EA and DICE have always upped their game on graphical presentation each year. We can all admit that Battlefield 1 was a beautiful game and a great success for EA. That trend continues, as EA has developed Battlefield V into one of the most gorgeous titles on the market today. Set in WWII, the game looks to bring back great moments from BF1, but definitely has its own PTSD to deal with. We fight through the trenches of our review of Battlefield V.
WAR IS GLITCHY AND BEAUTIFUL
War Stories are back in Battlefield V and take us on four epic tales of war and emotion during WWII. These stories were something truly special in Battlefield 1, but don’t carry the same weight this time around. In Battlefield 1, I really felt a connection with the characters placed within the storyline. This only seemed to happen once for me in the Battlefield V and it just so happened to also be a mission I thought was pretty flawed with glitches.
The War Story “Nordly” takes place in Norway and follows two females trying to destroy the German war machine, as quickly and quietly as possible. Although I did like the other story missions, I feel this one really just struck a chord with me that the others didn’t. One thing that is a great addition to story mode, this time around, is the fact that you can choose where you want to start and how you play out said missions. With that said, in the Nordlys mission you are given tasks across multiple levels to take out German soldiers, bases, and even fend off hypothermia, which is not the easiest task when Nazis are chasing you.
As said before, you can choose the way you play your missions, so I started out by going as stealthy as possible. This did not work out the best for me because of one technical flaw…the subtitles. Battlefield always pushes for realism, so if you are playing someone from a different country, well, they will be speaking their national language. In this case, the main character is speaking Norwegian, with English subtitles and I went through almost the whole level not knowing what was going on.
If you did not know, Norway is known for it’s beautiful snowy landscapes in the winter. Now, when it comes to a game that needs subtitles, why not give the player the option to change the color of said subtitles? When most of the levels are covered in snow and your subtitles are all white, with only the option to add a small amount of shadow behind the text, that doesn’t make for easy reading…EA had to have known someone would have an issue seeing this.
There is a point in this mission, a character saves you by (SPOILER) pushing you over a bridge into a frozen mountain crevice. You then walk through the blistering cold, only to fall into below zero water. From that point, you travel across a dark ice-covered lake, in the dark, while going from campfire to campfire to stay warm and fight of hypothermia. This moment really had me enthralled and on the edge of my seat. It felt like I was right beside the character, feeling her pain and struggles. These types of moments happened in the other chapters of War Stories, but I have to say I didn’t feel the connection with those character like I did in the Nordly.
Above, you can see another thing this that plagued the story mode, weird and wacky glitches. There were so many times I was really into the story, having a ton of fun, kill a Nazi and his body start floating and spinning in circles. There was also times that I would pick up an enemies weapon, run out of ammo, try to switch back to my weapon and could not do so. This was super frustrating, especially since I had to restart the game just to make this glitch go away.
On a positive note, the overall scale and presentation is just utterly jaw dropping. The graphics in this game are so realistic it could almost trick your brain into thinking this was real. There were so many points that I would turn the HUD off and just walk around the level. The detail and love put in the game can truly be seen when you take the time to look around. The team at DICE really loves this series and I think it shows in the overall graphical power of this game.
MASSIVE MAPS ARE MASSIVE FUN
The multiplayer of Battlefield V is what really shines this year. We see the return of many of the same modes like Conquest, Team Deathmatch, Capture the Area, and more. This year, there is a new mode called Grand Operations that takes center stage. This mode is a 64-player game mode that stretches across four maps on four different days. During those four days, Grand Operations changes the objective of the game by inserting other game modes like, Search and Destroy, Capture the Area, Team Deathmatch, and Conquest. It’s every game mode all in one epic playlist. This has got to be one of my favorite modes in any multiplayer game I have played, year to date.
As I was playing Grand Operations, I couldn’t help but think about the presentation once again. The scale of battles, combined with the visual presentation just blows my mind. Battlefield has set itself apart from the competition. Games like Call of Duty, Overwatch, and etc. are unique FPS titles, in their own right, and while they share similarities, it’s hard to deny the fact that Battlefield V is the only war shooter on the market that provides the scale and impact of war. Game after game DICE has continued to hone their craft at making Battlefield a fun, mind-blowing, first person experience. This is hands down some of the most fun I have had with Battlefield since Bad Company 2.
PREMIUM CONTENT FOR ALL
Lastly, one of the main selling points for Battlefield V is the NO PREMIUM PASS system in place. That means all post-launch maps, modes, etc will be free for all players. This is something that I have commended EA and DICE on and I hope we see this from more game studios, in the future, as the industry evolves. The system, or mode, is called Tides of War and over the next few months will release new maps, weapons, and game modes, including Battlefield’s upcoming Battle Royale mode FireStorm, which releases in March.
The first Tides of War content will release December 4th and will include the fourth chapter of the story, along with more maps. While I love the idea of Tides of War, I would have liked to have had Firestorm and more at launch. The reason being that most of the multiplayer modes are somewhat similar, so you may find yourself feeling a little burnt out, after a few days.
Overall, Battlefield V is seemingly one of the best Battlefield titles in some years. Although the game did have its flaws with glitches, lack of content, and snowy white subtitles, Battlefield V feels like a return to what this series is all about…all out war and all out fun. I am excited to see what Tides of War will bring to the story, multiplayer, and how their new Battle Royale mode will work out. Over these next few months I will update my review with thoughts about the new content. Until then, it’s a must-own!
