Seemingly out of nowhere, Steam has just updated 2004's Star Wars Battlefront to once again support multiplayer. Why? Who knows, but that's not important. What is important is that we're starting to see more games, whose whole online existence once relied on the now-defunct GameSpy service, being brought back to life on the Steam platform.
Mind you, the original Star Wars Battlefront hasn't aged super well, and its 2005 successor is superior in just about every regard. That said, some nostalgic diehards may find it cathartic to revisit the game after all these years.
I actually pre-ordered Star Wars Battlefront at my local Gamestop, ya know, when that was still a thing, because I was absolutely ecstatic for an online multiplayer game that would let me live the epic Star Wars experience. Needless to say, the game's marketing worked on me.
Back then, my friends and I were always throwing around the moniker of "SOCOM-killer", which we would attach to upcoming multiplayer titles that looked like they could potentially dethrone our game of choice - SOCOM: US Navy Seals 2 (don't @ me). At the time, Battlefront looked like it could be a contender.
It didn't end up being winning the title, and would eventually join the ranks of other games that failed to rise to the occasion - such as the original KILLZONE - that came and went without even so much as putting a dent in our allegiance to SOCOM. Still, it was a really great game for the time, and I look back on it fondly.
Anyway, if you've never played 2004's Star Wars Battlefront, its current $4.99 price tag on Steam may justify giving it a try - if for no other reason than to experience an entry in the series that isn't a micro-transaction vending machine.
