Nearly a month has passed since EA and Dice released Battlefield 2042 and needless to say the game has been a disaster. Over the last month, the game has been struggling to be called even that. With a variety of bugs, crashes, and other problematic factors, Battlefield 2042 is an unfinished and lackluster game. Typically, we do not immediately criticize a game we are reviewing, but in this case, our audience deserves to know outright. Do not buy Battlefield 2042 for yourself or as a gift for someone else this holiday season. So why is Battlefield 2042 such a disaster? Let’s discuss that in the next few paragraphs.
Before the launch of Battlefield 2042, EA announced that this game would focus solely on multiplayer. With that in mind, you would expect the multiplayer to be well polished. Sadly, this is not the case. When the game first launched, most of the matches you were thrown into were unplayable. This was mostly due to server issues and each players’ connection to the server. On various occasions, we would shoot at a player, get hit markers, and the player would still be alive. Thinking that this might be an odd one-off situation, we attempted to shoot point-blank. Despite being less than an arm’s reach away, the shots just flew through the enemy. This issue occurred on multiple occasions, making the game feel like a torture device rather than a fun activity.
When it comes to games being broken at the time of release, Battlefield 2042 joins Cyberpunk 2077, No Man’s Sky, Fallout 76, and The GTA Trilogy Remastered as recent disasters. When a Call of Duty launch is less buggy than a Battlefield title, you know something is wrong.
Gameplay
When you first boot up Battlefield 2042, you are greeted with a variety of gameplay options. Players can choose between All-Out Warfare, Hazard Zone, and Portal; no not that Portal sadly. Portal allows players to choose a variety of custom game modes. Some of these custom game modes are official experiences provided by EA and contain maps and characters from previous games; the game alterations currently offered feature maps and characters from Battlefield 3, Battlefield Bad Company 2, and Battlefield 1942. Players can also create their own custom game modes. Once the game mode is created, players can choose to make it available to offers or invite to private sessions. Players can browse through a variety of server games and see what ping they would have if they joined the server.
Battlefield 2042 has improved with the release of patches. The game is still nowhere near where it should be, but it is an improvement. Each battlefield is massive and offers a variety of landscapes to choose between for combat. Players can choose to tackle an area by foot but vehicles typically reign supreme. While playing, players have the option to spawn on their squadmates or on an objective. This makes moving throughout the massive maps a lot easier than if you had to run from a set objective. Despite the maps being massive, they also feel rather empty. The maps feel like you are stumbling upon an abandoned civilization and trying to capture its resources. For a game that features 128 players, it feels like an abandoned town.
Customization & In-Game menus
Battlefield 2042 offers players a smaller variety of weapons to use. The class system focuses on specialists each with their own unique abilities but eliminates basic classes like medic or assault; these classes still exist but not in the same way as in prior games. Factions barely exist within the game. In-game, players can choose their custom load-outs with each having a special focus. Loadouts options can break making the player be stuck with the same weapon throughout the whole match. When it comes to open field combat, an SMG doesn’t always cut it.
There are no leaderboards, no scoreboards, or a way to track your K:D ratio. In some ways, this can be beneficial. Rather than focusing on each player’s individual kills, the game prioritizes objective control. Each team has a set amount of reinforcements that control the tide of battle. At the end of the game, you can see who the top three players of your team are as well as what you contributed.
As for weapon customization, players can make and customize eight loadouts. These loadouts consist of a primary and a secondary weapon, a gadget, and a throwable object. The game only features nineteen primary weapons and three secondary weapons. Battlefield 2042 offers more gadgets than they do secondary weapons, offering eleven gadgets. Finally, there are only five throwable weapons. Out of the thirty-eight customizable weapon class options, twenty-four of them are locked behind the experience leveling system. Each weapon has a variety of attachments that can be unlocked by getting kills. These attachments can be equipped while playing and the loadout can be customized before deployment.
Finally, each vehicle has a variety of customization options that can be unlocked by getting kills, assists, or by destroying other vehicles.
Graphics
When it comes to graphics, Battlefield 2042 is two sides of the same coin. On one side, you have the wonderful design that has gone into the game with the weapons, characters, and environments. On the other side, you have all the bugs and gameplay issues. So ultimately, what wins out? Do you go with a game that looks visually appealing but does not work properly? Or do you go with a game that is not as visually appealing but works as intended?
The game’s graphics are amazing and new features such as inclement weather make combat feel different. Ultimately, we would say a game that functions as intended is better overall. Ultimately Halo Infinite has the right idea even if fans are slightly disappointed.
Battlefield 2042 offers a variety of other customizable options. Players can alter their field of view, brightness, motion blur, film grain, and lens distortion. Players can also change their squad, friendlies, and enemies in-game colors. This allows those with certain color blindness to adjust things to match their needs.
Controls and SFX
When it comes to Battlefield 2042‘s controls, we were less than impressed. Although you can remap the controls, there is just too much going on with each controller. If you want to take the time to completely remap the controller you can, but it becomes rather tedious. If you are coming from another shooter, the controls just feel overwhelming. They are responsive where you aren’t yelling damn controller, but it takes quite a while to get used to.
As for the game’s sound effects and audio, Battlefield 2042 could use some work. Combat sounds are great sounding like the things that they intend to be, however, a lack of proper team chat or squad chat makes you feel alone rather than working as a cohesive unit.
Replay Value
When it comes to Battlefield 2042’s replayability, there is not much to say. If you are a fan of grinding levels to get gear, then you may have a good time. The game offers a limited variety of maps that become stale after playing them enough times. Fans of massive open combat should enjoy the game for a bit but each player’s experience will vary. Personally, once this review is live, I will be deleting the game; I’d rather have teeth pulled.
Verdict
Battlefield 2042 definitely feels like a step in the wrong direction for EA and Dice. Although battle royale and combat sims can be fun to some players, they are not for everyone. The loss of a single-player campaign and other features make Battlefield 2042 a ghost of its former self. If you have the time and energy to learn the game’s mechanics, the game can be fun but rather time-consuming. Ultimately this Battlefield is one most players should skip. If EA and Dice continue to improve Battlefield 2042, then it will eventually be worth picking up similar to Star Wars Battlefront 2, but as of now, it is a good idea to wait.
Battlefield 2042 is available on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
A digital copy of Battlefield 2042 was provided for review purposes.
