Battlefield 1943 Ps3 Review

ReviewSeth Bland

The Battlefield franchise is only seven years old, and yet has already spawned such highly regarded PC classics as Battlefield 2 and Battlefield 2142. Although developers DICE have experimented with singleplayer plots in the past (Modern Combat and Bad Company) the trademark of the series has always been its superb multiplayer experience.

Battlefield 1942 is probably still the most fondly remembered game in the series, and surprisingly it’s console gamers that get to experience the sequel first, and perhaps even more eyebrow-raising is the fact that Battlefield 1943 is a download-only title. In order to scale the game down to a reasonable number of megabytes, DICE have taken 1942, put it in a blender, extracted the essence, and created a concentrated FPS solution with which they have formed a streamlined Battlefield experience.

I feel confident that I can review Battlefield 1943 based on the 30 minute demo. I can do this since the demo was representative of the full game. With the luck of server rotations, I would be playing on Wake Island only.

Set in the Pacific Theatre of World War II, Battlefield 1943 has only three proper maps (plus a bonus dogfight-only map), all based on real-life battles between the United States Marine Corps and the Imperial Japanese Navy. Although three sounds like a paltry number, DICE’s logic is that when presented with a large number of maps, a playerbase quickly finds a couple of favourites and ends up ignoring the rest anyway. So why not concentrate on making three maps that are as enjoyable as possible?

This logic proves to be sound, as the locations in Battlefield 1943 are excellent arenas for warfare. Wake Island is a horseshoe shaped atoll, with the narrow strip of land encouraging assaults from the sea. Guadalcanal is a rocky oval setting with many hills and valleys. And Iwo Jima is dominated by the imposing Mount Suribachi at one end and a wide forested plain containing an airfield at the other.

The crisp blue sky and blazing sun of Wake Island, the blood-red sunset of Iwo Jima, and the rocky ridges of Guadalcanal give each map an immediate visual identity. The sole mode in 1943 is the series’ signature Conquest, featuring five control points on each map that can be captured to deplete the other teams ‘tickets’. Tickets represent reinforcements, and basically act as a giant shared health bar for each team.

These control point flags also act as spawn points for the team that holds them, although both teams have an uncapturable base, so snatching victory from the jaws of defeat is always possible.

There are also only three classes and four vehicles (plus a semi-controllable bombing raid), but again these are more like refinements than reductions. The Rifleman is best against other infantry, having a Semi-Automatic rifle along with Rifle Grenades, but is fairly useless when faced with a tank.

The Infantryman’s Sub-Machinegun is superb for close-range fighting, his Rocket Launcher deals with Tanks or Jeeps easily and he can repair vehicles with his wrench, but he can easily be killed from a distance.

The Scout is the stealthy class; his Scoped Rifle has a phenomenal range and can kill in just two shots, but the Bolt-Action nature means it takes practice to be effective with this. The Scout also comes equipped with a pistol in case he’s surprised at close-range, and with some forethought his Remote Demolition Charges can excel at destroying Tanks or defending flags.

Each class is expertly balanced against the others, and although each player may have their favourite, there will be an ideal class for any given situation, and yet they are versatile enough so you never feel like you’ve picked the ‘wrong’ one.

As it uses the excellent Frostbite engine that was first seen in Bad Company, Battlefield 1943 features the tremendous destructibility of that prior game. In practice this means that the buildings around some flags can be completely razed to the ground, with the subsequent lack of cover requiring completely different strategies. Trees can also be felled, turning dense areas of foliage into a dangerously open no-man’s land. And nothing is more heart-warming than seeing a tank fall into the sea because you bombed the bridge ahead of it.

In addition to the tanks and jeeps, two of the maps will start you off on an aircraft carrier floating off the coast of the main island. This means that unless you’re looking forward to a lengthy breaststroke (there’s a joke in that somewhere), you’ll need to jump in a plane or boat. The landing craft are straightforward, but the mere fact that you can choose to ‘storm the beaches’ at any part of the island instantly provides more tactical opportunities than most other games.

The planes could be seen as either the best or worst part of 1943. They are at once both thrilling and frustrating to fly, and much potential teamwork is scuppered by soldiers simply hanging around spawn points for their chance to be a pilot. It takes much practice to even get a single ground kill with a plane, and of course you cannot assist your team in capturing flags. Nevertheless, an expert 1943 pilots are a force to be feared, and the planes can also be put to strategic use by utilising them to parachute behind enemy lines.

Possibly the best feature of 1943 is the squad support. DICE have made it very easy to team up with three other friends, and as well as being able to see their map positions and current class, you can even choose to spawn directly next to your team-mates. Combine this with the short time between deaths, and the action never stops.

Battlefield 1943 sets a high standard for the quality of downloadable games, and at only a tenner is an almost essential purchase for any online FPS fan. The only real criticism that can be levelled at it is for the low number of maps, but considering the price point this may be unfair. Knowing EA, we’re certain to see some downloadable content to remedy this soon, anyway.

5.0 out of 5 stars NCAA Football. Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2019. Format: Video Game Verified Purchase. Comment Report abuse. 3.0 out of 5 stars It's ok, but the field goal kicking sucks. Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2013. Psp games.

So put your helmet on and join in the battle! You don’t even need to get off the sofa.

Battlefield 1943 isn’t just a good WWII shooter; it’s actually good enough to contend with any other online shooter out today

Before reading this I already know what your thinking. Your probably saying to yourself: WTF, another World War II shooter? The difference it that Battlefield 1943 isn’t just a good WWII shooter; it’s actually good enough to contend with any other online shooter out today. The Battlefield series began way back in 2002 on the PC. The single player campaign was for the most part, forgetful, as it was basically playing the game against bots, with a mission briefing beforehand. It was the multiplayer component that had gamers coming back for seconds. The series introduced what I would call RTS-fps gameplay; this is because there’s so much going on with plenty of strategy involved. You can really be all you can be as you take the fight to the air, ground and sea. In planes, tanks, jeeps, or on foot the series really changed the way the online FPS is played.

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Battlefield 1943 is the true sequel to the original, and although it’s been 7 years, it is totally worth the wait. The concept behind Battlefield is simple for the casual and at the same time incredibly deep for the hardcore. In essence, it plays out like a game of domination in Call of Duty or king of the hill in Halo; the difference being that kills in the case of Battlefield also count as points towards your win. They’ve thrown in an XP leveling system, which credits you for kills, assists, defensive kills, defensive assists, and snatching up territories. Although the XP is there, it really doesn’t serve much purpose besides allowing you to rank up. There aren’t any upgrades or other incentives for moving up in ranks, which is unfortunate and definitely one of the title’s shortcomings. The developers did manage to address a major issue with spawn camping found in many of the previous titles in the series, by not allowing you to attack the other team while they spawn at their HQ. Before every respawn you can switch between classes (infantryman, rifleman, and scout) and spawn points, to help you jump back right into the action.

Graphically, Battlefield is one of, if not the best looking downloadable “arcade” games to date. Digital Illusions CE (DICE), the team behind the 2002 original, has implemented the same Frostbite Engine from Battlefield: Bad Company, bringing in incredible environmental damage and detail to the game. After an air or artillery strike, there’s just something about watching the trees slowly tumbling over in the distance that never gets old. It isn’t just the trees getting blown out of their place buildings are destructible as well. Perfect for those pesky snipers who spend the round camping indoors. They think they’re safe then all of a sudden: BOOM and they’re waiting to respawn. Disappointingly, not all buildings or structures are destructible and what’s worse is that there is no way of telling which ones are. So it makes the bomb dropping or running for cover a bit unbalanced and somewhat of a guessing game.

Sound Design in Battlefield truly draws you into the epic online experience. When bombs are dropped or cannons go off in your immediate area, you suddenly go deaf for a couple of seconds, where all you can really hear is your own heartbeat. It sounds really simple, but it’s done in a way that makes you feel that whatever it is that you’re in the middle of is no laughing matter. The directional sound that is achieved is also quite impressive. I can think of many times where I would be climbing a hill in hopes of providing sniper support to my teammates and when I reach the summit I can hear all the smaller skirmishes in the distance; yet in the immediate area where I’m posted all I can hear are my own footsteps and a nerve-wracking silence. I say nerve-wracking because when it’s that quiet, someone usually has you in his or her sights. The sound is so well detailed that you don’t have to use the radar to get into the action, just listen for the sweet sound of gunfire and screams and you know which way to go.

All in all Battlefield 1943 is breath of fresh air for the online FPS genre. I used to hate vehicles in shooters because they created an imbalance (i.e. tanks in COD: WAW), but in Battlefield for every tank, there’s a guy with a bazooka waiting for him. The game provides hours upon hours of entertainment and at only $15 bucks on PSN or 1200 MS points (respectively) it’s a steal! If you’re looking for something to keep you busy during the summer gaming drought, you can look no further.