Battlefield 4: Impressions

Announced last night (27/3/13) by EA and DICE, Battlefield 4 is bringing a new intense FPS combat experience into the next generation. Announced for release on PC, PS4 and the a potentially unnanounced console from Microsoft; Battlefield 4 looks like one of the premier shooters to beat this Fall.

But away from all the marketing gossip - what were your actual impressions of what was shown?

Battlefield 4: Official 17 Minutes "Fishing in Baku" Gameplay Reveal (via Battlefield)

PROS

The Technology

Undoubtedly, the first thing that will strike the esteemed Battlefield Veteran is the graphics; they are absolutely gorgeous. The glare beaming from sun and striking deep shadows, the dust and particle effects bursting from incredibly cinematic explosions, a seemingly infinite draw distance :- Battlefield 4 looks visually stunning. Whilst this gameplay trailer is running on a PC; the demo is obviously being played with a controller; so although some eyebrows might be raised at how this technology can translate onto current console hardware; next-gen gear seems more than capable.

When I crashed my first car, I think I was listening to Nine Inch Nails; it wasn't funny and it certainly wasn't cool. Now I'm not saying that if I crashed my car to Total Eclipse of the Heart by Bonnie Tyler I'd be any less depressed about it, but at least DICE decided to use it as a gentle Ice Breaker to introduce us to the game. Even if you wont admit that Battlefield 3 was a true feast for the eyes; its hard to ignore the fact that DICE uses some of the most fantastic sound design in the industry and it seems as if BF4 will be no exception. That satisfying parade of thudding from gunfire, the deep bass and aftermath ear ringing from each explosion; the horrors of warfare pierce your ear-drums like receiving a sledgehammer to the face. It's just wonderful.....

CONS

Why single-player?

Technology can only get you so far, and I for the most part like Battlefield because, to put it simply, I like to have Battles in Fields. In the BF4 trailer however there was a cutscene, a corridor, a big room, another corridor, a room overlooking a street, a woodland path, OH MY GOD A FIELD, oh - another corridor, a lift, a corridor, a cutscene, another cutscene, a leg, a car, a car, a car, a car, wub wub trailer over. PRETTY COOL HUH, DID YOU CHECK OUT THAT FIELD?

Cutting to the point - Battlefield is about playing big Multiplayer battlefields, and anybody who played BF3 knows that making a traditional corridor shooter is plain boring when in the traditional Battlefield trappings. Clearly DICE has acknowledged that factor, demonstrated by the 5 minutes in the trailer where the game opened up up a bit; but instead of showing a tech demo of how the singleplayer could capture what makes the multiplayer so addictive - why can they not just show us the multiplayer full stop? Is that not what everybody wants?

What do you think?

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