Ever since it first stormed the beaches years ago, EA and Dice’s Battlefield series has always been a fan favourite. Whether you were battling in the skies above the tree-lines in Vietnam, fighting it out against (or with) the Pan Asian Coalition in the year 2142, fighting the good fight in good ol’ WW2 or even taking the battle to a modern setting before modern warfare was cool – the Battlefield series has always found a place in gamers hearts. Looking to catch lightning in a bottle for the umpteenth time, EA and Dice have gone back to World War 2 looking to save people from the harmful UV rays that seem to attack people year in and year out during the summer by strapping them down for a bite-sized and streamlined Battlefield experience with 1943.
For 15 bucks (or 1200 MS Points) Battlefield 1943 does away with some of the complexities that have been a part of the franchise for so long in favour of a more user-friendly and accessible format. Starting from the ground up, 1943 offers up much more intimate battles through smaller scale encounters that rely more so on tactical use of squads and gunplay than the pure chaos (sometimes controlled, other times not so much) that the series is historically known for. Everything from class re-designs to the selection of maps made available to the gamer encourages simplicity and intensity rather than the complexities that typically accompany the Battlefield games. You won’t find yourself making a mad-dash across a seemingly never-ending desert in 1943 but that isn’t due to any sort of series defining alteration to the core gameplay, simply the choice in maps that have been brought over from 1942. As you hop online you’ll be treated to three maps that have you waging war from either the side of the Japanese or American forces through the traditional Battlefield conquest mode where you fight your way through a seesaw affair of capturing and defending control points spread across the sizeable and (soon to be) war-torn battlefields. Wake Island, Iowa Jima and Guadalcanal keep the combat quick and dangerous as you fight in the water, air and of course on the ground in 12 on 12 battles that bring about enough chaos to keep even the most elegant of butterflies locked, loaded and staring down the iron sights.
As an added bonus Dice has offered up a fourth map (Coral Sea) as a reward to the community for collectively achieving 43 million kills/deaths. Coral Sea differs from the other three maps in that the combat is kept strictly in the sky through hectic dog-fights that have planes taking off from opposing aircraft carriers. It’s a great change of pace from the standard conquest battles you come across on the other maps and also acts as a great way to gain pilot experience so that you when you do get a chance to jump into a fighter during conquest mode you don’t look like a complete ass by immediately crashing your Zero (or F4U) into the peak of Mount Suribachi.
Sticking to tradition, before you drop into action in 1943 players are given the choice between three different character classes; The Scout, which equips you with a sniper rifle, pistol and explosive charges; Infantry, which lets you have it out with a sub-machine gun, an anti-tank rocket launcher as well as the ability to repair vehicles and last but not least the Rifleman which arms you with a semi-automatic rifle and the ability to launch grenades from it. All three classes are serviceable and are balanced nicely.
On the technical side of things 1943 sports the Frostbite engine that made its debut back with Battlefield: Bad Company which allows for a lot of environmental destruction and just general mayhem. The engine itself is unquestionably the biggest addition to the 1942 set-pieces as it drastically alters the gameplay for the better. Whether its just the ability for tanks to destroy those pesky trees and fences that were oh so meddlesome back in ’42 or the ability to level entire buildings while searching for an enemy that’s hiding inside. The Frostbite engine puts a fresh spin on World War 2 and does it all in addition to delivering a nice visual flare and audio fidelity that keeps your eyes glued to the screen and your ears pleasantly tweaked.
The lack of variety is really the only downfall 1943 has but at 15 dollars you’re getting more than a fair amount of bang for your buck. The four maps will definitely begin to wear on you after you’ve committed countless hours to the war but the unpredictability that the Frostbite engine tosses into the mix does go a long way in keeping the same familiar locales fresh and fun.
As a downloadable game you’d be hard pressed to find a better package on either the PSN or Xbox Live Arcade if you have a hankering for some multiplayer action but keep in mind that if you’re looking for a noteworthy single player experience you’d be best suited to look elsewhere (perhaps towards Flower) as you won’t find much in the way of lonely fun with 1943.