Battlefield V

The gaming community is certainly a strange one sometimes and their reaction to Battlefield V has been one of those moments. 

Several years ago when Battlefield 1 stormed onto the scene and elevated the series considerably (it really was a fantastic game), gamers were excited with the notion of taking some time away from futuristic weapons and movement to the more, nearly ancient now, style of World War I. 

The oddly named, Battlefield V looked to move that same premise forward into the second World War in a very similar manner. Gamers were outraged, not because of the game itself, but because of the woman on the cover. #NotmyBattlefield became an actual display of resistance and meanwhile ample support was rallied behind this year's Call of Duty franchise. Sure, there are some other well-earned controversies when it comes to EA and how they handle their releases/DLC content (more on that later), but I was genuinely unaware of the hatred the Battlefield franchise was getting - a franchise that only 2 years ago was untouchable outside of Titanfall 2 of the same year - because of their decision to be inclusive in 2018. The gaming community as a whole, or perhaps its loudest members, are very odd with what they decide to get up in arms about and what's even stranger to me is that upon playing Battlefield V, there's absolutely ZERO affect on the gameplay. And isn't that why we're all here anyway? 

So, seemingly as a preface, if you're here to see if I rip on Battlefield's "historical inaccuracies" and join the marching brigade, you might as well close out now. I'm here to review a game. I'll sit out this petty moment in gamer logic. 

That aside, Battlefield V is a worthy successor to B1, though it has some considerable shortcomings when it comes to comparing the quality of each's available content, outlook on war itself, and single-player campaign. 

Features some memorable, awesome, and well-designed maps...

This aint no Fortnite (thankfully) but yeah,
you can build up barricades

It's that single-player campaign that I was perhaps most disappointed in this time around as the "War Stories" levels are rather vanilla compared to what this franchise was able to achieve with WWI. I still think War Stories are a fantastic idea when applied to a conflict this large and more games should think about using them. Where it lacks in cohesive narrative, it makes up for within the hour or more that you spend in the levels. In Battlefield 1 I genuinely felt like I was in some large scale battles and the stories felt as grand as the conflict. Unfortunately, Battlefield V's Stories focuses heavily on stealth and, quite frankly, the game isn't very good at it. Some levels play better than others in that regard (e.g. a snow spy level in particular was memorable), but I wanted to see the game flex more outside the norm. Equally disappointing is that there are less of these stories in general this time around, particularly on Day 1 where we had to wait several weeks for the fourth Story to be released. Perhaps that means there are more on the way, but it's a tactic I'm not the biggest fan of though it suits EA and their horrendous decision making perfectly. Luckily though, I found the stories crafted within these hour segments were still touching and well told/acted, just as they were with B1. We quickly care about the people we're playing as and the trials they're going through in this war be they soldier, every-man, or some leading general. 

I want to touch back on that concept of releasing content in a staggered manner for a moment, because it's particularly bothersome. Battlefield V is a $60 game where, on Day 1, I'd argue you're getting about $30-40 worth of content. EA, always testing the ground for how they can milk gamers it would seem, has promised free updates as time goes on with more content and modes. After a couple weeks there was an additional single player mission added, as well as an additional map for Grand Operations with a new "unlock tree" game as well. In March, there's supposed to be Battlefield's entry in the Battle Royale craze (though it now has STIFF competition with the excellent, and free, Apex Legends). So far this content has all released on time, but I still call bulls**t on the concept of it to start. If EA would like to continue selling games on Day 1, they better release a full load's worth of content. Battlefield V had the luxury of occurring during one of the busiest gaming seasons in history so I couldn't have gotten to all the stuff I wanted to if I tried, but for others with smaller budgets or less time to invest in more games, getting half the content you paid for is an issue.

Now with 100% more Michael Bay!! BOOM!

Multiplayer is really where the Battlefield series shines though and I continue to adore it for these large scale battles that are truly unmatched anywhere else in gaming currently. There are several modes of varying player counts and game length, but my favorite was (and still is) Grand Operations. Taking place over the course of 3 days and several maps - something the PlayStation exclusive Killzone 3 started interestingly enough - it's a significant time investment, but it's where the game feels most like a true World War. Each map has different objectives and requirements for each side to accomplish which keep the gameplay feeling fresh and challenging far past your normal Team Deathmatch or Capture the Flag. There's secretly a lot of innovation here that, while it may not be new to this game in the series, continues to be impressive all around and still feels decidedly unique.

Stunning to look at...until you die!

Helping to bolster this mode, and the entire multiplayer suite in general, are some incredible maps. Much like in Battlefield 1, there are some really memorable moments and scenery to chew during these games and they're well designed to create exciting choke points, opportunities for sneak attacks, and general large-scale war. Whether it's fighting underneath the Northern Lights (what other game can say that?!?), storming across a field of yellow daisies, or sneaking around a considerable number of mountain crannies and nooks, Battlefield V's maps may actually be my favorite part of the game. At the start of almost every game I feel like saying "Oh I love this map!" which is a rarity among FPS games. 

Unfortunately, not all of multiplayer is as fantastic and there seem to be some significant balancing issues within the game this time around. Where this unbalance comes from, I can't quite put my finger on it, but it may be the game mode objectives themselves (think about the AT-AT walkers from Battlefront) or that the matchmaking is poor at filling teams with equal skill, but I had a ton of games that swung wildly in one particular team's favor. Interestingly enough this was most often when I wasn't playing with my "squad" of friends because we usually have the ability to carry an entire team if we coordinate enough, but rather when I was playing individually. Teams are split up into 32 vs. 32 players so skill matching can't be perfect, but there have been too many occasions where I start a game or join a game and get absolutely steam rolled. The match isn't even close and the enemy is pressed so far up the map, you can hardly spawn without dying. Compare that to something like say, Overwatch, where games are often SO close they come down to final seconds and it becomes discouraging and no longer fun. It definitely happens in every multiplayer game to a certain degree, but it seems like a serious problem that BFV needs to face head on over its next few months.

Ok but really this is one of my favorite maps. Also so steep in parts that you'll get vertigo

I have a few other qualms with Battlefield V that I'll address in the Cons section, but it's one of those games where I was both impressed and disappointed with it as I sunk more time in. Perhaps some of the awe and wonder of traveling back to an infamous war has lost its alure, but there are legitimate shortcomings in Battlefield V when compared directly to its predecessor. When compared to other outside competition however, it's still one of the best multiplayer experiences out there and really the only one that can make you feel like you're truly in a battle to save the world. 

And when it gets singing, it's so grand that it can't be touched.

CONS

• The staggered release of content is the type of bulls**t that gets EA the horrible reputation they have for being greedy. There wasn't enough content for this game on Day 1 and it was only masked by the 2,000 other games that came out this season
• Balancing issues in multiplayer really harm the thrills because they can be awful. It seems to stem from the balance of skill of players, but I've had more than a handful of games where my team got straight up massacred, spawn killed, and overpowered
• The single player missions are fewer this time (BOO!) and focus too heavily on stealth. Stealth is not this game's specialty so most of them don't achieve the same highs as what we got with the World War I stories
• When I played Battlefield 1, I got the sense that there was a deep respect by the developers for the war, those lost, and educating players on how gruesome and awful it was. The tone was almost somber and it, as a gamer participating in the carnage, made you think. I appreciated being challenged like that but I didn't find as much of that here. It seems to be less about the emotion and more about the entertainment
• Leveling up your character or guns doesn't scratch the "unlock" itch that so many other games do far better. Surprising because this has long been a complaint of Battlefield
• Given that it's only happened in Battlefield, it's worth mentioning that I've had a handful of really frustrating connectivity issues mid-games

PROS

• Still features some strong single player moments and most of the levels have their highlights. I particularly enjoyed the entirety of the skiing level, even if it was the most stealth-heavy
• Much like its predecessor, Battlefield V has some of the best graphics and sound design in the industry. Particularly the latter puts you right in the...ahem...battlefield and will shake your house
• Awesome multiplayer that rewards players for playing the objective and being a good teammate equal to, if not more, than it does for maintaining your K/D ratio
• Grand Operations is one of my flat-out favorite game modes and the grand sense you get of moving from map to map, objective to objective, with 63 other souls is unparalleled in gaming. You're all in it for the long haul, and there's something awesome about that
• Overall tight gameplay that feels crisp and responsive. Have made some noticeable but good tweaks since the last game
• Wonderful, memorable maps. I'm not sure if I could name a weak link and it's something Battlefield continues to excel at as a series. Some true highlights here that I won't forget anytime soon
• Still the only game out there, in my opinion, that captures the scale and grandness of war. The highs of this series and this game are nearly untouchable

      Rath's Review Score | 8/10