With the recent release of Star Wars: Squadrons, players are finally able to jump into the cockpit of an X-Wing and play through a full campaign designed around high-flying gameplay. The game features a vibrant multiplayer community full of aspiring aces, developing and honing skills from other flight sims. It has been a long time since fans of the Rogue Squadron games were given a worthy entry.
Many Star Wars fan may not have known that there is a similar experience to be had within 2017s Star Wars: Battlefront 2. The often-forgotten game mode Starfighter Assault is also a great way to experience space combat within the Star Wars universe, but was largely missed by fans. The mode wasn’t heavily advertised and isn’t positioned on the front page of Battlefront 2’s menu as the other modes are.
There are actually a lot of pros and cons to playing Starfighter Assault in Battlefront 2, beyond just the fact that ground and air combat are available in one title. Players who haven’t yet experienced either game, or who never took a look at Battlefront 2 after its rocky launch, may want to go back and give it another shot. The game has been improved greatly since 2017 and may be worth the time, especially for fans of aerial combat. Here is everything Star Wars: Battlefront 2’s Starfighter Assault mode has in common with Star Wars: Squadrons.
What Battlefront 2’s Starfighter Assault Does Better Than Squadrons
One issue that some fans are having with Star Wars: Squadrons is the fact that they are unable to play the game in 3rd person mode. 3rd person camera angles allow players to better see what is going on around them when in the midst of battle, and lets them more easily enjoy the ship designs and cosmetics. Players of Star Wars: Squadrons are able to customize their ships with different symbols and colors, but are unable to see those designs while they play. Starfighter Assault mode in Battlefront 2 lets players choose between whichever view they’d feel most comfortable using.
Star Wars: Squadrons is great for players who enjoy the ships and conflicts that took place between the original trilogy and the newest set of films. Players who want to enjoy the prequel trilogy’s battles, or specific ships seen in the new trilogy, will be out of luck unless they play Battlefront 2. Starfighter Assault mode features ships from all three generations of Star Wars and lets players mix and match between ships as well. Many of the droid-operated ships of the prequel trilogy are exhilarating to fly, as well as the Republic clone ships, and the First Order fleet. The best part about Starfighter Assault mode is the ability to throw special Hero ships into the mix. Players of Star Wars: Squadrons won’t be able to fly the Millennium Falcon into the fray, but this can be done in Battlefront 2.
The final major perk of Star Wars: Battlefront 2’s Starfighter Assault mode is the simplicity of combat. Some players find the large amount of meters and ship controls in Star Wars: Squadrons confusing and cumbersome. Starfighter Assault mode is a largely simplified mode that allows players to just jump behind the controls of their favorite ships and fly them all with ease.
There are few variations between the capabilities of various Star Wars ships beyond the types of weapons they fire. As a result, most players will be able to succeed in multiplayer battles without having to spend time practicing with the AI. This simplicity of control also leads to sharper turns and maneuvers with the various ships. Players don’t have to slow down to make quick turns and dogfighting is significantly easier as a result.
What Star Wars: Squadrons Does Better Than Battlefront 2
One quickly noticeable difference between Squadrons and Battlefront 2 is the attention to detail within the cockpit of ships in Star Wars: Squadrons. The game is meant to be played in 1st person mode from start to finish and, as a result, everything the player needs to see is available within the cockpit of the ships. This provides a more immersive experience because players are able to turn off the HUD if they’d like, which is not something that is advisable when playing Battlefront 2. Players of Star Wars: Squadrons can also play the game in VR and using HOTAS flight sticks. This may be possible in Star Wars Battlefront 2, but not without extensive mods on the PC.
Flight in Star Wars: Squadrons is far more difficult than in Starfighter Assault mode, but this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The difficulty comes from the complexity of the ship controls and the greater attention to space physics that has been integrated into the game’s code. Players of Star Wars: Squadrons are able to adjust nearly every aspect of their ship’s functionality, including shield strength, engine optimization, and weapon power. They can control special defensive measures to deflect locked on missiles and can even choose from a variety of different weapons types for each ship.
Players of Battlefront 2, on the other hand, are stuck with whatever loadout that particular ship is given. Maneuverability in Starfighter Assault mode is technically easier, but is stiffer as a result. Players of Star Wars: Squadrons can practice enough and learn how to drift their ships, dodge missiles efficiently, and perfectly out maneuver their enemies into oncoming space debris.
The last perk of playing Star Wars: Squadrons over Battlefront 2’s Starfighter Assault mode is the ability to play multiple stage battles. Battlefront 2’s main game is filled with objective-based combat scenarios which see players defend massive bases from enemy forces, capture territory, and play out moments from the films. For some reason, this detail is not carried over into the Starfighter Assault mode, as players are only able to play basic team deathmatch-style games. Star Wars: Squadrons fixes this problem with the inclusion of multiple objectives within multiplayer battles. Players will start out trying to battle against other players in similarly-sized starfighters, but will then move on to major objectives such as taking out freighters and, eventually, full galactic cruisers like the Star Destroyer. These fights can go on for a long time depending on how efficient each team is with one another, which makes a cohesive plan far more important than it is in Starfighter Assault mode.
Should Players Choose Star Wars: Squadrons Or Battlefront 2?
Ultimately the choose of which game is better comes down to what the player is looking for. As a fully-developed space flight sim, Star Wars: Squadrons takes the cake. It is more detailed in its approach to space combat and will provide a large skill ceiling for dedicated players. It is also great that the full game can be played in VR with flight simulation gear.
On the other hand, players who want a more general view of the entire Star Wars universe might want to try out Battlefront 2. It is great being able to play out the Clone Wars, the assault on Starkiller Base or even just throw all of the iconic ships from the whole series into one big arena and go nuts. It is also nice to be able to take a break from the cockpit and fight on land for a change. Either game is wonderful choice for Star Wars fans to check out, and thus if players can, they should check out both games when they get the chance.