Review

Battlefield V

There are a few franchises that I get really excited for nowadays. Halo, Zelda, and Mario are at the top of my list, followed closely by Battlefield. While everyone else (seemingly) clamor over the new flavor of Call of Duty, I’m still milling about EA’s military equivalent. As someone who is famously terrible at shooters, the concentration put towards a high/kill death ratio in CoD has always turned me off.

With Battlefield, however, I know how to play the objective. I know I need to get to the flag. I know if I see a comrade down, I can scramble towards him and bring him back to life. I’m that great teammate that everyone loves. And yes, I also get a few lucky kills now and again. I believe this bit of FPS background on yours truly is necessary to understand my point of view when I talk about Battlefield…

Battlefield V is a perfect successor to Battlefield 1. In its current multiplayer iteration, it offers more of what you’d expect from DICE. Large maps, vehicles of all shapes and sizes, fast and furious action, and destruction galore. There are even new elements, like the ability to build fortifications that provide addition cover and/or block routes to an objective. Each character class (Recon, Assault, Medic, and Support) have subclasses, making progression more individualized. At the same time, emphasis has been placed on Squads to encouraging teamplay; while anyone in your squad can revive you, Medic’s do it quicker. These past and present game mechanics don’t alter the game’s DNA that much; overall, it’s still Battlefield. That said, while not as fresh as BF1 was at launch, Battlefield V is an improvement. It offers an explosive experience that is one part ridiculously chaotic and one part super realistic, from the bounce of your POV to all the yells, screams, gunshots, and destruction surrounding you.

You have a selection of eight maps, with more promised in the future. Each map is extremely well designed, all based on WW2 battles. From those eight maps, you have a choice of six modes to choose from. Most are a variation of Conquest – a mode where teams must fight over key locations on a given map – with Team Deathmatch thrown in for good measure. Grand Operations makes a comeback from BF1. This mode is made up of three matches, one after the other, to equal out a single battle. If your team wins a match (each made up of a different game mode), you’ll gain advantage over the opposing team. It’s basically an entertaining mainstay, providing a larger battle for fans to engage in.

Most of what’s been mention is old hat (with slight variations/improvements). What is new is DICE’s “attrition system.” All players will join multiplayer matches lacking supplies. From there, they must choose what is more important. Do you get supplies or go Rambo and dive straight into the fray? These types of choices can change the course of a fight; they encourage players to think rather than blindly rush towards the action. It’s a simple, yet extremely effective way to keep everyone on the edge of their seats as every tactic is (seemingly) made more meaningful.

As great as the multiplayer is (and hopefully will continue to be pending upcoming updates), the campaign is something to be appreciated. It is well established that Black Ops 4 opted to not include a campaign, which turned out to be a great decision for them. Battlefield hasn’t exactly been known for amazing and exciting single player campaigns. I did, however, appreciate Battlefield 1’s War Stories, which are basically bite-sized one hour-ish segments based on a relatively unknown battle(s). Battlefield V has three of these, with another being released today. I enjoy these as a change of pace to the main meat and potatoes of multiplayer. And though they aren’t much more than glorified tutorials – they help players grow accustomed to different mechanics, including vehicle play – they do provide a brief and concise distraction that is well worth playing through.

I have a few friends who are waiting on purchasing BFV. They say the content that was released upon launch isn’t enough to sway them into delving in and feeling as if EA has released an incomplete game, especially with Battle Royale being slated to release in March. They aren’t hardcore Battlefield players either, preferring CoD. I get their point. It is kind of a letdown that certain modes and other things haven’t been released as of yet. My counterargument is there is no comparison to the production value and gameplay that Battlefield V has to offer. Playing on an Xbox One X, I have never seen such fidelity, graphical detail, and buttery smoothness in a video game prior to this on a console. And for those of you who are worried about microtransactions, there is nothing in Battlefield V that you can buy with real money. That’s not to say they won’t change their mind later, but after what happened with Battlefront II, it is nice to finally see the EA big wigs listening to their fans.

Battlefield V isn’t perfect. There is definitely room for improvement. Although it would’ve been nice to have all the advertised modes available at launch, I’m perfectly fine with waiting for what the future has in store. This Christmas season we’ve been inundated with huge launches, most notably Red Dead Redemption 2, Black Ops 4, and now Battlefield V. Battlefield V might not be that groundbreaking, but it absolutely refines and polishes what made Battlefield 1 great. Keep ’em coming, DICE.