Battlefield 1 Review
The latest installment to the Battlefield franchise goes back in time to WW1. It’s very unusual to see a WW1 setting in a video game. With a market quite over saturated with futuristic settings, it was cool to see battlefield head back to the olden days.
No one really buys battlefield for the campaign, but there is a campaign in this game and it is something that you can tell they put more time into making. Developers DICE decide not to try and explain the complicated affairs of WW1. Instead they go for a more personal approach.
Here in Battlefield 1, you play as several different characters that all have a story of their own experience in the war. The campaign is called war stories, and that’s what it is. You play as soldiers all around the world from their perspective. It had some moments that reminded me of films like Saving Private Ryan.
The massive gripe I had with the campaign was the actual gameplay and mission design. It’s a campaign that would have been fresh if it was made in 2007. Its dated level design makes it a chore to play through. It very much feels like a rip off of medal of honour and the old world war call of duty games, in terms of gameplay.
Shoot a whole army of enemies, push through the level, get in a vehicle, blow up other vehicles, get out of the vehicle and blow vehicles up with explosives, I feel like I have been there done that.
The multiplayer is of course the star of the show. It’s your typical battlefield, but wrapped around a WW1 theme. There are some pros and cons to the setting change. Weaponry is limited, but at the same time, the limited weaponry makes a lot of weapons feel really distinct, with a difficult but satisfying learning curve to them.
In some ways the game feels stripped back a little because of the setting change, with less customisation options. In other ways, it makes you appreciate the things in the game more.
Of course just like in other Battlefield games, there’s a large skill gap which creates both epic and frustrating moments, if you’re an average player like me. Sniping just like in other Battlefields is the pinicle of this. It’s either frustrating or extremely satisfying. When you do pull off a great shot with a sniper though, it’s an amazing feeling.
The maps are very different to your modern setting battlefields. Here the maps feel much bigger and open, but have many areas throughout the map that condenses the battle, creating intense close quarters battles thanks to the trenches and bunkers.
The map design is really clever and fits with the theme. Buildings and trenches are all in spots that make sense and it creates tense chokepoints. Other parts of the maps gives way for open areas for Vehicles and long range encounters.
The clever map design really shines in their new mode “Operations”. This mode is insane. Operations is a combination of Rush and Conquest.
Here in Battlefield 1, you play as several different characters that all have a story of their own experience in the war. The campaign is called war stories, and that’s what it is. You play as soldiers all around the world from their perspective. It had some moments that reminded me of films like Saving Private Ryan.
The massive gripe I had with the campaign was the actual gameplay and mission design. It’s a campaign that would have been fresh if it was made in 2007. Its dated level design makes it a chore to play through. It very much feels like a rip off of medal of honour and the old world war call of duty games, in terms of gameplay.
Shoot a whole army of enemies, push through the level, get in a vehicle, blow up other vehicles, get out of the vehicle and blow vehicles up with explosives, I feel like I have been there done that.
The multiplayer is of course the star of the show. It’s your typical battlefield, but wrapped around a WW1 theme. There are some pros and cons to the setting change. Weaponry is limited, but at the same time, the limited weaponry makes a lot of weapons feel really distinct, with a difficult but satisfying learning curve to them.
In some ways the game feels stripped back a little because of the setting change, with less customisation options. In other ways, it makes you appreciate the things in the game more.
Of course just like in other Battlefield games, there’s a large skill gap which creates both epic and frustrating moments, if you’re an average player like me. Sniping just like in other Battlefields is the pinicle of this. It’s either frustrating or extremely satisfying. When you do pull off a great shot with a sniper though, it’s an amazing feeling.
The maps are very different to your modern setting battlefields. Here the maps feel much bigger and open, but have many areas throughout the map that condenses the battle, creating intense close quarters battles thanks to the trenches and bunkers.
The map design is really clever and fits with the theme. Buildings and trenches are all in spots that make sense and it creates tense chokepoints. Other parts of the maps gives way for open areas for Vehicles and long range encounters.
The clever map design really shines in their new mode “Operations”. This mode is insane. Operations is a combination of Rush and Conquest.
There are two flags to take. One team defends and one attacks. Once both are taken, the map expands like rush. Flags can be taken back by the defending team though. Two flags can be capped at a time, but if only one is taken, that flag can be taken back. This creates a real tug of war element.
In rush, someone can plant and someone can defuse. In operations you can capture flags together as a team, they can take the flag back as a team, and flags can be contested. This makes the mode play out very differently to rush, despite the similarities.
With the fantastic sound design, the amazing graphics and the huge scale war, you’ve got yourself a Multiplayer experience that feels like a real war. Even the post match presentation and how you progress to the next map, is done in a real war, campaign style of presentation, it’s cool.
What’s amazing about the entire experience is how genuinely immersive it is without scripted moments. Everything that is happening is from an action of another real player.
Dramatic music is playing, gas is flying in the trenches, you’re getting hounded with sniper bullets which by the way is a pretty frightening sound, explosions are going off and yells and gunshots from soldiers is all around you. It’s like a cinematic scene is unfolding live right in your match.
These aren’t some scripted epic moments in a single player campaign. These are real moments in multiplayer with 63 other players contributing to that experience.
The scale is unbelievable but it’s the way it condenses it that makes operations so special.
The map design is excellent in battlefield 1. Before on previous battlefield games, in 64 player matches, there was unorganised chaos on the map and just too much going on in my opinion.
This is still a factor sometimes in conquest on BF1, and I don’t really like it, it just feels random and too big, and rather boring in my personal opinion. To be honest, I have never really enjoyed conquest.
Operations on the other hand is a mode that really utilises the big maps of battlefield. There will be little pockets of the maps where separate skirmishes will be happening.
You’ll have a really intense battle with 15 players all duking it out in a narrow trench on one side but on the other side of the map, there will be tanks and surrounding people trying to take tanks out and others trying to take out players trying to destroy tanks.
It’s like there’s 5 matches going on in one match. It feels like the one multiplayer map is 6 maps that progress dynamically. Yes this occurs in conquest and rush, but it’s the little ingredients of operations that ties the knots together. Conquest is like a bunch of loose balloons flying around and operations ties them together. Operations is organised chaos.
Battlefield 1 is no walk in the park though. It still is very much a real hardcore shooter, and something you can’t just pick up and play in my opinion. For me personally, I have to be in the mood to play it. For some reason as well it isn’t addictive for me, it doesn’t make me want to come back to it. It’s one of those games where you’re not fussed about playing it, but when you get on, you remember how good the game is.
I also find it rather stingy of DICE and EA to not include the French battle in the base game. You can see there is a real lack of content in areas. Some will say it’s because of the setting change, but I disagree. As good as the maps are bar a few I don’t like, there is a severe lack of maps. They are big granted, but I still feel like this game has shipped with less content than I bargained for. The setting is no excuse for the lack of weapons as there were still a lot of weapons and prototypes back then.
In rush, someone can plant and someone can defuse. In operations you can capture flags together as a team, they can take the flag back as a team, and flags can be contested. This makes the mode play out very differently to rush, despite the similarities.
With the fantastic sound design, the amazing graphics and the huge scale war, you’ve got yourself a Multiplayer experience that feels like a real war. Even the post match presentation and how you progress to the next map, is done in a real war, campaign style of presentation, it’s cool.
What’s amazing about the entire experience is how genuinely immersive it is without scripted moments. Everything that is happening is from an action of another real player.
Dramatic music is playing, gas is flying in the trenches, you’re getting hounded with sniper bullets which by the way is a pretty frightening sound, explosions are going off and yells and gunshots from soldiers is all around you. It’s like a cinematic scene is unfolding live right in your match.
These aren’t some scripted epic moments in a single player campaign. These are real moments in multiplayer with 63 other players contributing to that experience.
The scale is unbelievable but it’s the way it condenses it that makes operations so special.
The map design is excellent in battlefield 1. Before on previous battlefield games, in 64 player matches, there was unorganised chaos on the map and just too much going on in my opinion.
This is still a factor sometimes in conquest on BF1, and I don’t really like it, it just feels random and too big, and rather boring in my personal opinion. To be honest, I have never really enjoyed conquest.
Operations on the other hand is a mode that really utilises the big maps of battlefield. There will be little pockets of the maps where separate skirmishes will be happening.
You’ll have a really intense battle with 15 players all duking it out in a narrow trench on one side but on the other side of the map, there will be tanks and surrounding people trying to take tanks out and others trying to take out players trying to destroy tanks.
It’s like there’s 5 matches going on in one match. It feels like the one multiplayer map is 6 maps that progress dynamically. Yes this occurs in conquest and rush, but it’s the little ingredients of operations that ties the knots together. Conquest is like a bunch of loose balloons flying around and operations ties them together. Operations is organised chaos.
Battlefield 1 is no walk in the park though. It still is very much a real hardcore shooter, and something you can’t just pick up and play in my opinion. For me personally, I have to be in the mood to play it. For some reason as well it isn’t addictive for me, it doesn’t make me want to come back to it. It’s one of those games where you’re not fussed about playing it, but when you get on, you remember how good the game is.
I also find it rather stingy of DICE and EA to not include the French battle in the base game. You can see there is a real lack of content in areas. Some will say it’s because of the setting change, but I disagree. As good as the maps are bar a few I don’t like, there is a severe lack of maps. They are big granted, but I still feel like this game has shipped with less content than I bargained for. The setting is no excuse for the lack of weapons as there were still a lot of weapons and prototypes back then.
Battlefield 1 is definitely the most immersive AAA shooter out there. The sheer scale of everything is undeniably impressive. I still think it isn’t for everyone, and it caters to a specific taste, regardless of what all the hype says but I digress. Battlefield 1 delivers an immersive intense war experience like no other.
Pros:
Great Immersive Action Overall 8.6/10 |
Cons:
Lack of content |