There’s no way Electronic Arts could win with “Star Wars Battlefront II.” The game essentially combines two of the most passionate and rabid communities on the internet — gamers and “Star Wars” fans.

By bringing them together, the developers at DICE, Motive and Criterion were playing with explosives. The only thing that could make matters worse was the addition of loot crates to the formula. That was like running around a dynamite factory with fistful sparklers.

So the online turmoil roiling around “Star Wars Battlefront II” is no surprise. The problem surfaced because EA borrowed too much from the mobile games in order to nudge players to spend additional money for a game that they’ve already pay for. That move marred an otherwise great game.

The developers learned from their mistakes with the first entry and created a sequel chock-full of compelling content. The most obvious addition is the single-player campaign, which mostly puts players in the role of Iden Versio. She starts out as a loyal member of the Empire but ends up in a pivotal situation in the “Star Wars” franchise.

She is a part of the elite Inferno Squad, the team responsible for keeping the Empire’s ambush plans secret during the Battle of Endor. As she grows disillusioned with Palpatine’s regime, she begins questioning her side. The smart story, developed by Motive, weaves epochal moments from the “Star Wars” history into Iden’s adventure.

Intertwined with her story are levels where players take on the role of heroes such as Luke Skywalker and Lando Calrissian. It breaks up the gameplay and offers more insight and depth to the “Star Wars” narrative.

The single-player campaign offers gamers a wide range of experiences, with the backbone being air combat. Aside from her abilities as a top-notch commando, Iden is a skilled pilot. The stages where she pilots TIE fighters and X-wings capture the epic scope of “Star Wars” and provide some of the adventure’s best moments.

The multiplayer, on the other hand, is a different animal. DICE improves the original by giving players more content with modes such Galactic Assault, Starfighter Assault, Heroes vs. Villains, Strike and Blast.

Those last three make for good multiplayer diversions. Heroes vs. Villains lets players use some of the series’ iconic characters in battle, while both Strike and Blast focus on fast-paced team play. Strike is objective-based and similar to “Counter-Strike”; Blast is the “Star Wars” take on the ubiquitous team death match.

The meat of the experiences is found in Galactic Assault and Starfighter Assault. In the former, players are put on two teams of 20 players to engage in battles across the “Star Wars” eras. Players pick a class of foot soldiers — from assault, heavy, officer of specialist. Each has a different combat role. Heavies hold or attack areas, while specialists excel at long-range combat as snipers.

During a match, players earn points by eliminating the other team or working on the objective. Those points are used to buy special characters, vehicles, even heroes. It’s a much better system than the previous game’s, in which players picked up icons on the battlefield to access the power-ups.

Earning points adds a layer of strategy, since using them can turn the tide of battle. If ou have Yoda on your side, wrecking the Empire or the Separatists becomes a joy. The game also gives players incentives, in the form of point bonuses, to fight in squads. All of this creates a more cohesive experience.

With Starfighter Assault, the developers take air combat — one of the best parts of the game — and create a compelling mode around it. Instead of just battling other ships and seeing who can shoot down the most rivals, this mode revolves around objectives. Players have to defend Star Destroyers or Rebel cruisers. They also make attack runs to take down enemy shields or blow up mines in the remnants of the Death Star.

Like Galactic Assault, Starfighter does an excellent job of putting players right into the “Star Wars” universe. The battles have a more story-driven context since the developers tie each match to moments in the “Star Wars” narrative. Every battle — whether from the prequels, classic trilogy and current movies — becomes more meaningful.

Starfighter Assault is so good that it could have been a standalone game, and fans would have been happy. The fact that it’s a just mode in “Battlefront II” gives the game tremendous value.

Unfortunately, though, the concept of loot crates and an unfair progression system diminish the experience. There’s nothing wrong with loot crates, but when they’re tied to a customization system that affects gameplay and pushes players to spend more money, they become a sticking point.

This is where EA plays with fire. After each match, players earn credits for buying crates of Star Cards, which power up a character. Like the Topps packs you collected as kids, these crates hold a random assortment of cards. The problem: Grinding to get the crates takes too long, and pressures players to spend real-world cash to make the crates easier to get.

EA is still struggling to find the right balance between giving players a reachable incentive, and rewarding them for their work.

There’s no doubt that EA will eventually work this out, but will that happen before players lose interest in what could have been a great “Star Wars” game?

‘Star Wars Battlefront II’

2 stars

Platforms: Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC

Rating: Teen