Battlefield 1 Review

In 1916 the world found itself in the midst of a war like no other, “the war to end all wars” it took combat to a whole different level and saw the introduction of weapons and vehicles that for their time were state of the art. In 2016 EA and DICE drop us into the midst of that turmoil in a totally immersive version of the Battlefield franchise.

Battlefield 1 is the latest offering from DICE and EA and this time they look to have got everything right. With 5 different single-player campaigns to play, there is something for everyone to love. Operate as the new driver in the British Mk.V tank to become part of the tight-knit team or battle for air superiority as a volunteer in the British Flying Corps. Volunteer to join the Italian Arditi and fight the Austro-Hungarian troops in the Italian Alps, you can even join the Australian infantry and fight in one of the most infamous battles of the Great War as they storm the breaches at Gallipoli. To top it all off you get to join the world famous Lawrence of Arabia in his fight against the Ottoman Empire.

If that’s not enough you have the online multiplayer which accommodates 2 – 64 players in all out World War 1 combat. With 9 Maps at launch there is a theatre of combat for everyone, we also see the return of Conquest, Rush, Domination and Team Deathmatch modes, but we find the introduction of a new mode ‘War Pigeons’ find and use the pigeons to send messages to have your artillery take out the enemy targets.

We also see the introduction of ‘Operations’ here you will find 4 separate theatres of combat these games can be selected to have 40 or 64 players. Operations give you the opportunity of pitting British against Germans, Americans against Germans, Italians against Austro-Hungarians and British against the Ottoman Turks.

Quick Match is the fastest way to get into a game and you can select the game mode you wish to play, but we still have the ‘Server Browser option where you can filter everything from game mode to location of the server just as we have had with previous Battlefield games. If that’s not enough we know that ‘Customer Games’ ‘Hardcore’ and ‘Fog of War’ will all be available soon.

Yet again EA and DICE have delivered a game that caters for everyone, no matter how you play the game, from the boots in the mud grunt, to the air ace, or the tank driver or gunner, Battlefield 1 delivers. The only thing you will need to enhance the game to its full potential is a good team, every Battlefield player knows that a good team working together will always win in Battlefield, so grab your headset and get online with your friends for some hard-hitting combat.

Graphically this is the best Battlefield game yet, with stunning backdrops and very realistic characters you feel more like you are watching a movie than playing a video game. You will recognise the actors who have lent themselves to the characters. Yet again DICE have used lighting very effectively to capture the ambiance of the game, the smoke and dust generated from falling debris is a very nice touch, if the light source is behind the dust you are faced with a wall of light, exactly as you would expect, this all adds to the realism of the game and enhances the immersive experience of combat.

Sound in Battlefield 1 is very good, larger calibre weapons have a much deeper sound than a light calibre pistol, which again is very accurate, different vehicles have their own sound, as does moving over different surfaces, even down to the difference in sound when moving over the sand of the beach during the attack on Gallipoli and the deserts of North Africa when fighting with Lawrence of Arabia.

The game is further enhanced by a hypnotic and entertaining soundtrack, which is indicative of the environment you are currently fighting in, from the haunting tons of soft Arabic melodies in the desert to the thundering beats in the Italian Alps. The soft hypnotic tones are suddenly replaced by a much more dramatic track as soon as you alert an enemy, all helping build the atmosphere and build to the tension in the game.

If you have played any of the previous Battlefield games you will be familiar with the control layouts, if this is your first Battlefield game you will find the controls easy to master, with a standard combination of sticks, buttons, and triggers. Movement is very smooth and the game is very responsive.

Don’t expect the weapons and vehicles to handle like the modern day equivalents, but I would ask you to keep in mind that any vehicle built in 1916 is going to handle a whole lot different from one built in 2016. Having had the privilege of firing a few World War 1 weapons I can say they are very accurate, they are basic and sights are primitive, but they feel right and handle exactly as they should.