I wade through the lush green forestry being torn apart by a raging storm, crumbling buildings ready to collapse at any moment to my right, and a sniper on the opposite island to my left aiming for the little red dot that marks my head. I have the bomb. Theres just one more objective to blow and we’ve won the game.
As you’ve probably guessed, i’ve been playing the fourth instalment to EA DICE’s long standing military shooter - Battlefield. Running on the new Frost Bite 3 engine, the game has stuck to its roots in terms of HUD but is packed with new features, game modes and the long awaited arrival of 64 player matches on the next gen platforms (PS4 and XBOX One).
Multiplayer has been the bread and butter of the series since the first instalment (Battlefield 1942) back in 2002, so it comes as no surprise that an abundance of new game modes have been added in the last 11 years. This year, it's the introduction of competitive modes Obliteration, Domination and Defuse.
Perhaps the most popular of the three, Obliteration pits two teams of 16 against each other in a tug-of-war style battle for a single bomb. To win, a team must pick it up, transport it to either A, B or C, and successfully plant it to destroy the objective. This sounds like an easy task, but doing it another two times to ‘obliterate’ the remaining objectives is no mean feat. The mode is a fantastic addition to the game, and really is what the players make of it. A match can be over in as little as 15 minutes, or as long as 40. Similarly, the pace may be as fast as Rush or a little slow like Conquest. Unlike Rush however, the game isn’t entirely dependent on which team have the best shooters or the most medics. The mode encourages team play to the full, with each player providing a vital role on each bombing run, be it the pilot of the helicopter picking up the carrier and dropping him off, or the gunner on the attack boat providing cover from incoming jet skis. Vehicles aside, team mates stuck on the other side of the map can get stuck in by holding back the enemy and picking off pesky snipers who want the head of your bomb carrier for dinner. Everyone is rewarded for their part with points - for carrying, escorting, planting, defending and the ultimate destruction of the objective.
Intelligent use of vehicles in this mode can turn the tide of battle in a flash, even if your team has just one objective left. The chances of the bomb making it from one end of the map to the other without having a few detours in the middle are very slim. Cue that one player who thinks his is playing F1 2013 - a fast dash to his jeep and before you know it you’ve been whisked away from the heat of battle and dropped off next to the objective ready to blow the enemy camp into smithereens. However, there are still some gripes to be had. Firstly, when carrying the bomb you flash like a red belisha beacon and have a target like circle around your character wherever you are on the map - even behind buildings or under water. Understandably, players need to know this so team mates can defend their carrier and aggressors attack. Unfortunately, it does encourage random fire from any location in the map, leaving you with a raging dead bomb carrier and some very unrealistic play. This would be greatly improved if the target-circle occasionally flickered away, in two second intervals or such.
The second mode is distinctive in its own right, and will cater to fans of a run and gun style. Largely, the goal of Domination is the same as that of Conquest - capture the flags to drain the enemy tickets while killing anyone in sight. What sets it apart from its older brother is the size of the maps. While the mode is available on each, you will be hard pushed to jump in and know exactly where your going, as each has had its size cut in half and in some cases, even more. On top of this, the flags are not far apart at all which in turn creates very fast paced action, and less places for campers that may be found in other modes. Easy points are made here, but be prepared to die. Lots. Though the distance between flags is purposely short, it does mean a stray frag grenade still poses a strong chance of getting a kill, as long as it’s tossed in the general direction of an enemy. Tactical awareness isn’t needed much here, but the mode is perfect if your looking to jump in for a fast game before work.
Thirdly, there is Diffuse. This is probably best compared to that of Search and Destroy from THAT series. Here, a game takes place between 10 players, 5 of whom are attacking while the other squad defends the mCOM stations. To win, either squad must eliminate the others or attackers can successfully destroy an mCOM. However, each player has just one life, and may only be revived once. Death means you're sitting on the sidelines for the rest of the round. Undoubtedly this results in some of the most tactical play yet in Battlefield, and will be most utilised by clans for wars or training. Fun can be found here if you find yourself in a squad with other team players, otherwise some of the more typical Battlefield modes might be better suited.
Modes like Rush, Conquest and Team Deathmatch have remained the same fundamentally over the years, but are back with a new lick of paint. Each map in the game was clearly designed with Conquest at the front of the mind, which is unsurprising given that this is where the series began. Each flag has areas that can be both broken down easily, and vantage points used to provide effective defending. On current gen consoles, games are limited to 16v16 which makes certain maps feel slightly too big - Golmud Railway for example. Again, an effective squad of friends or randoms can control a match competently with smart squad orders given from the leader.
Rush on the other hand, has suffered for the new designs. Objectives are too close together, providing the defending team with as little as 10 seconds to retreat back to the next set of mCOMS. If you are lucky enough to have retreated with your life, it most likely won’t be of much use as your team mates will be dead from sniper fire almost immediately after spawning. Again, a problem most prevalent in Golmud Railway.
Ultimately there's a strong variety of maps, catering for all styles of play from infantry only, to a vehicle frenzy and everything in between. You learn the general gist of each, but hopping between game modes will keep you on your toes as each map is transformed to suit the style of play being encouraged. Though the majority of current gen players have yet to experience 64 player games, theres still plenty of action to be had as the lack of an extra 32 players does not detract from the enjoyment of the game.
This is greatly helped by the ability to demolish most buildings, fences, and cover. Destruction was first introduced in Battlefield Bad Company 1 back in 2008, transforming multiplayer action for the better, and changing the dimension most FPS games are now played. In its predecessor (Battlefield 3), the game had taken a step backwards as much less of the environment was destructible, raising concern over what we might get this time around.
Thankfully, the game has returned to its roots and pushed the boundaries further, with the addition of ‘levolution’. Running around Flood Zone you may capture a flag point at a petrol station on foot, only later to return to that same capture point by boat. “Am I going crazy” you may wonder. No! The levee on the other side of the map has burst and flooded the first floor of the map. Moments like this happen in each of the 10 maps shipped with the game, shifting from huge sky scrapers collapsing to form new capture points in Siege of Shanghai, to over pressurising gas pipes under the road in Dawnbreaker. While most events are triggered by the player themselves by either pressing a button to set off explosives, or firing tank rounds at a dam, there are a couple that happen without the need of any interaction. Paracel Storm begins looking like a tropical island you may consider holidaying on. It’s only later in the game that howling winds send a naval destroyer in the path of a capture point, crushing anyone and anything in it's way, all the while turning your screen into a cold, dark, wet place to be. Events like these often save those few long games stuck in a stalemate by some what, giving each player an incentive to push on and win the game. It’s exciting to see where DICE will go with this feature in the 5 planned expansion packs, yet I hope they will be less reliant on the players triggering the events themselves. In games like Rush, it can take a while - if at all - to see any ‘levolution’ going on.
For a successful FPS, you clearly need to have guns. And lots of them. Battlefield 4 provides more unlocks than any of its predecessors. Each class has its own stack to choose from in 4 different categories. Assault specialists choose from Rifles, Carbines, DMR and shotguns. Most categories have 10 weapons to chose from, all varying in the amount of damage they pump out and stability they hold, so your sure to find something to suit your play style. Each weapon has customisable options, with a plethora of optics, accessories and barrels to chose from. On top of all this, paint can be added to really make your weapon of choice feel as though you own it.
Progressing through the multiplayer by ranking up will not only provide you with new weapons and parts, but ‘battlepacks’ will also become available. Bronze, Silver and Gold packs can be earned every couple of ranks, reward the player with a handful of attachments as well as xp bonuses. Bonuses range from 25% up to 200%, lasting an hour and are added to your final score and the end of a match. Using them will allow you to rank up faster, but this doesn’t spoil the game for others as the variety of weapons is so vast that at rank 40+ a player may still decide to use the starting weapon over a later unlock. Rarity of unlocks from battle packs depends on the colour, with Gold offering the best. Weapon specific battle packs may be gained, as ribbons and medals are earned for acquiring head shots and varying amounts of kills.
Vehicles are now also part of the unlock party, with upgrades such as thermal vision, faster reloading or an additional turret on offer. Jets and the new scout helicopters offer danger from the skies, while attack boats dominate the seas. The usual tanks and APCs are still around, though much harder to control as movement is now based on the left analog stick. Though practise is needed to master, they still prove a viable threat to any soldier.
Weapons aren’t the only customisable option this time round, as ‘field upgrades’ make their introduction replacing specialisations. Field upgrades are based on 4 levels. Each class has 4 sets of upgrades to chose from, such as Defensive, Offensive and Combat medic to name a few from the assault class. Upgrades are based on how well a squad is doing in any game - staying alive, following squad orders and resupplying each other will all provide points, and fill the field upgrade meter through the four levels. However, should all your squad be dead at the same time, the meter will reset to 0.
Commander mode has also made a return this year, last seen in Battlefield 2142. Plenty of tools are at a commanders finger tips to help their team, including ‘sector scan’ (UAV) and supply drops, allowing all enemy players to be seen on the mini-map in the area the UAV has been placed, or for a soldier to swap their kit while remaining alive. Perhaps a little dry on current gen, the mode will certainly be worth a look next gen when you will influence the battlefield straight from a mobile tablet through the Battlelog app (available now).
Battlelog is the social media base for the series. Stat hunters have a field day here, being able to view all stats from kills, deaths and score per minute anywhere they are on a browser or again, through the battlelog app available on iOS devices.
Graphically, the game on current gen is not something to rave about. Some textures (when they have loaded) look nice, but compared to BF3 the game looks like it was made for the PS2. It’s obvious the game was made for next gen when it takes 30 seconds for fences to load, leaving me wondering why there is an invisible wall blocking my way. Bugs are also a plenty this gen, with players running through the ground and ragdolls being blasted across the map after being shot by a pistol. Thankfully, the icons are very clear and simple, with detail on the medals viewed in Battlelog looking very impressive.
Sound, on the other hand, is where DICE consistently shines. Bullets whizzing past your head, or the sound of grinding tracks when tank mobility is damaged really help to immerse you into the battlefield. Crackle of sniper fire heard from various areas of the map, reminds you your head may be taken at any moment. Likewise, explosions from tumbling buildings, C4 and frag grenades sound fantastic with bass turned up high. Its really obvious just how much effort has been put into sounds when fighter jets perform a fly by, or a helicopter lands next to you.
Overall, the enjoyment of being chased by a T-90 tank and smushed by mortar fire from one of the new artillery trucks outweighs all the bugs and annoyances from this generation. Theres plenty to enjoy here, and with stats carrying across current gen to next gen, there's little reason to wait. Though you will experience most of what the game has to offer, there's still plenty to look forward to in the form of 64 player matches and beautiful graphics, running at 1080p on the PS4 and upscaled from 720p on the XBOXONE. Battlefield 4 has regained it’s fine form previously lost in the days of BF3, and should not be passed by any fan of a top first person shooter.