Senshudo TV went hands on with the latest entry in the Battlefield series; Battlefield: Hardline at E3 2014. Does the game fix the issues that have plagued Battlefield 4 since launch or does it feel like a cash grab to try and compete with the likes of Payday? Find out after the jump...
Battlefield: Hardline is Visceral Games first entry into the series of Battlefield games, with DICE taking time to work on Star Wars: Battlefront, Visceral Games set out to make a Battlefield game that was familiar to fans of the series but also unique in its approach. I am happy to say that from the 25 minute demo we played, plus the overall experience before you got to play, EA and Visceral Games have a great hit on their hands.
Upon arrival at the BF:H section of the EA Booth, you are greeted by a detective at a desk. The detective "processes" you into their system giving you a badge number and sending you around the corner to have your mug shot taken. What follows was nothing short of fun and engaging. Your badge number is actually a link to an address where you can see what "crime" you were convicted of, and the mug shot that gets taken is posted to your Facebook account for your friends to comment on. We were then sent to a room which resembled a squad room a la Law and Order where we waited until it was time to play the game.
Getting our hands on Battlefield Hardline for the first time was an absolute thrill ride. From the moment we loaded in until the final kill cam rolled every moment was filled with action. Hardline plays very similar to other Battlefield games in the way you control your player, the way squads work, and the way vehicles work. Cars and trucks still drive well, motorbikes make a speedy getaway, and choppers still pack huge fire power from the air.
What has changed? The objectives and the way the game plays out. Think of it as small conquest on steroids. You're not going after a flag or capturing a static objective however. You are tasked with gathering money from various sources around the map (mainly the enemy vault) and bringing it back to your vault. It sounds so simple on paper...In practice? Not so much. Enemies will stop you at every chance they get. Using a variety of weapons, vehicles, and tactics; your mission to get the more money than the other team is challenging but an amazing reward. The level system from Battlefield 4 is back, albeit with new ranks. The ribbon system makes a return as well, rewarding you for completing various tasks throughout the match and giving you bonus experience.
There will be other game modes as well as a single player campaign unlike anything the Battlefield series has seen before. If we had to describe our experience in a few words we would have to say the game is: Exciting, Thrilling, Engaging, Unique.
We were very excited by what we saw at E3 and cannot wait until October 21st when the game releases for Xbox One, Playstation 4, and PC.