@OffTheGeekEnd
BATTLEFIELD V (EA DICE – Xbox One, PS4, PC – October 19) – Battlefield is back again in 2018 with a new title, however the setting is anything but new. DICE and EA have confirmed that we will once again be visiting the battlegrounds of World War 2.
Unfortunately nothing was specifically said about which exact part we would be seeing. During the reveal event they did mention that War Stories would be returning. This was first seen in 2016’s Battlefield 1, where the campaign was spread across several real stories from the war. The only specific war story that was mentioned was one about the Norwegian resistance. However, before the event, a leaked concept render appeared showing a soldier with warpaint on his face that matched a real photo of two soldiers, part of the Filthy Thirteen, applying identical war paint to their faces. During the reveal a shot of what looked to be the same soldier from behind was shown off. Perhaps this is another of the War Stories we will see?
Operations are back, although this time they are being called Grand Ops. This will follow the same base idea, except it will be bigger and include different game modes and span different maps. It was mentioned that each part would be a “day” with a total of 4 days, and each following day would be the result of what happened on the day before it. Day 4 was said to be a sort of last man standing scenario, where whatever resources you have are all that is left.
Also returning is a co-op gamemode, which was last seen in Battlefield 3. Called Combined Arms, this will be a blend of single and multiplayer, where you can team up with 3 friends to wage war in a random generated mission.
Map destruction is also returning, except this time we are given the ability to sort of rebuild structures and fortify them to aid in the battle. This will definitely make for an interesting change in the game. Along with that there is a change to the optional items with the gasmask being replaced with a toolbox, which will allow players to fortify points on the map and repair vehicles.
Further changes include customization of your character’s look, so you will no longer be an everyday soldier but, instead, create your own personal characters to use on the battlefield. It was mentioned that you will earn these customizations through gameplay, such as the 4 player Co-Op mode. No mention of lootboxes for said customizations, but they did say it will not be pay-to-win. So if we do see lootboxes (it is EA afterall), it will only be for vanity items. They also said there will no longer be a premium pass and no expansion packs, which means no separation of base game or DLC, similar to Battlefront 2 with all DLC being free.
While not everyone is excited to revisit WWII, I’m ready to give it another. It has been 16-years since the original Battlefield 1942 and a lot has changed in game engine technology and hardware. Plus the War Stories campaign idea will bring a new light to it, especially since 1942 didn’t event have a proper campaign. Here’s hoping that we see a return of Wake Island as a Conquest map, and, hey, it might just be playable at E3 weekend’s EA PLAY event.
-Patrick Obloy