Star Wars Battlefront is one of the best Star Wars games of all time, if not the best! There have been many different versions, from the PlayStation 2 and original Xbox to the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. You can also play the game on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, but the latest version of Battlefront II was released for the PS4 and Xbox One. However, there is room for improvement. Battlefront II was released in 2017, which is just about seven years ago. Since then, they have only made minor adjustments, such as adding in a few new minor characters and new skins/outfits, but they officially stopped making any changes to the game well over a year ago. I would understand if they were hoping to save some good changes for the next game, but there hasn’t been any news about a potential Battlefront III. The fans deserve it!
In 2015, the new version of Battlefront I was released, and it had great maps and all the original characters. At first, it was all a fan could hope for, but eventually, we realized that there were so many possibilities for the next game. Luckily, Dice/EA delivered two years later, not just the characters from the original movies but also including new characters to the game who played a pivotal role in the prequels and the sequels. Alongside the returning original characters, Battlefront II brought in the chosen one, aka Anakin Skywalker (pre-Vader), the legendary Obi-wan Kenobi, the wise master Yoda, ex-First Order Stormtrooper FN-2187 aka FIN, and the scavenger-turned Jedi, Rey. Just when you thought the fun was over, they also added a plethora of iconic villains to even out the playing field. Joining forces alongside Darth Vader, Emperor Palpatine, and Boba Fett was the descendant of Darth Vader, Kylo Ren, aka Ben Solo, who is his grandson, the fallen Jedi, Count Dooku, the evasive General Grievous, and the evil Sith Lord, Darth Maul. They even added Captain Phasma and Chewbacca’s rival, Bosk the Bounty Hunter, as well as a new character for the campaign, Iden Versio. They even brought two new droids into the Heroes vs Villains gameplay during their last update. They added BB-8 and his counterpart BB-9E.
The diverse group of characters at your disposal, paired with the fantastic new maps, a fresh new campaign with Iden Versio, and a variety of different gameplay options, was enough to establish this game as a goldmine. However, as entertaining as this game was and still is, there were plenty of noticeable absences. For starters, how could they add BB-8 and BB-9E BEFORE R2-D2?! R2 has been around far longer than either of them, and if any droid deserves to be included in the game, it’s him. Sure, BB-8 can roll around, but R2 can literally fly. He has the same ability to shock people that BB-8 does, but we have also seen him light some super battle droids on fire in Revenge of the Sith, which is an ability we have never seen BB-8 use, at least not yet. I would love to say they should bring in C-3P0 as well, but unfortunately, when it comes to a battle, he wouldn’t be of much use.
Moving on from droids, they are missing key members of the Jedi council from the live-action prequel trilogy, such as Mace Windu, Kit Fisto, Plo Koon, Ki-Adi-Mundi, Luminara Unduli, and Shaak Ti. They also miss someone who played a key role in the Skywalker saga: Anakin Skywalker’s padawan, Ashoka Tano. When Ashoka was first introduced, she wasn’t the most popular, but as she grew up in the Clone Wars, her fan base grew with her, and she became one of the greatest Jedi ever to exist. It is an absolute pity we never got the option to play as Ashoka Tano in a Star Wars game. She would be entertaining to play, considering she duel-wields lightsabers and is the only one to wield ones that are white at this point in time. It would also be interesting if they added Ben Kenobi as one of the skins/alternate appearances for Obi-Wan Kenobi.
One potentially unexpected character that must be included is Padme Amidala. When you think of Padme, you typically think of her as Anakin’s wife/Darth Vader’s former wife, or the mother of Luke and Leia, but let’s not forget that she was a warrior in and out of the Senate. When she wasn’t tackling imminent political issues, she was fearlessly guarding the galaxy with a trusty blaster. It’s safe to say Leia took after her mother. Now that the Star Wars universe has expanded into several television shows, there are so many characters Dice could add to Battlefront III. It would be a sin to leave out everyone’s brand-new favorite Mandalorian, especially if they forgot about baby Yoda, aka Grogu. Although Grogu is technically still a child, we have seen his potential and progress in the past few seasons of The Mandalorian, so they could give him plenty of interesting abilities in the game and even let you float around in his hovering crib/chair.
Although there are cartoons and live-action adaptations of Star Wars, they are still connected. In the animated series Star Wars: Rebels, we are introduced to a hidden Jedi who is a survivor of Order 66 named Kanan Jarrus, who then takes on a young Ezra Bridger as his padawan after discovering his potential within the force. The two of them play essential roles in keeping peace in the galaxy during the war with Grand Admiral Thrawn. You could even throw Sabine Ren into the mix as Kanan began to train her prior to his heroic and noble sacrifice, especially now that she is back training as a Jedi in the live-action Ashoka series under the leadership of Ashoka herself. They would all make a fine addition to the heroes vs. villains roster and create even more diversity throughout the game. Hera Sandula Syndulla (Kanan’s wife), Zeb Orrelios (a Lasat), and Chopper (a droid with an attitude) were also essential members of Kanan’s team/family. They would make excellent additions to Battlefront III gameplay.
If you were excited about all the potential new heroes, wait until you hear what they can bring to the dark side of the force. As previously mentioned, so many characters within the animated Star Wars universe are connected to the live-action universe yet never get a chance to shine beyond that realm. For starters, Asajj Ventress was the apprentice of Count Dooku in the Clone Wars animated television series until Emperor Palpatine ordered Count Dooku to turn on her. She manages to escape and eventually attempts to enact her vengeance on Dooku with the help of her fellow night sisters but is unsuccessful. Although her mission to avenge her betrayal was a failure, Asajj has always been a fierce force to be reckoned with throughout the series. She remains one of the select few characters to crusade around the galaxy with dual-wielding lightsabers like Ashoka Tano. We all know and love Darth Maul, but some may not realize he had a brother, Savage Oppress. Maul recruited Savage to join forces in the Clone Wars to help him find Kenobi and exact his revenge. Although Maul is the stronger brother, Savage is not someone you want to make an enemy of, especially since he was trained first by Count Dooku to replace Asajj Ventress and then by Maul.
Characters with lightsabers are fun, but sometimes it’s nice to shake things up a bit. Sure, playing as characters with guns against force-wielders can be a fun challenge, but imagine if you could play as a Night Sister and wield dark magic against your opponents! What more could you ask for? I’m glad you asked…one of the most controversial characters in the Star Wars universe is Pong Krell. He is a Jedi master and is only in one episode of the Clone Wars, but trust me when I tell you that he made an impression. Throughout his time in the episode, he shows us that he is ready to betray the Jedi order and become the new apprentice of Count Dooku because what he seeks is power. Pong Krell resembles General Grievous with his two extra arms and multiple lightsabers, but the difference is that instead of four single-bladed lightsabers, he wields two double-bladed lightsabers! He may have been a Jedi, but based on his actions and intentions during the one episode he was in, it is enough to make the assumption that he would likely be a character on the dark side in a video game. Fans may dislike the way he treated the clones, but think of how fun it is to play as Darth Maul with his one double-bladed lightsaber, then think about how fun it is to use General Grievous and his four lightsabers. Now imagine combining those two characters with a few key differences, and voila! You have Pong Krell and an overwhelming amount of fun!
Another controversial character from the Clone Wars animated series is Barris Offee. Barris is the previous Padawan of Luminara Unduli. At first, she was kind and pure, but as time passed, she often criticized how the Jedi conducted their business. Barris lost faith in the Jedi and even went as far as to frame Ashoka for bombing the Jedi temple and force-choking a prisoner to death, which she was nearly convicted of. At the start of the Clone Wars, Barris wielded a single blue blade, but after turning to the dark side, she wielded two red blades. She was even able to hold her own against the Chosen One after he exposed Barris for the lying traitor she was. Granted, Anakin may not have had to use his full strength since he is so much stronger than everyone else, but it’s impressive, nonetheless.
Boba Fett may technically be the original, but an honorable mention is the true original Bounty Hunter, Jango Fett. If not for Jango, Boba wouldn’t exist. Jango showed off his impressive abilities and instincts in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones by taking on one of the greatest Jedi of all time, Obi-wan Kenobi, with just a blaster and armor. Given that Jango and Boba are almost the same exact character, I understand why throwing him into the mix may not be necessary. However, I’m confident that plenty of people would appreciate it. Plenty of fans out there would jump at the chance to play as the original donor of the clone army if given the chance.
Now that you know what unforgettable characters you’re missing out on, let’s talk about the campaign. Sure, brand-new stories are always entertaining, but I think it’s safe to say that most, if not all, of us want the same thing. We want to be able to play a campaign of the Skywalker saga in the style of Battlefront animation/gameplay. The closest we got to this was in Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith, the video game for the PlayStation 2 and the original Xbox. We want to be able to hang out around the Cantina band like in the old Lego Star Wars game, and we want to be able to play the full story on split-screen with our friends. We don’t always need new stories. Sometimes, all we need is nostalgia. Imagine being able to mimic the gameplay from Lego Star Wars but in the style of Battlefront and imagine that in addition to the movies, we also got to go on all the missions in between, such as the animated and live-action television shows! There could even be a setting with alternate endings for each significant event that has shaped the galaxy far, far away. That would be the greatest thing since sliced bread!
