The handheld exclusive modders to make Battlefront 2 the game it should have been.
The first of the handheld exclusive Battlefront games was Renegade Squadron, released in 2007, followed by Elite Squadron in 2009. Their restriction to consoles like the PSP and Nintendo DS didn’t work to help their popularity, with the previous two main installments launching on consoles. They were also overwhelmingly outshone by their predecessor and one of the best Star Wars games of all time, Battlefront 2, from 2005. Despite being often overlooked, the handheld installments had some excellent customization features that haven’t been as well implemented in a Battlefront game since.
The personalization menu in the handheld Battlefront games is where they stand out from their console siblings. Players could customize their character's appearance for each of the four main factions. In the case of the Clone Troopers, players could select one of several body classes, including Star Wars and Clone Wars icons the ARC troopers. Once the class is selected, players may choose from several unique helmet types, like Commander Cody or Commander Neyo. The color of the armor pieces can also be customized to help the player stand out on the battlefield, and make their clone truly feel like their own. There are dozens of combinations to explore, and, despite its rudimentary setup, it was more encoming than what was featured in the Battlefront reboots.
Star Wars Battlefront 3 Needs Better Customization
EA’s Star Wars Battlefront 2 had quite a lot of content in its customization but not much in the way of personalization compared to the handheld exclusive Battlefront games. After Battlefront 2’s last update, players could choose a few different appearances for their character, but the number of options favored the clone troopers over every other faction. Most of the factions had only a handful of appearances per class, while the clones had over 20 possibilities. However, players could only select between the various divisions in the Republic’s army, neglecting the ability to mix and match armor pieces as in the handheld Battlefront games.
While there is certainly an argument to be made for preserving a sense of feeling grounded in the universe, games like Star Wars: Battlefront would do well to allow the player to make Star Wars what they want. There’s room for both faithfulness to the films and player imagination in Star Wars games. It’s not too late for a Star Wars Battlefront 3, and if it ever gets made, it should look to its handheld predecessors for inspiration.
