REVIEW
BATTLEFIELD 1
I was admittedly late to board the Battlefield train , only first jumping into the series with both Battlefield 4 and Hardline earlier this year when they were going for $ 6.50 each . Despite not really being the biggest fan of FPS games , I soon found myself addicted to the series , relishing the ability to play in a variety of different ways and commandeer assault vehicles , racking up points in ways other than simply having the fastest trigger finger . Battlefield , above all else , rewards teamwork , and there ’ s no better feeling than when you form a squad with a few buddies and try to make a difference in the fullscale war exploding around you , as opposed to the more lone wolf style of gameplay that the Call of Duty series has devolved into over the years .
So , I came to Battlefield 1 with extremely high expectations ; despite missing out on the multiplayer Beta , initial gameplay reveals looked promising and the prospect of waging a miniature battle in the new multiplayer mode “ Operations ” seemed to naturally expand upon the point capturing chaos of the series ’ hallmark “ Conquest ” mode .
Another appealing aspect was the focus on the first World War , albeit in a heavily revisionist way .
Shooter fans had been crying out for a return to the classic “ bootson-the-ground ” gameplay of yesteryear as the genre had increasingly branched out into scifi influenced futuristic directions , adding boost jumps and robo-legs to what should arguably be a more straightforward affair .
Battlefield , as a series , has never really suffered from deviating from its proven formula , preferring to instead take chances on moderately successful spin-offs like Hardline ( Hey , I thought it had its moments !). By remaining focused on the core elements of the genre DICE have been able to refine the mechanics to almost perfect precision , offering up shooter fans one of the most surprisingly robust and rewarding multiplayer experiences of the year .
But first , the campaign – Despite many finding the single player campaign for both Battlefield 4 and Hardline to be lacklustre , personally I thought they each had their merits , particularly Hardline ’ s episodic structure .
Unlike these previous efforts , however , DICE has decided to present a series of five vignettes rather than a singular cohesive campaign . Things kick off in spectacular style with a tutorial sequence that manages to reach the same dizzying levels of pandemonium felt when storming the beaches of Normandy in that pinnacle of classic FPS opening sequences from Medal of Honour : Frontline .
Not only does this first introduction to the game effectively capture the brutality of combat and give players the opportunity to get to grips with the basic mechanics , but it also serves as a somewhat sombre reminder of the ultimate futility of war and the human cost associated with it , something that ’ s all too often glossed over with the jingoistic “ Ooh-Rah !” mentality of most modern shooters .
The five short stories vary in length and quality , although for the most part they ’ re fun to breeze through . Whether you ’ re darting around the beaches of Gallipoli as an Australian Runner , donning a suit of armour as an Italian soldier or soaring through the skies in search of glory , each vignette feels authentic and also doubles as a pressurefree way to get to grips with the controls and different vehicles for multiplayer .
Battlefield 1 ’ s campaign effortlessly captures the aesthetic of being thrust face-first into a bloody conflict , forcing your character to make morally dubious decisions