Battlefield 4 | The Review Post

Battlefield 3’s launch was fraught with server/balancing issues, and to be honest, it hasn’t changed with the release of BF4. Anyone who has played for more than a minute will tell you there are severe problems with the games net code; empty a clip into someone, with every shot hitting, only for them to spin around and one shot you. Issues such as these are expected in any online game at launch; however, it seems that for DICE they are becoming a little bit of a pattern.

Despite this, BF3 was and still is, one of EA’s most successful titles, with a rate of 5 million copies sold in its first week (although, this figure pales if you compare it to COD:MW3, which released the same week and sold 6.5 million in the first 24 hours).

Anyway, BF4 is a large step up from its predecessor in more ways than one. The single player story line has more personality and is deeper in detail, focussing on the developed relationships between squad mates. Pac dancing during a break from fighting, anyone? 

“I love this song. It’s a great freaking song.”

The opening to SP mode is unexpected. Bonnie Tyler serenading you as you sink underwater adds some wit to the proceedings, but the load times soon see the return of nerd rage. How, just how can a single player mode take so damn long to load? It isn't significant enough to destroy the enjoyment of the game, but they do become tiresome after a few.

BF4, in my opinion is all about the multiplayer. The limitations of early FPS’s are long gone, gone are the days where the only interactive stuff on the map was your enemy, BF4 paves the way for multi-vehicular combat. Boats, helicopters, jeeps, and planes to name a few are randomly dotted around the maps. Although the addition of these vehicles means the maps have to be mahoosive! Blowing the scenery up is now a game changer and is almost as much fun as attaining that perfect shot. That one perfect shot.

I may be biased here (I own one console – a silver PS2; or at least, I think I still own it :S) but  graphics are the major reason to opt for the PC version. Played with Ultra detail levels on, it looks stunning. Lighting, particle effects and textures are so much more refined and remarkable on the PC version as compared to consoles, and the jump in resolution makes it easier to spot an adversary against a debris-cluttered background.

The game also includes two new notable aspects of play. Levolution and Obliteration.  Levolution is reminiscent of COD:MW2’s Tactical Nuke. Most maps have multiple layers and areas; which means you’re often collaborating land, sea, and air warfare with close-quarters firefights. In other words, the majority of maps will suit any playstyle, and allow you to get inventive with the devastation. Who doesn’t want to destroy a house with a tank?

Obliteration is a fun single-bomb game type that feels different enough from Rush and Conquest to justify inclusion due to the combination of bomb planting and point capturing. Amusingly, everyone seems to chase the guy with the bomb like school-kids running after the ball in a game of playground football. 

In general, Movement feels almost imperceptibly nimbler, but the weapons handle identically to BF3, giving a bit of familiarity amongst all the improvements. The new peek feature, self activating when you press yourself against a wall and nudge the cross hairs to the edge is useful if not a little hard to get used to.

All maps scale to fit each game mode, adapting to accommodate differing team sizes and objectives; another triumph of smart design.

However, DICE and EA have, yet again, released another Premium package. A years worth of DLC for £40, this in itself is not the issue. I bought the BF3 premium and will probably, given time and money purchase the BF4 equivalent. What I don’t like is the fact that it feels like they are forcing this into your face with every opportunity. I feel that this makes non premium players feel less than premium players and it creates a sort of disparity between the casual and the hardcore players. 

All in all, it is still a fantastic game, and hopefully after a few months, and when they sell enough premium subscriptions, the teething problems will disappear. I do wonder however, why release a game with superb multiplayer content and a mediocre single player mode? Despite this, I still believe it is one of DICE’s best efforts to date. And for that, I applaud you.

- Harley

QOTP

When the rich wage war, it's the poor who die - Jean Paul Sartre

When the rich wage war, it is the poor who die.

JEAN-PAUL SARTRE

Read more at http://www.notable-quotes.com/w/war_quotes.html#rJBj3HpZCBgTHo60.99

Graphics are the other major reason to opt for the PC version, or wait for the next-gen consoles to hit. Played at 1080p with High or Ultra detail levels switched on, Battlefield 4 can look stunning. God beams, lighting effects, particle effects and textures are all so much more sophisticated and impressive on the PC version, and the simple jump in resolution makes it easier to spot an enemy trooper against a debris-cluttered background
Read more at http://www.trustedreviews.com/battlefield-4_Games_review#vsu4ADvKuU4ihZCk.99

Graphics are the other major reason to opt for the PC version, or wait for the next-gen consoles to hit. Played at 1080p with High or Ultra detail levels switched on, Battlefield 4 can look stunning. God beams, lighting effects, particle effects and textures are all so much more sophisticated and impressive on the PC version, and the simple jump in resolution makes it easier to spot an enemy trooper against a debris-cluttered background
Read more at http://www.trustedreviews.com/battlefield-4_Games_review#vsu4ADvKuU4ihZCk.99