Battlefield 2042 – Review in Progress

Battlefield has always been the biggest, loudest, and most chaotic multiplayer experience in the industry. It’s the Texas of video games, and love it or hate it, its bombast can’t be overstated. For better or for worse, Battlefield 2042 continues this trend, offering a dizzying amount of on-screen explosions, shootouts, and targets to capture. 128-player matches and gigantic in-game maps guarantee dramatic moments, and some of my favorite game clips from 2021, but there’s a fine line between spectacle and confusion.

A Battlefield game has never been released without Conquest, the signature mode that tasks two opposing teams with the task of capturing and defending target zones across the map. The popular gameplay format is alive and well, but honestly, it’s my least favorite way to play Battlefield 2042. Without the presence of a commander (an organizing role from previous entries), the massive battles of Conquest often feel disorganized. compared to Breakthrough, a multiplayer mode. replacing Rush from previous games. Breakthrough offers more focused interactions by separating the map into multiple segments, each with two control points. If the attacking team can successfully capture all the targets in one zone, it can force the defending team to retreat to the next area. I love Breakthrough.

Hazard Zone, a new multiplayer format introduced in 2042, pits eight squads of four against each other and tasks them with recovering data units located at satellite crash sites scattered across the map. Each location is guarded by opposing AI forces that will attack your team on sight. Hazard Zone does not respawn unless your teammates have a redeployment uplink. Otherwise, you will be out of luck. The only way to win one of these games is to mine through a highly contested Helicarrier, which only visits the map twice during gameplay. If you miss your flight or die before getting on board, it’s game over. On more than one occasion, our team rushed to the mining site in a white-knuckle attempt to mine our valuable data drives and subsequently earn a ton of credits from the dark market. You use this meta-currency to purchase secondary weapons and gear before each match, so not getting a return on your investment can be heartbreaking. It is true that I was skeptical of Hazard Zone, but it has been the highlight of my experience playing Battlefield 2042 so far.

Whether you’re using a grappling hook to swing above the competition like Spider-Man, flying through a deadly tornado in a wingsuit, or shooting from the baseline with the rest of your squad behind moving barricades. , every Specialist has an entertaining role to play. . You can adjust each of these operators to your preference, and you can even swap weapon accessories in the middle of the fight without having to respawn. Battlefield 2042 features countless customization options, resulting in an immensely varied first-person shooter game. While playing as Dozer, a burly character equipped with a full-body shield, I came face to face with an armored tank pilot. The boat’s barrel moved slowly to look at me, resulting in a hilarious moment of silence before it inevitably fired. But to our surprise, my shield prevented the blast from killing me. A few seconds later, a friendly tank fired a projectile from outside the screen that blew up the enemy tank, distracting me enough to score a triple kill by hitting each member of the vehicle’s crew with the shield. This fun swap is one of my favorite game moments of the year, however the only reason I had my shield equipped was due to a nasty bug that prevented me from aiming the sights of any of my weapons.

Unfortunately, Battlefield 2042 currently lacks a polish coat in its pre-launch state. Do not worry; There is nothing quite as serious as the launch issues in Battlefield 4. Most of the bugs I have encountered are minimal, such as the grappling hook ziplining running through the front of the device during its animation or difficulty calling air support. on an arid map like Hourglass due to a bug with the sand navigation mesh. Others can have a detrimental effect on the game, such as sniper scopes that lose their magnification after interacting with secondary devices or are unable to revive downed teammates in the Danger Zone.

While I’ve spent the past three days playing Battlefield 2042 in a virtual review event, I still need more time with the game on post-launch servers before I deliver my final verdict. Also, I’d like to dig deeper into Portal, the community-driven gaming platform that promises unforgettable battles that highlight the features of Battlefield games past and present. Given the breadth of exciting content to play with, including the six classic Portal maps like Caspian Border from Battlefield 3 and Battle of the Bulge from 1942, this entry is an easy recommendation for fans of the series. If you are undecided about purchasing Battlefield 2042 at launch, you can expect my full review in the next few days.