Caveat: Due to the nature of this game, any review may be out of date essentially as soon as it is written. Such is life.
Battlefield Heroes is one of a new breed of games aimed at a more "casual" demographic. However more realistically it is aimed at "implusive" gamers, supposedly spreading like wildfire around the internet. Based on the massivly popular Battlefield series this browser based game serves to fill a void between core shooters and casual MMO players.
Employing an RPG style levelling system and micro-payment structure Heroes (Kudos to whoever coins a random acronym for this game) immediatly distances it self from a plethora of shooters on the market by daring to be a bit different. Having been in Beta testing for an aeon it is now officially released to a baying public without so much as a whoopy cushion fanfare.
Initial impressions are good, 90% of the servers I have been on had good connections with next to no latency and plenty of activity. So the first FPS box has been ticked. There are three classes per side (factions being obvious lampoons of allies and axis) each fitting into a typical WW2 movie steriotype. Another nifty feature of Heroes are the abilities, as well as being able to press "Mouse1" your fighter gains access, through an XP system based around kills and captures, to a wonderful array of bizarre powers. These range from healing yourself as a soldier to turning invisible as a commando.
Balance issues, no matter what forums say, are pretty much nil. Each character is more than capable of killing but also being killed by everyone else. The various abilities tend to only increase the amount of time you're alive. As with other battlefield games vehicles are included but, at present, only the tanks feel worth the effort. Jeeps and planes are quick ways to get from A-B but their combat prowess is negligable. However, it is priceless to watch a couple of planes crashing into each other overhead whilst four soldiers hitch a ride on the wings. Make no mistake this is war of the crayon kind.
Currently there are only 4 maps, and trueth be told they do get old after an hour or two of play. However as long as you use the game as it is intended (a casual romp) you will find yourself returning time and again. Each map is a CTF/Conquest affair and all are well designed, team tactics at present are basically non-existant however. Once the game has time to build momentum hopefully clans and tactics will emerge. (The developers seem pretty on the ball with implementing utilities such as friend lists etc.)
As far the payment methods are concerned, your real life cash is only used to buy clothing and widgets (currently real dosh will buy you a quick XP boost or a nifty hat for example, however as levelling is never a chore this does very little to unbalance the game as you tend to be match-made with people of similar level and skill...supposedly.)
The biggest greivance I do have currently is team balance. As your character is persistent and tied to one team you can quite easily find yourself in a game where your team are about as capable at balanced gameplay as a worm is of interpretive dance. For example a few times I have found myself on a team of 80% commandos whilst the other side is well balances and able to gun us down with relative ease. To be fair to DICE the match macking does seem to be improving daily so this should be fixed soon.
In conclusion, BF:H is a brillant example of the Free to play/micro-payment model. Whether it will prosper in the long run will be a different story, yet currently it seems to be growing at a steady pace. With a few more maps and a bit of TLC this should be a long lasting entry into the FPS genre...until Battlefield 1943 hits PC anyway.
Verdict: ...It's FREE, what are you waiting for?!
Battlefield Heroes is one of a new breed of games aimed at a more "casual" demographic. However more realistically it is aimed at "implusive" gamers, supposedly spreading like wildfire around the internet. Based on the massivly popular Battlefield series this browser based game serves to fill a void between core shooters and casual MMO players.
Employing an RPG style levelling system and micro-payment structure Heroes (Kudos to whoever coins a random acronym for this game) immediatly distances it self from a plethora of shooters on the market by daring to be a bit different. Having been in Beta testing for an aeon it is now officially released to a baying public without so much as a whoopy cushion fanfare.
Initial impressions are good, 90% of the servers I have been on had good connections with next to no latency and plenty of activity. So the first FPS box has been ticked. There are three classes per side (factions being obvious lampoons of allies and axis) each fitting into a typical WW2 movie steriotype. Another nifty feature of Heroes are the abilities, as well as being able to press "Mouse1" your fighter gains access, through an XP system based around kills and captures, to a wonderful array of bizarre powers. These range from healing yourself as a soldier to turning invisible as a commando.
Balance issues, no matter what forums say, are pretty much nil. Each character is more than capable of killing but also being killed by everyone else. The various abilities tend to only increase the amount of time you're alive. As with other battlefield games vehicles are included but, at present, only the tanks feel worth the effort. Jeeps and planes are quick ways to get from A-B but their combat prowess is negligable. However, it is priceless to watch a couple of planes crashing into each other overhead whilst four soldiers hitch a ride on the wings. Make no mistake this is war of the crayon kind.
Currently there are only 4 maps, and trueth be told they do get old after an hour or two of play. However as long as you use the game as it is intended (a casual romp) you will find yourself returning time and again. Each map is a CTF/Conquest affair and all are well designed, team tactics at present are basically non-existant however. Once the game has time to build momentum hopefully clans and tactics will emerge. (The developers seem pretty on the ball with implementing utilities such as friend lists etc.)
As far the payment methods are concerned, your real life cash is only used to buy clothing and widgets (currently real dosh will buy you a quick XP boost or a nifty hat for example, however as levelling is never a chore this does very little to unbalance the game as you tend to be match-made with people of similar level and skill...supposedly.)
The biggest greivance I do have currently is team balance. As your character is persistent and tied to one team you can quite easily find yourself in a game where your team are about as capable at balanced gameplay as a worm is of interpretive dance. For example a few times I have found myself on a team of 80% commandos whilst the other side is well balances and able to gun us down with relative ease. To be fair to DICE the match macking does seem to be improving daily so this should be fixed soon.
In conclusion, BF:H is a brillant example of the Free to play/micro-payment model. Whether it will prosper in the long run will be a different story, yet currently it seems to be growing at a steady pace. With a few more maps and a bit of TLC this should be a long lasting entry into the FPS genre...until Battlefield 1943 hits PC anyway.
Verdict: ...It's FREE, what are you waiting for?!