Battlefield 1943 Review
Okay, not strictly mobile phones related, but the second great love in my life after HSDPA speeds and megapixels is video games…first person shooters in particular. So the opportunity to sample the latest iteration of the Battlefield franchise is something that I just HAD to share!
Battlefield 1943 takes the fight to the 360 and Playstation 3, offering three areas torn from the World War II history books and conflict for up to 24 players. The maps might prove familiar to Battlefield veterans as they are the most popular ones from the 1942 PC original, buffed up to a next-gen sheen thanks to the Frostbite engine.
Another thing this new engine (first seen in Battlefield : Bad Company) allows for is destructible landscapes, with fully-controllable boats, tanks and airplanes able to chew up the scenery with bombs and shells.
The Pacific theatre is the setting, with the US Marine Corps pitched against the Imperial Japanese Navy. Featuring only three classes of soldier, little by way of ‘levelling up’ and a single mode (the power struggle of capturing five bases in Conquest) 1943 might seem lean in comparison to other multiplayer shooters, but with a unique download-only distribution model and a low price of £9.99 / 1200 Microsoft Points on the PSN and XBox Live respectively, it is online competition distilled into its purest form.
The controls are very familiar to anyone that has previously answered the Call of Duty, with the left shoulder button giving an iron sight view, the right shoulder to pop off rounds and clicking in the stick to run. Despite no way of customising the loadout, it is quick and painless to gather familiarity with the sniper, infantry and middle distance rifleman. The draw distance is amazing, allowing patient shooters able to score long range shots with ease.
Vehicles are still present and correct, with sea, air and land all easily traversed thanks to jackable transport dotted around the huge maps. Driving takes a bit of getting used to, bucking the traditional right stick for acceleration and breaking setup for the left shoulder buttons, and planes proving just as tough to fly without practice as ever!
Anyone wanting a further aeronautical fix can now play on the special fourth ‘Coral Sea’ map, unlocked after avid fans racked up 43,000,000 kills in record time on the 360. This map offers pure dogfighting, with an aerial take on warfare proving hilarious and challenging in equal measure.
The tactical elements of calling in bombing raids, repairing friendly vehicles and anti-air guns also add an anarchic element to proceedings if your team does not work together as a well-oiled machine. The only negative I can level at 1943 is that the battles can get a little repetitive once players get into the routine of starting out on a particular map. The mad scramble to gain ground in the first five minutes does become a little mechanical. However, the constant mixing of players on respective teams between rounds manages to keep things fresh.
Bringing this title into 2009 with voice chat, group formation and co-ordination of attacks adds another layer to the classic ebb and flow of Battlefield combat, and the low price makes it an impulse purchase that you won’t regret. DICE have managed to parcel the best elements of online multiplayer into a tight and cohesive package, and is sure to appeal to Battlefield purists and new recruits alike.
Check out some promotional explosions and gunfire below!