I was a bit torn about how to write this review, but I’m
calling it a review in progress due to the fact that there are many ways that
my opinion of this game will change over the course of the next several months,
or perhaps even the next year. Since
there will be periodic DLC releases over the next year as well as balance
changing multiplayer patches and updates, BF4 will continue to grow and evolve
into something that is too unpredictable to define in a traditional review. Multiplayer games like this one are rarely
finished until the next installment comes around, so for now it will be a
review in progress.
Also, my opinion of the gameplay may change at some point if
I move from one gaming platform to another for this title. My current opinions of the game come from
playing the PC version which is being run on my newly updated computer. As such, there will be some growing pains as
I acclimate to keyboard and mouse controls and manage the limitations of my new
hardware. If I get my hands on a PS4,
the odds are in favor of me having a more familiar experience with locked video
settings and gamepad controls, but I digress.
On to the review!
The biggest issue I’ve experienced so far is that I have
trouble with keyboard based controls.
For some reason, I struggle with memorizing what commands are mapped to
which keys even if I have remapped them.
I simply do better with a joystick setup even though the input is much
slower and less accurate. That’s not a
fault of the game at all, but it does affect my enjoyment of the
experience. So, commands aside, BF4 keeps
things as interesting as the franchise always has.
Sadly BF4’s campaign is the weakest part of the
experience. The story is flat, poorly
written, and lacking in continuity although it still warrants a play through
for those who may not be familiar with keyboard and mouse controls. Also worth mentioning is the fact that there
are some multiplayer gun unlocks that are only made possible by completing the
campaign. Aside from that, the campaign
is just as confusing it is lifeless. Set
pieces fail to distract from the fact that levels are mostly linear with small,
sandboxy areas, and enemy and friendly AI is a constant source of
frustration.
Friendly NPCs will frequently get in the way during
firefights, and will at times push you from cover if you stand in areas that
they have been programmed to occupy.
This is even more apparent during dialogue scenes where NPCs may
inadvertently launch you through walls or across sections of the map if you get
in their way. It feels like walking in
on a conversation that, despite the fact that you may be mentioned by name, you
weren’t invited to. Or that you are more
of a side note in your own story line.
The writers made several attempts at creating emotional ties to the
characters, but the setup just isn’t there for us to care about any of the
game’s protagonists. Most of the
“surprise” deaths feel trivial, and seem more out of place than anything
else.
BF4 is a bit of a rollercoaster for me in terms of
multiplayer performance. I played a
smidge of BF3 on my PC, and I never got used to the controls since I came into
the game so late. By that point, too
many players had dominated the scene for so long that getting killed repeatedly
upon spawning was too frustrating for such a steep learning curve. Console versions were ruined by the “rent a
server” feature, and the game quickly became more of a frustration than a fun
diversion. BF4 is different so far, and
even though I have had my share of low scoring matches where no one seems to
know what the meaning of teamwork is, there have been just as many enjoyable
ones.
BF4 keeps all of the multiplayer modes from previous
entries, and adds some new game types to the mix, and variety is always a good
thing. Most players will gravitate to
two or three different modes, and my particular favorites are always standard
Conquest, Domination (Infantry Only Conquest) and Rush. The best thing about this variety is that all
of the BF4 maps play differently depending on what game type is selected, and
PC/Next gen console versions are really where the maps can be appreciated
without being cut down for smaller player counts.
Levolution is less impressive than I think DICE wanted it to
be, but the scripted events do change maps enough to make things play out
differently for each team during a given match.
Environmental destruction has been ratcheted up with the new Frostbite
3.0 engine as well, and more on map structures are completely
destructible. It still doesn’t feel as
satisfying as leveling an entire map in Bad Company 2, but keep in mind that
most of the maps in BF4 are much larger and so are the buildings on each
map. The tech just isn’t there yet to
show that level of destruction. I would
say environmental destruction in BF4 sits squarely where it should for now.
Class configurations have been given a fresh overhaul with
new weapon and attachment combinations, and with new secondary weapon unlock
trees coming into the mix the combination possibilities are greater than ever. The only negative side to this is that there
may be too many options for newcomers to the series. However, most players will settle into the
weapons and classes that they are most familiar with and simply max out the
unlock trees for those setups. BF3 did a
good job of opening up weapon customization, but BF4 has really honed it to a
science of balances when it comes to configuring weapon accessories. Some attachments will cancel out the effects
of others if you aren’t careful, so it is more important than ever to take your
own play style into account when customizing classes.
Battlepacks also alleviate some of the woes of grinding out
upgrades as they become available through ranking and through completing weapon
and multiplayer assignments. Some packs
even offer XP bonuses to aid progression for those who find themselves doing
poorly on the scoreboard. What makes
things even more interesting is that DICE has reintroduced primary weapons that
can be unlocked and equipped to every player class. The concept was explored in Bad Company 2,
but the system is far more extensive in BF4.
Entirely separate weapon categories can now be equipped to
any class once they have been unlocked.
They must first be unlocked by accumulating a specific score for the
root classes they are linked to, but after that point further unlocks can be
attained for the new weapon trees independently from the original classes. Carbines, for example, can be unlocked by
accumulating a specific score in the engineer class which will thereby unlock
that weapon tree to be unlocked for any of the other classes. It’s a huge step toward opening up some of
the benefits of other classes that was lacking from BF3. For example, the recon class can now be used
as a run and gun class that also has the ability to set motion sensors and
remote spawn points for example. And the
support class can be used as a mid to long range marksman unit with the ability
to restock fellow soldiers from safe distances outside the main fray. The possibilities are exciting and quite
interesting.
Unfortunately, there are still some things to be ironed out
within the Battlfield franchise and the most inconvenient and cumbersome
element of the game is its dependence on EA’s battlelog companion application. Battlelog was manageable for BF3, but with so
many possible configurations and new statistical data tied to BF4, the user
interface has become more cluttered and confusing than ever. Stat tracking is often delayed, and will
sometimes take hours to update with weapon or accessory unlocks that were
earned during matches which negates the convenience of configuring before
launching multiplayer sessions.
Furthermore, configuring and saving a class setup often
fails to change in game load outs thereby forcing players to rely on in game
tools anyway. Other functions such as
server browsing and social media options work well enough, but there are too
many layers to filter through in order to complete the most meaningful tasks
efficiently. Long story short, Battlelog
is more of a hindrance than a help, and it’s confusing that EA still insists
upon attaching the application to all of its online shooters. It will be interesting to see if Titanfall
will employ the system in the future as well.
Another bane to BF4 multiplayer that has persisted from BF3
is the game’s overly obtrusive graphical overlay. There is often too much information on the
screen to decipher what is going on during more intense gameplay. Objective identifiers are bold, and lack
transparency, and friend or foe designators continue to be ineffective. Enemy soldiers are easily mistaken for
friendlies as the gamer tags of your teammates show up from behind walls, and
other visual data makes it difficult to see distant enemies. A simple fix would be to allow players to
adjust UI element opacity in the game menus as other titles have done, but no
such option exists.
Bloom and motion blur seem to have been toned down in
multiplayer, but it would be nice to have the option to reduce bloom the same way
you can lower motion blur. Too many
bright objects on the screen at one time only add to the confusion of
combat. In game menus are easy to
navigate, and it’s apparent that DICE has developed a simple and effective
interface to tweak standard settings.
The standard battle map is largely unchanged from previous franchise
installments, but squad spawning has been tweaked in an interesting way. Rather than show a third person view of what
your squad mates are facing, you are given a first person helmet cam like view
of the action. The issue with this,
however, is that it can make spawning more treacherous than before as you may
be dropping right into the view of flanking enemies without any defense or warning.
The system isn’t broken, but it does make team communication
more important. Team speak is available
through the game’s own chat system, however most of the players I have come
across still rely on text communication which is fine. The only issue is that I often focus on
what’s in the middle of the screen rather than the top left which is where the
text scrolls through.
Commander mode is something that I haven’t played around
with yet, and I expect that it could open up a ton of different play
opportunities for those who are capable of frenetic multitasking. The concept itself is great, and I’m glad
they have brought it back. Sadly, I
haven’t seen it utilized to its full potential, and I’m not sure I would be
good in the role myself. It is an
interesting feature that definitely warrants further exploration.
You may be exhausted by this point by how long this review
is running, but Battlefield games are surprisingly despite their mainstream
popularity. There are many facets to
what makes a successful entry into this particular franchise, and the most
important thing is that the core concepts of past iterations shine through
while other additions are made. BF4 is
more than a polished re skin of its most recent predecessor, and that’s what
makes each new installment worthwhile.
Everything still lives and breathes Battlefield, but there’s enough
newness to keep everyone happy.
For now, BF4 is still new to me, and it will take some time
to really dig into the multiplayer. I’ve
put just over ten hours into the game, and perhaps several more hours will
build my skills to the point where I can more fully enjoy playing as I did back
in the Bad Company 2 days. Perhaps it
will take a jump to a next generation console version before I can really feel
the joy that is Battlefield. For now,
I’m cautiously enthusiastic about the game, and I like what I have seen thus
far. Only time will tell if DICE can
maintain balance without making a mess of things as I feel they did too many
times with BF3. In the meantime, I will
be making many more visits to the battlefield.
As always, stay frosty!
~Krimmit
~Krimmit
