It seems like just yesterday that we were booting up our consoles and PCs and loading them up with “Battlefield 3”. But, alas, that was two long years ago. The good news, however, is that we have a brand new “Battlefield” game to sink tens of thousands of hours into. Now normally, there was a good stretch of years between “Battlefield” games. But in the case of “Battlefield 4”, it only took developer DICE two years to make it. So let’s see how they did.
The story for “Battlefield 4” brings nothing really amazing to the table. It’s a pretty standard first-person shooter story. You play as Sergeant Wrecker of the United States Marine Corp, and as a Marine, you and your squad are tasked with increasingly dangerous and nearly suicidal missions. This is, of course, because you are apart of the only squad that can actual get things done in the game. Sure, the emphasis of “Battlefield 4” is that you and are squad should work together to get things done, but when you and only three other people are the only people competent enough to turn the tide of a war, something must be going wrong in the military. Granted, since you’re stuck with your squad through all seven levels of the campaign, you’d think you would at least grow to like them and care about them, right? Well, unfortunately, you’re not really ever given a chance to really get attached to any of them. The levels go by too fast and there aren’t even enough levels to begin with. Full disclosure, at the end of the game, you have to make a decision that changes virtually nothing about the way the game ends. Again, if the story was better, it might elicit some kind of emotional response. But it isn’t, so it doesn’t.
The real saving grace of “Battlefield 4” is none other than the online multi-player. It truly is the greatest part of the game, and really the only reason to play the game. With the advent of the next gen consoles, “Battlefield 4” achieves some semblance to what PC gamers have been experiencing for years. In the “Battlefield” multi-player staple “Conquest”, players are treated to a sixty-four man match with tanks, ships, planes, helicopters, and other vehicles accessible to anyone willing to pilot them. In some level, as the battle gathers steam, and becomes more chaotic, the maps slowly begin to morph from user-generated explosions, gunshots, and even some natural disasters. Other modes include “Rush” which tasks one team with destroying two bases that are situated deep in the opposing team’s territory, with that team trying to defend those points. But when those two points are destroyed, the map is opened up and an additional two points become available to be defended or destroyed. The match continues like this until either the defending team can dwindle the attacking teams respawn counter to zero, or the attacking team destroys all of the bases. Of course, there’s always “Team Death Match”, “Obliteration”, “Capture the Flag”, and a few others. Making it’s triumphant return is “Commander mode” which puts you in the seat of the, you guessed it, Commander. After it’s notable absence from the most recent “Battlefield” games, “Commander mode” allows one player from each team to issue orders to their entire platoon. Marking areas of interest, firing cruise missles, dropping supply crates, or even targeting high value targets from the opposing team. With a good Commander at the helm, and a team willing to follow orders, “Battlefield 4” sets the standard for online multi-player shooter action.
A Word from the Writer:
I’m going to take a moment and explain a “Battlefield moment” that happened to me. I was playing a “Conquest” match at a map called “Gulmond Railroad”, that has a actively moving train as a capture point. Anyway, my team had a gunship flying above the map and was laying death from above on the opposing team. I spawned inside of the gunship and helped shoot at opposing ground vehicles. Unfortunately, the other team had some really good fighter jet pilots that were about to bring the gunship down. I decided to bail out at the last second. And as I began free falling, I heard the gunship explode above me as a jet streaked by. I fell fast toward the Earth and pulled my parachute and landed safely behind capture point “B”. I noticed a sniper standing on a nearby house, but he hadn’t noticed me yet. I ran inside the building and found his radio beacon, that enabled him and his squad mates to spawn where ever it was placed. But instead of destroying it, I decided to run upstairs and take out the sniper. When I got to the top floor, however, I realized that the sniper had a body guard. Luckily for me, he wasn’t paying attention and I was able to run up to him and perform a melee kill. The sniper met the same fate as well. After that, I ran back downstairs to the radio beacon just in time to perform a melee kill on the sniper and two of his squad mates as they spawned. I then proceeded to destroy the beacon, and rush back outside to help my team capture point “B”. While out there, I threw some C4 onto a tank and destroyed it just as an enemy driving an ATV ran me over. Things like this can only happen in “Battlefield”.
“Battlefield 4” is a fantastic entry into the “Battlefield” series. Though it may be hampered by a very forgettable story, the multi-player aspect is second to none. Although it should be noted that “Battlefield 4” just doesn’t look great on the PS3 and Xbox360, whereas the PS4, Xbox ONE, and PC, versions all deliver amazing experiences. What’s more, the game has been plagued with frequent crashes and terrible server connectivity. And although this may be a game breaker for some people, it dosen’t seem to be stopping the majority of people from playing this game. But when it comes down to it, “Battlefield 4” on the PS4 and Xbox One still blows the last gen out of the water. This isn’t to say you can’t have as much fun on last gen consoles, but after playing on next gen, it’s way to hard to go back.