Students takes an in depth look at a Video Game
Danny Stueber, Staff Writer
The last two Battlefield games, Battlefield 4 and Battlefield Hardline, were missteps in the franchise with shoty online play and bugs galore that really left a sour taste in the mouth of many fans. Then, earlier this year, EA announced the next game would be Battlefield 1, a war game taking place during World War 1 respectively.
Many people were skeptical if something considered to be the worst war in history could be made into a game with respect and dignity while still being fun. After many hours with the single player and the multiplayer, I can say that the people over at Dice who made this game did an excellent job on all those fronts.
The campaign, while short, really shows the respect the war deserves. You play as five different people all living out different situations throughout the war. It shows how normal everyday people were thrown into this horrible event and how they had to cope with it.
You see the struggles of a man who used to be a chauffeur now being made to drive tanks, an experimental technology at the time and you play as a woman trying to stop the invasion of her home by enemy forces wanting to drill for oil in the first time in history for all their war machines.
You never feel like the time period is being disrespected or if anything is a joke. You feel for the characters and the situation they are all thrown into. The campaign also serves as a tutorial of sorts for the main attraction, the multiplayer.
You learn how to drive the tanks, fly the planes, wear the body armor, ride the horses, shoot, and stealth all from the different stories and with how demanding some of those things are it was a smart way of doing so.
My one complaint is that it was really short. Each story is only around an hour long and as a result you never can get to invested with any of the characters. When each story ended I was left wanting more and to know what happened to them which is never a good feeling, especially 5 times in a row.
The multiplayer is as strategic and fun as ever for the battlefield series and unlike Battlefields that came before it, this one had no bugs and bad connections through my hours of play. The massive maps all feel different and allow you to try any of the classes till you know what fits you best.
The old weapons of World War 1 are still fun to use compared to today’s and because a lot of them were experimental it shows even more strategy along the lines of not being sure if you should try to reload now or not, if you should throw the mustard gas to run the enemy out of hiding, etc. it is fun while being true to what I feel the battles were like at the time.
My one complaint for the multiplayer function is the unlock and progression system is just bad. Sometimes when you level up you get some war bonds which can be used to buy new weapons and equipment but it’s never enough from one or two levels. Even after you buy a weapon, you have to make sure your class is a high enough level to use it which is separate from your player level.
I was level 5 and bought a shotgun to use with the assault class but I needed that class to be level 3. Because I like all four classes even after many hours of play, the assault class was not even level 2 yet so I was stuck with wasted money and the same weapons for even longer. It’s very disheartening and does not feel like you are accomplishing anything as a result.
Battlefield 1 is my favorite in the series. The gameplay is fun, it feels good to play, the stories are a great learning tool as well as appropriate for the time period the game portrays, etc.
I will mention however, that if you buy this game on an Xbox One, it is slightly darker for some reason than the PS4 version. I tried it on a 1080p tv and a 4K monitor and it was always darker than the other console for some reason. The PS4 version looks better but the online components handle better on the Xbox so, whichever is more important to you should help in your purchasing decision.
Battlefield 1 is not my favorite shooter this year but it was my biggest surprise. If you’re sick of every shooter being the same these days, pick this game up and I promise you will have fun.
Wingate Triangle 