there was a lot of downs than there were ups with this collection.

When I first got the game, I felt that it was slightly overpriced for what was being offered. Given the age of the original games, I expected a more of a lower price point. The nostalgia factor was high, the cost did not justify the content that was "worked on and improved" compared to the classic versions of the games going for almost a few dollars.

Upon playing, it was evident that the games felt unfinished at times especially during the multiplayer. There were several bugs and performance issues that detracted from the overall experience that I did not see in the original classics. Many folks, myself included, had to wait for patches to make the game playable for MONTHS. By the time these updates were rolled out, the initial excitement had waned, and the online community had diminished significantly, making it challenging to find multiplayer matches and my excitement to a halt. Despite these issues, the Galactic Conquest mode remains as fun as ever as how I remembered it. The single-player campaigns are mostly untouched, maintaining their original charm despite some of the assets seemed AI upscaled at times which were certainly noticeable.

Overall, Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection offers a lackluster return to the beloved franchise near and dear to my heart and certainly falls short in several areas especially the multiplayer. It felt like a rushed game for a game that has been completed almost 20 years ago. The need for multiple patches to fix gameplay issues are significant drawbacks that really killed my excitement. I would say for the best experience, the classic versions with community mods are likely a better choice and ones I would recommended to the community, but if you are on console then I would say its decent for what it does.