shiftygism

Yep.

Brad's argument for Shadow of War's loot boxes not being a big deal once people got their hands on it is THE EXACT SAME SITUATION...or should be, for Battlefront II. There was never a problem with them. You're not going after card drops as they're too randomized for it work in your favor, you're buying them for crafting parts to access any perk you may want without having to reach a preset level. The cards are just a bonus as they're strengthening the things you may not be using while you concentrate on your main. That and most of the perks associated don't contribute to the game's actual progression which is tied to a troop's specific blaster kills. The preorder bonus Star Cards, those were the only real instance of p2w, as they were tier four cards, something that doesn't drop in the crates and you can only craft once you get to a player rank of 20 and a specific troop/character/vehicle card rank of 25. The overpriced character unlocks was a definite misstep, something they were quick to address when called out on it, but the crates have always been a complete non-issue and just like Shadow of War, easily obtained through in-game credits earned as they front load the game with plenty of rewards and challenges.

EDIT: Also...

Jeff - "I guess I have to grind for stuff that straight up makes your character better in a lot of cases."

But, isn't that an example of most shooters?

In Battlefront II you're working towards better weapons with kills earned, and the Star Card system offers a great deal of freedom as you can go after anything you want pretty quickly without having to reach a specific rank (unless you're going for an upgraded version). I can understand how it may feel like a grind though for casuals expecting bullshit rewards each rank up like emblems and tags, but I have no need for that junk.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2?

I've seen a bunch of great looking Skyrim characters and Dragon's Dogma's creation tool offers enough to get pretty adventurous with it.

Yep, the controversy surrounding it after the character price adjustment is one of the most overblown things I've seen in recent years. Not to mention the fact that most of the folks doing the complaining didn't seem to even understand the concept of the Star Cards, their relation to the loot crates, and how they don't have much impact on actual progression. It wasn't much of an issue on release, and isn't even a factor now.

I hope they did another Rockband segment.

It depends on how limited the creation options are and if they're held back by stupid systems like picking your mama and daddy.

I'd rather have custom myself.

Yes, because the Empire stationed all their troops on the Death Star...

The Endor celebration, in retrospect, was the equivalent of Bush's "Victory" moment.

I know Dan's in the game and all, but Cole dancing in the mirror reminds me of Dan for some reason, especially that hat toss.

"MAGIC!"

False.

There was no incentive for buying loot crates via the crystals outside of crafting materials. You couldn't get tier four cards from them. Tier three cards rarely dropped. Tier two cards were once in a blue moon. And given how many cards and animations there are, the chances you'd get something you could actually use on the troop class you started off with were pretty f'n slim. They had very little impact on the game early on, and now....this far out, there's even less of a reason to keep the micro-transactions turned off. They're a complete non-issue at this point outside of the folks that would cry foul screaming "EA is the devil" all while not understanding how the game actually works. EA, especially after lowering the costs of the characters, wouldn't be forcing anyone to buy the crystal shards....and there's little reason to as the game front loads you with a ton of credits from completing early modes and challenges.