Battlefield 4

By: Robert Murphy

Now I know some of you may be mad when I say this but I didn’t begin my journey into the Battlefield genre with, Battlefield 1942, which was a defining game for the franchise but I started out with Battlefield: Bad Company and I have been hooked ever since. This love continued into the ridiculous world of Bad Company 2 and the incredibly realistic feel of Battlefield 3 and now we have finally gotten our hands on the latest foray into the franchise Battlefield 4. Once again we are shown a world that we only here about on the news, with such realistic action, sounds and devastation, all right in front of you on the screen and you control the action.

Digging right into the campaign, we see something that honestly I wasn’t expecting and that was something lack luster that hits every branch on the cliché tree with a running through back allies and sewers, a jail break mission with a creepy mole like man, backstabs and betrayals, I mean this was not what I was expecting. Granted not a lot of people go into Battlefield for the campaign but still at least Battlefield 3 gave us a solid story and a few good hours of gameplay, along with some standalone two player co-op missions for you and your friends. For the most part the campaign tried to mix and match old glories by adding some humor with massive explosions and gun fights all over the place and me being left with the question, was there a story in there somewhere? The new gameplay allowed for you to preform squad commands for your team that pin pointed enemies and would tell your buddies who to attack but I never ended up using this feature since I had already killed them all by the time I remembered the feature in the first place. So I guess all I can say is, I know where the work went into this game and that was the multiplayer.

Much too my joy, I found a massive amount of action and life in the multiplayer for Battlefield 4 and this is honestly where you’ll want to hang your hats. All the classic game modes are back, Conquest, Team Deathmatch, Domination and more, there is no shortage of ways to enjoy online play but that also becomes clear with the astounding maps we have to choose from. Maps are now bigger and better than ever with the capability to be completely obliterated with the new ability to totally destroy a map like a hotel completely crumbling and crashing to the ground, changing the environment and your gameplay. This crazy and awe inspiring moment will leave you pause as you contemplate just exactly what the hell is going on around you but at the same time you still need to keep moving on with the game. Another aspect that affects the gameplay momentum is the environment itself as some levels come with horrible weather conditions that inhibit your movements so if you’re unfortunate to get caught in the down coming storm you can meet with a bullet to the chest.

Also we see a new element come to Battlefield 4’s multiplayer and that is the Commander Mode, this allows for one player opting out of being on the ground and taking the lead role in coordinating attacks that your teammates carry out. The feature can be used in Conquest, Obliteration and Rush game modes and adds a whole new element to the way the battle unfolds. Commanders can give orders for reinforcements to under fire units or send in UAV’s to let your allies know what an enemy controlled post will have in store for them. Teammates who then capture a specified area will earn points for the commander which can be used on things like cruise missiles to be used on the opposing team. This adds more enjoyment for the more strategy based gamers who want to plan out attacks and give troops commands, making it more than a first person shooter.

We also see the return of many amazing features from past games that make a return this time around, not only in multiplayer but in single player as well. Weapons are once again scarily realistic, not only in looks but in sound as well, weapons are all around breathtaking once again as they were in Battlefield 3 and are a welcomed return. Especially with the attention to detail in every action you go through with your hardware, guns will kick, reload times are not like magic and happen as fast as a normal man could reload a gun and bullets drop from your gun and you can even hear them hit the ground, especially if you’re sniping. Another big ticket item to make its way back in Battlefield 4 are the vehicles, now more than ever they play a big role in game types and add even more realism to the game as you can cause large devastation in a tank but it can lumber around and is vulnerable to attacks if not positioned correctly. From buggies to boats, jets and helicopters, there is no shortage of ways to get around a map with you and your teammates.

Now while Battlefield 4 seemed to have fallen in the way of its campaign, it is back and better than ever with its multiplayer element. The game brings back a realistic feel that players have come to love since Battlefield 3 and with a definite touch up to all aspect since the last time we sat down and enjoyed the gameplay. Maps are larger, well thought out and extremely enjoyable to play on especially with the vehicles that we have to choose from in game modes like conquest. And with the new Commander mode, more heavily strategy based gamers can delve into the game in a whole new way, sending in forces, UAV’s, missile strikes and more.

Good:

-Return of an amazing and realistic first person shooter

-Incredibly designed new maps

-Commander mode is fun and addicting

-A strong return of multiplayer gaming

Bad:

-Lack luster campaign

Scully Rating: 8.5 out of 10