REVIEWED – Battlefield 1943

Title:  Battlefield 1943
Platform:  PlayStation 3
Developer:  DICE
Publisher:  EA
Reviewed By:  Anjos Christian
SCORE:  B

Look for more reviews of Battlefield 1943 at TestFreaks.com

There’s an explosion in the building next to you, it collapses to the ground.You see movement in the trees next to you base and fire into it, head shot, but you have no time to celebrate because an enemy plane passes by over head showering you and your team mates with bombs. Suddenly your hear the sound of air raid sirens. You sprint away from your base as fast as you can, and as you look back, the air raid hits. Bodies fly into the air, watch towers collapse, and vehicles explode, sending shrapnel flying in every direction. At any other time you would be mad that your team just got destroyed, but your too busy taking in all this intensity, the intensity of a Battlefield game.

Battlefield 1943 is a multi-player only, 15$ release on the Xbox Live Arcade that pays tribute to those who fell in love with the series first title, Battlefield 1942. BF: 1943 retains the same game play that keeps players coming back game after game, focusing on large battles where players choose from a selection of classes and capture bases to gain points. The game also has vehicles, ranging from boats and planes, to jeeps and tanks, which help give the game play some variety if your tired of fighting on foot.

There’s a total of 3 classes you can play as in this one. The first is the Rifleman. This class wields a semi automatic rifle with pretty good damage and range. They also get a grenade launched which is good against jeeps and buildings but ineffective against tanks (good luck trying to hit planes). The second is the Infantry, which has a sub machine gun. This class has a good rate of fire but lacks accuracy and power, especially at medium and long ranges, but are great for taking over bases which are usually composed of bunkers making for close range fights. The best part of this class is they get a rocket launcher which can take down tanks in about 2 shots. The last is the sniper class, which excels at long ranges. This class strikes me as slightly under powered as it can take as many as 3 shots to kill if your aiming for the body. This class also has remote detonates mines which are useful against ground vehicles.

Battlefield has also made several changes to its old formula. For one, there is now rechargeable health, which is good as it gives the game a more modern feel. Also you have unlimited bullets, and when you run out of grenades, rockets, and other explosives you just have to wait a short time for them to replenish. Another cool feature is that your team starts off on a boat about 1/4th of a mile away from. You and your team mates can jump into a smaller boat and drive it to any part of them map, which is a fun way to start a match. Also notable is that the Frostbite engine has also been upgraded so that whole buildings can be taken down, which is good, but most bunkers cant be destroyed so the feature felt wasted.

Not all in this game is good. For one, there’s a lack of variety, with only 3 classes and 3 maps. While it’s ok at first I fear the replay ability of this game will suffer from that. Also, even though the sound is the best in the business that graphics often underwhelm. Several times during a match you may also find yourself wandering for a moment or two looking for action, only to be killed quickly from behind, something that’s always been in the Battlefield series and has always been frustrating. Expect this too be fixed soon, bt you can encounter difficulty in finding a match, as this game was launched with too few servers, but EA has said they will fix this.

Overall, at 15$ this game is a pretty good deal. Of course, if you weren’t a fan of the Battlefield series you certainly won’t like this game, but if you do like Battlefield who needs to play something new from the series while their waiting for Bad Company 2 or you just want a good multi-player shooter that will keep you busy during a summer that will lack blockbuster releases, this game is for you. And of course, if your unsure, EA offers a trial game where you can play for half an hour, so don’t hesitate to give it a try.

High Points
+ Great Price
+ Intense vehicle and infantry combat
+ Amazing sound
+ Destruction system is better than ever
+ Is a great flashback to BF: 1942 fans

Low Points
- Graphics don’t quite feel next gen
- Only 3 classes
- Only 3 maps
- Multi-player only will turn off campaign fans
- Sometimes hard to find action
- Indestructible bunkers can make the destruction feel wasted