Battlefield 2 is still one of the most played games on the PC today.
According to xfire stats more than 2 million minutes of Battlefield 2 are played every day! That is a staggering number, and since 2005 although Battlefield 2's intense combined arms combat, excellent conquest maps and ranking system have been keeping it as popular as ever. BF veterans have been patiently anticipating news of a true sequel. Rumours of Battlefield 3 have been circulating for many years, but since 2005 all we've had are are BF2 expansion packs and of course 2142 which some accuse of being nothing more than a glorified BF2 modification - a criticism that is slightly unfair, but not completely untrue. So what gives?
Battlefield Heroes and Battlefield 1943 are both being released as download only, built to be no more than 350Mb in size. This is to ensure they are quick to download but I am concerned about how this is going to affect the overall quality and experience we've come to expect from the franchise. Battlefield Heroes will be available on the PC only and will be £FREE. Battlefield 1943 will be about £14.99 and available on Xbox Live, PSN and PC. Both games seem to be aiming at a more casual audience, particularly Heroes with it's "child friendly" Team Fortress 2 inspired graphics, and 1943 seems to be trying to re-ignite the passions of gamers who remember the original Battlefield 1942 Wake island only beta.
Where are the hardcore BF2 players being satisifed?
In my view it's not going to take long for people to get sick of the three maps and simplified gameplay which will ship with 1943, not unless they have a medal or achievement system akin to BF2. Maybe they will release additional DLC for it in the future? In my view this is doubtful since EA have stated it is a stand alone product.
But 1943 could turn out to be a raging success. At £14.99 it's affordable to most, and if the fun factor is turned to up past 10 then perhaps even the more hardcore Battlefield players will be able to look past it's clunky and cartoony graphics and simplified gameplay. Compared with BF2 though, this game feels like the franchise is going backwards - BF Vets want the more hyper realistic approach of BF2. 1943 is not going to satisfy their desires for long and I suspect most will be back playing BF2 in a matter of weeks.
What we need is Battlefield 3
But with no confirmed news of that, Bad Company 2 is the closest PC Gamers are going to get to a BF3 in the next year. This is a real dagger in the heart of loyal Battlefield fans. We've been waiting for the sequel to BF2 for four years and we are rewarded with nothing more than a console port....and we all know how they turn out...
I did enjoy Bad Company, and the single player was a surprising success, but I tired of the multiplayer quite quickly, it didn't take long to fully rank up and when you compare this to my 300+ hours with BF2 where I am still nowhere near the top rank, still playing it and still enjoying it...Bad Company was only a short term fix, and I am concerned Bad Company 2 will have the same short sighted approach.
I really hope I am proved wrong, in fact I am preying EA don't mess up the Battlefield franchise for good. This year is D-Day for Battlefield on PC, and EA if you are listening all you really need to do to ensure Bad Company 2 is successful is to look at why BF2 is still one of the most played game to this day.
Give us this same intense gameplay with the new sexy Frostbite engine and you are onto a winner.
Battlefield 2's intense combat and ranking system make it as popular as ever 4 years after release.
Battlefield Heroes tries to appeal to a wider audience
Battlefield 1942's Wake Island map was hugely popular
Battlefield 1943 attempts to re-ignite the old passions
Bad Company 2 is perhaps the closest we're going to get to a BF3.
Sucker Punch’s massive samurai adventure Ghost of Tsushima has come under fire because of the PSN requirement. However, unlike Helldivers 2, things are a lot different and more logical this time.
"Sony has made it clear long before its release that the PSN requirement is strictly for the online multi-player Legends mode in Ghost of Tsushima and the PlayStation overlay. Online connection or PSN is not applied to the single-player campaign, which is honestly what the game is all about."
Legends clearly was based around using the pan they hardly want to have to design a whole new account structure just to play it, that's alot of effort and work. Ultimately people kicked up a fuss despite there being workarounds in most of those territories that people with a ps console have used over there for literally like 15/16 years. This is the consequence of that, be careful what you wish for or demand because you don't necessarily get to pick the method by which you get it.
CG writes: In this video we take a look at the full game of HAMMER95’s Mullet MadJack on PC in 4K. This is a rather cool rogue-like first-person shooter where you have to survive for 10 seconds by increasing your timer for each kill. Not the most original of ideas, but works wonders in context of the 80/90s aesthetic. Game releases May 15th.
Alchemist: The Potion Monger is available now of PC and consoles, and this review will tell you why it shouldn't be overlooked.
Battlefield died to me when BF2 failed to reach the brilliance that was the Desert combat mod for 1942. Now every pc fps is watered down to suit consoles so i have 0 faith in bf3. Bad company was ok for a week but i really have to force myself to play it and speaking as a heroes beta tester... it truely is a POS. Unplayable for people outside the US too.
Wake island nostalgia will probably get me to pick up 1943 but im keeping expectations low ever since they announced regenerating health and infinite ammo with 3 classes and a 24 player cap.
I think the only maps they've announced for 1943 so far are: Wake Island, Guadalcanal and Iwo Jima.
1943 also has confirmed ranking and unlock system so it's definitely sounding like good value.