This is just a small taste of what the Battlefield franchise is all about but it is a great play all around.
As usual you will have to capture points on each map and try to defend them. A reinforcement bar is located on the top of the screen indicating who is winning the match. The more capture points your team owns the quicker the enemies bar depletes. The bar will also go quicker or slower depending on how your team is doing. If you are constantly getting killed it will speed up and not in your favor. The classes are cut down a bit from the previous installment of Battlefield. There is no longer a support or specialist class but you will be able to heal yourself over time so long as you can stay out of fire for a bit of time. You are left with three different classes that are balanced well enough to not give an advantage to one over the other and they all have positives and negatives that you have to be mindful of before spawning. The Rifleman is great at mid and close range and can also be used for a little sniping if you're good enough. He is also equipped with grenades that are both thrown by hand and fired from his rifle. This makes it easier to clear out bunkers and other areas when trying to capture points but he is not very effective when it comes to dealing with tanks. You better off just taking cover. The Infantry class is great at close range fights. His rocket launcher is great for taking out tanks and structures and with his repair tool he becomes an asset when riding around in tanks. He becomes less effective though at long range fire fights as his machine gun doesn't seem to pack enough punch. The Recon class is equipped with a sniper rifle making you good taking out players at great distances. His satchel charges are great for setting traps like setting them on a bridge or laying them near your flags in case they try to capture it. Don't get caught out in the open though as trying to hit someone up close is almost always a losing effort. Everyone is equipped with melee whether it be a bayonet, wrench or a sword and they all only take one hit to kill.
Each player can also take advantage of the vehicles and stationary weapons located throughout the map. On two of the maps you spawn on an Aircraft and you can use boats or planes to storm the islands in order to secure a flags or two before facing any gun fire. Planes can be used to bomb locations and shoot down any enemy aircrafts and you can also parachute down to enemy flags that are hopefully not occupied or you might be a sitting duck. Jeeps are quick and can maneuver well but they are vulnerable to any explosives. Tanks are by far the best when you want to take over a position. Their cannon and machine gun can take care of infantry and jeeps and if you get into a fight with another tank lets just hope that you fired first. Artillery and stationary guns can play a big part in trying to defend any position whether it is a stormed attack or planes trying to bomb you. Its best not to stay too long as you then become simple targets for snipers lying in wait. There are also air raids that you can call in from a single bunker located on the map. Three planes are at your disposal to try and hit hopefully well populated areas. They are not very maneuverable so enemy pilots and big guns can shoot down your planes before they even reach their target. Once you have dropped your bombs you may be a sitting duck as your thrown back out into battle and you may no longer have any control of the location and might run into immediate enemy fire.
The explosions are visually impressive and can alter the battlefield significantly. Once obstructed locations are now wide open spaces for snipers and now there is no longer any place to hide when trying to defend. The 3 maps are all impressive. Lush terrain and landscape surrounded by a vast ocean. There is a forth location that was given out once 43 million total kills were met called Air Superiority. Pilots take off from there aircraft to duel it out in the skies to secure one area on the map. Probably the most difficult thing to do in the game but there is a tutorial that you can do that allows you to fly all that you want in order to get the hand of it. They need to reward pilots who force other players to bail from there planes on all levels not just in Air superiority where it is considered suicide and you are penalized 10 points for doing so.
At $14.99 this is a great on-line experience that you can enjoy despite some lagging issues like the occasional unbalanced team and the ongoing communication issues when trying to talk with your other teammates. Battlefield 1943 with its balance of classes and vehicles is a great addition to already well known Battlefield team based on-line shooters and is a great deal and almost any price.