The UI sometimes indicates the wrong objective to attack and the lack of a stats screen means there's no way to track your wins and losses. Matches become stuck on the map screen and never start, redeploying in the middle of a match is prevented by bugs, and even Trophies don't unlock correctly. Aircraft can become suspended in mid-air, vehicle pieces float in the air once they've been destroyed, and dodgy killcams fall underneath the map. Then there's a long list of technical flaws mostly revolving around graphical glitches. Features like a scoreboard and squad voice chat are missing. However, a Battlefield release is never without its problems and Battlefield 2042 is, unfortunately, no different. Operation Metro, anyone? Despite putting EA DICE in a bit of an awkward spot, we've had just as much fun revisiting these older maps as learning the new ones. There are limitations, of course, but what's already there has us coming back for more and theorizing what could come back next. It's not a change for the better, we'd argue. If you're not communicating in a squad, something like the rocket launcher or armour plating will likely be your first port of call. While you could argue this is a more freeing implementation, it also means those all-important tools could be left behind. Each Specialist has their own unique perk, but they're hardly a replacement for the defined tasks of soldiers past. Repair tools, ammo and medical crates, and insertion beacons can be equipped by anyone, blurring the lines between the traditional roles previous titles have subscribed to. Tied to the Specialist you choose to play as, it's here where Battlefield 2042 moves away from the class system of old. They're complemented by gadgets like the grappling hook, ballistic shield, and sentry guns for rounding out your loadout. Things are no different in the near future as a large range of weaponry caters to the needs of assault rifle users, close-quarters SMG experts, and long-range masters with a snipe rifle in their hands.
Battlefield has always been a series that actually makes where you place the iron sights matter, with the likes of bullet drop to take into account before taking your shot. You've already taken a hammering there once you don't want to do it again.Īt least the shooting is its usual solid self. Obviously, you're at the mercy of matchmaking, but it's all too easy for the game to load up the very same map twice in a row.
You're also likely to encounter the same maps over and over again since there aren't too many of them at launch.
Hazard Zone is an entirely new mode tasking squads with retrieving data drives and then extracting before any other teams can eliminate you, and Portal brings back maps of the past ripe for editing to create custom modes. Three modes grace the main menu: All-Out Warfare houses classic Conquest skirmishes along with the return of Breakthrough from Battlefield 1 and Battlefield V. When Battlefield 2042 shows you the bill, it's asking you to buy into what's to come rather than hope you're satisfied with the chef's first dish. Extensive post-launch support will surely see it fulfil those ambitions, but that content is months or possibly even years down the line. EA DICE has cooked up an excellent starter - sort of like a crowd-pleasing tomato soup - that doesn't quite have the chops to stand on its own. What it has to offer, though, could hardly be considered a filling main course. The games industry stops for no one, and just one week after Call of Duty: Vanguard was put out by Activision, Battlefield 2042 is here to try and eat its lunch.