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"Monkey say..."
Regular
on 07/10/2009 at 11:05:29PM
Total Posts: 135 |
Battlefield 1943
In a genre already filled with classics, can it hold its own?
There are plenty of first-person shooters out there for us to choose from already. So many in fact that it is beginning to feel that modern consoles were built to suit this genre. We are in a position now where you can safely put your money on a gaming franchise and know what you are going to get. Halo and Call of Duty are well established names these days. Killzone and Gears of War have added their piece to the show. So what on earth does a cheap and simple little online-only FPS think it can offer us?
Battlefield 1943 is a downloadable available on Xbox Live (and Playstation Network). It will cost you around £10 for the privilege, and for that you will get an online multiplayer game based upon the Pacific battle between America and Japan during WWII. Below is a quick 4-3-2-1 of what you get.
4 is the grand total of the number of maps you get. There are three “run around shooting at people” maps and a fourth which is purely about flying planes around (and shooting, again, of course).
3 is the number of character types you get to choose from when you enter each map to play a game. These characters have a pre-selected range of weapons to use, and cannot be customized.
2 is the number of teams on each map. When you start up a game you are placed on a team with up to 11 other players. You might be the Americans in one game and then the Japanese in the next.
1 is the number of game types available. You run around killing more of the other team than they shoot of you. You capture their bases and defend your own. Whoever kills the most wins the game, basically.
Oh yes, and zero is the amount of minutes you will spend playing the campaign mode; because there isn’t one.
But then the beauty of this game is in its simplicity. To coin a popular advert “It does exactly what it says on the tin”. No frills and no spills. You load the game up from your hard drive and within moments you are asked if you would like to join a game. Select ‘Yes’ and your console is soon connected to an available game, where there will be up to 23 other like-minded gamers all looking for the same fix. Once into the game you are asked to select your preferred character; rifleman, infantry or scout/sniper. You make your selection and that’s it, you’re in. If you have joined a game at the beginning you will start off at a base (either at one end of an island or on a boat). If you are joining a battle you will get to choose from whatever bases your team currently controls. Whichever it is you will soon find yourself face to face with an enemy, and may the best man/team win.
This game also nails some of the basics very well. The graphics are actually very good. Sure it’s no Gears of War, but then nothing else really is. The maps are pleasantly light for a change and actually quite spacious. From some of the hilly peaks you can clearly view the ongoing carnage. I have seen a few glitches whilst playing, but they soon disappear and are not enough to spoil my enjoyment of the game. The physics are also very good, if not exactly life-like. The buildings can be destroyed with enough firepower. Jeeps can be launched across the playing field if blown up whilst moving. It all adds up to a rather enjoyable experience.
There are tanks to drive around, and what they lack speed and manoeuvrability they make up for with power and brute strength. The jeeps are quicker and lighter, but also weaker as a result. You can jump in a plane and fly around shooting machine guns and dropping bombs. Or get into a boat and ferry people around. And it’s not just the driving as most of these transports (apart from the plane) have room for at least one passenger, who will be able to shoot with the mounted machine gun at any nearby enemy.
What you are getting here is a small but very well made game. It has a near perfect balance of everything you would at least expect from a game of this ilk. Yes it would be nice to customize your character a little, but that’s not a huge flaw really. And yes it would be nice to have a few more maps and a bit more than just killing your enemy/capture the flag, but then what do you really expect from a £10 game. What it does it does very well. It’s uncomplicated no extras approach means that it is offering something a little different. It’s quick and easy, and seemingly perfect placed for our modern, hectic lifestyles. If you need a quick fix at a FPS then you won’t need to look much further than BF 1943. And in this regard it can definitely hold its own in the FPS genre.
Overall I would score this game at 85%. For £10 you will be getting a great little game that will keep you entertained online for quite a while. There are some things it could change, but let’s face it for that price you cannot go far wrong.
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altaranga
"Monkey say..."
Regular
on 07/10/2009 at 11:05:29PM
Total Posts: 135
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Battlefield 1943
In a genre already filled with classics, can it hold its own?
There are plenty of first-person shooters out there for us to choose from already. So many in fact that it is beginning to feel that modern consoles were built to suit this genre. We are in a position now where you can safely put your money on a gaming franchise and know what you are going to get. Halo and Call of Duty are well established names these days. Killzone and Gears of War have added their piece to the show. So what on earth does a cheap and simple little online-only FPS think it can offer us?
Battlefield 1943 is a downloadable available on Xbox Live (and Playstation Network). It will cost you around £10 for the privilege, and for that you will get an online multiplayer game based upon the Pacific battle between America and Japan during WWII. Below is a quick 4-3-2-1 of what you get.
4 is the grand total of the number of maps you get. There are three “run around shooting at people” maps and a fourth which is purely about flying planes around (and shooting, again, of course).
3 is the number of character types you get to choose from when you enter each map to play a game. These characters have a pre-selected range of weapons to use, and cannot be customized.
2 is the number of teams on each map. When you start up a game you are placed on a team with up to 11 other players. You might be the Americans in one game and then the Japanese in the next.
1 is the number of game types available. You run around killing more of the other team than they shoot of you. You capture their bases and defend your own. Whoever kills the most wins the game, basically.
Oh yes, and zero is the amount of minutes you will spend playing the campaign mode; because there isn’t one.
But then the beauty of this game is in its simplicity. To coin a popular advert “It does exactly what it says on the tin”. No frills and no spills. You load the game up from your hard drive and within moments you are asked if you would like to join a game. Select ‘Yes’ and your console is soon connected to an available game, where there will be up to 23 other like-minded gamers all looking for the same fix. Once into the game you are asked to select your preferred character; rifleman, infantry or scout/sniper. You make your selection and that’s it, you’re in. If you have joined a game at the beginning you will start off at a base (either at one end of an island or on a boat). If you are joining a battle you will get to choose from whatever bases your team currently controls. Whichever it is you will soon find yourself face to face with an enemy, and may the best man/team win.
This game also nails some of the basics very well. The graphics are actually very good. Sure it’s no Gears of War, but then nothing else really is. The maps are pleasantly light for a change and actually quite spacious. From some of the hilly peaks you can clearly view the ongoing carnage. I have seen a few glitches whilst playing, but they soon disappear and are not enough to spoil my enjoyment of the game. The physics are also very good, if not exactly life-like. The buildings can be destroyed with enough firepower. Jeeps can be launched across the playing field if blown up whilst moving. It all adds up to a rather enjoyable experience.
There are tanks to drive around, and what they lack speed and manoeuvrability they make up for with power and brute strength. The jeeps are quicker and lighter, but also weaker as a result. You can jump in a plane and fly around shooting machine guns and dropping bombs. Or get into a boat and ferry people around. And it’s not just the driving as most of these transports (apart from the plane) have room for at least one passenger, who will be able to shoot with the mounted machine gun at any nearby enemy.
What you are getting here is a small but very well made game. It has a near perfect balance of everything you would at least expect from a game of this ilk. Yes it would be nice to customize your character a little, but that’s not a huge flaw really. And yes it would be nice to have a few more maps and a bit more than just killing your enemy/capture the flag, but then what do you really expect from a £10 game. What it does it does very well. It’s uncomplicated no extras approach means that it is offering something a little different. It’s quick and easy, and seemingly perfect placed for our modern, hectic lifestyles. If you need a quick fix at a FPS then you won’t need to look much further than BF 1943. And in this regard it can definitely hold its own in the FPS genre.
Overall I would score this game at 85%. For £10 you will be getting a great little game that will keep you entertained online for quite a while. There are some things it could change, but let’s face it for that price you cannot go far wrong.
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