Originally posted by spagmasterswift
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Playing catch up this year so its been a while since I wrote down some first impressions of a game, but my love of the Battlefield series compels me (and the anticipation of a slow day in the office).
My favourite Battlefield experience was around the time that the Battlefield 2: Modern Combat demo came out. Seemed to me that this was the first taste a hell of a lot of console gamers had ever got of a team based online shooter. It was complete and utter chaos. Frustrating, I would imagine, to those with skill and a serious approach to warfare, but balls out brilliance if you wanted to feel what it would be like to send two groups of untrained idiots into battle with helicopters, bazookas, landmines, etc. I loved it.
Since then there have been more online multiplayer battles than you could stick a tracer dart to, everybody has had a tonne of practice killing all sorts of nationalities in an incredibly varied array of environments that I'm amazed we're not all rocking back and forth with the lights off (though that tends to describe my play style). My last big Battlefield adventure was 1943, trading a love of helicopters for planes, we were treated to ground skirmishes while dogfights played out over head, occasionally mixing as a speeding jeep was strafed by a skilled pilot along one of the maps many stretches of road. Booming anti-aircraft guns! Mmmm, happy times...
Last night I played through all Battlefield: Vietnam maps on Rush mode (where you again take turns attacking and defending communication stations). They keep the fundamentals pretty much the same as 1943, I went in as Assault class and was happily killing spotted enemies way off in the distance with a few taps on the trigger of my AK47 while throwing out ammo now and then along with the odd cheeky grenade. That's pretty much my comfort zone, find a rock close enough to the action to be able to call out targets and cap any stragglers. However, a lot of attention has been paid to make you feel like you are in a movie version of Vietnam, like you are 'in the ****'.
A napalmed forest stripped of cover is a killing field forcing both sides into a network of tunnels. The clear blue skies of 1943 replaced by waterlogged paddy fields and scorched earth - while we were once attacking with the sun's glare behind us, engines roaring in a spinning dive we now hunker down in the mud praying we'll make that next rush to cover as enemy fire zips past our ears and team mates fall.
Bringing some levity to proceedings is the games soundtrack, snippets of which are picked up from vehicle radios and work as a fantastic rallying cry to get you off your arse and pushing forward. Who could resist a helicopter zooming over head blasting 'Flight of the Valkyries'? Well, apart from the guy who missed his ride and lets the pilot know by firing some rounds at it...wouldn't be Battlefield without that though would it!?
Its true that the whirlybirds are much easier to take down then in previous games and players were predominantly using the vehicles to get from A to B as quickly as possible. However, they do carry pretty effective weaponry and I jumped into abandoned jeeps and boats turning their heavy guns on the attackers as they tried to take a station. This all helps to keep things as grounded as possible, which is after all playing to the maps strengths.
The big new addition is the flame thrower. Its the chaos element thrown into some very carefully thought out scenarios. A village of wooden huts, not offering much physical safety, but allowing you to sneak up on an enemy undetected. You can creep into a base, get in the corner of the hut and defend it. Its a whole different experience when the attackers are storming through the village setting everything on fire. While their range is short, you can spray out a wall of flame that makes it hard to get a lock on your target and can be pretty intimidating. Burning an enemy to death is as horribly satisfying as you would think and occurs as often as you would hope with the close up combat the maps constantly force you into.
At times its as wonderfully wild as that Battlefield 2 demo, but this time crafted to be. Sure some people will moan about the price for what they will see to be a simple map pack update, but the tone of the game, feeling like you are truly 'in the ****' is worth the points imo.
My favourite Battlefield experience was around the time that the Battlefield 2: Modern Combat demo came out. Seemed to me that this was the first taste a hell of a lot of console gamers had ever got of a team based online shooter. It was complete and utter chaos. Frustrating, I would imagine, to those with skill and a serious approach to warfare, but balls out brilliance if you wanted to feel what it would be like to send two groups of untrained idiots into battle with helicopters, bazookas, landmines, etc. I loved it.
Since then there have been more online multiplayer battles than you could stick a tracer dart to, everybody has had a tonne of practice killing all sorts of nationalities in an incredibly varied array of environments that I'm amazed we're not all rocking back and forth with the lights off (though that tends to describe my play style). My last big Battlefield adventure was 1943, trading a love of helicopters for planes, we were treated to ground skirmishes while dogfights played out over head, occasionally mixing as a speeding jeep was strafed by a skilled pilot along one of the maps many stretches of road. Booming anti-aircraft guns! Mmmm, happy times...
Last night I played through all Battlefield: Vietnam maps on Rush mode (where you again take turns attacking and defending communication stations). They keep the fundamentals pretty much the same as 1943, I went in as Assault class and was happily killing spotted enemies way off in the distance with a few taps on the trigger of my AK47 while throwing out ammo now and then along with the odd cheeky grenade. That's pretty much my comfort zone, find a rock close enough to the action to be able to call out targets and cap any stragglers. However, a lot of attention has been paid to make you feel like you are in a movie version of Vietnam, like you are 'in the ****'.
A napalmed forest stripped of cover is a killing field forcing both sides into a network of tunnels. The clear blue skies of 1943 replaced by waterlogged paddy fields and scorched earth - while we were once attacking with the sun's glare behind us, engines roaring in a spinning dive we now hunker down in the mud praying we'll make that next rush to cover as enemy fire zips past our ears and team mates fall.
Bringing some levity to proceedings is the games soundtrack, snippets of which are picked up from vehicle radios and work as a fantastic rallying cry to get you off your arse and pushing forward. Who could resist a helicopter zooming over head blasting 'Flight of the Valkyries'? Well, apart from the guy who missed his ride and lets the pilot know by firing some rounds at it...wouldn't be Battlefield without that though would it!?
Its true that the whirlybirds are much easier to take down then in previous games and players were predominantly using the vehicles to get from A to B as quickly as possible. However, they do carry pretty effective weaponry and I jumped into abandoned jeeps and boats turning their heavy guns on the attackers as they tried to take a station. This all helps to keep things as grounded as possible, which is after all playing to the maps strengths.
The big new addition is the flame thrower. Its the chaos element thrown into some very carefully thought out scenarios. A village of wooden huts, not offering much physical safety, but allowing you to sneak up on an enemy undetected. You can creep into a base, get in the corner of the hut and defend it. Its a whole different experience when the attackers are storming through the village setting everything on fire. While their range is short, you can spray out a wall of flame that makes it hard to get a lock on your target and can be pretty intimidating. Burning an enemy to death is as horribly satisfying as you would think and occurs as often as you would hope with the close up combat the maps constantly force you into.
At times its as wonderfully wild as that Battlefield 2 demo, but this time crafted to be. Sure some people will moan about the price for what they will see to be a simple map pack update, but the tone of the game, feeling like you are truly 'in the ****' is worth the points imo.
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