Battlefield 2042 Reviews
Battlefield 2042 absolutely should have been pushed back by EA and DICE to some point in 2022. Instead, the version of this game that is currently available has been virtually unplayable for me at times since first releasing. Even beyond this, though, some of the key design changes that DICE has made in Battlefield 2042 don't feel for the better. Rather than improving on the core Battlefield experience that fans loved with Battlefield 3, 4, or Bad Company 2, 2042 is a bloated husk of its former self that is trying to recapture some semblance of its previous glory. As a fan that has been playing this series for well over a decade, Battlefield 2042 is a massive disappointment that I struggle to think is even worth saving.
Battlefield 2042 is a game you need to have a squad alongside you to properly enjoy. It's just a shame many have been turned off from the game before it becomes the exciting simulation I know it can be. A lot of my friends have given up on it, but I don't want to just yet.
Battlefield 2042 is trying to be a distillation of what the first-person shooter genre has become in recent times, while also not committing to any single vision, let alone one that Battlefield can claim ownership of.
Battlefield 2042 is a shallow, feature-lacking mess of a game that appeals to neither long-time franchise fans nor newcomers. Go back to Battlefield V, or Battlefield 1, or Battlefield 4. Just don't play this.
Battlefield 2042 is simply a catastrophe that desperately needs a rework. Hot candidate for the most disappointing game of the year.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
Battlefield 2042 is nothing short of a rip-off, and screams of EA trying to see what they can get away with this generation. Overpriced, yet devoid of the content to justify its next-gen premium, it will leave franchise fans feeling insulted. Make no mistake, anyone looking to get into Battlefield should look elsewhere, or risk letting a lacklustre first impression sour their perception of what is otherwise one of the most premiere first-person shooters in the genre - which frankly just makes 2042's lack of content, lack of a campaign, and lack of polish all the more frustrating. Battlefield's legacy deserves better than EA squandering DICE's potential by launching a major title in a clearly unfinished state. Battlefield 2042 is a beta masquerading as a AAA release.
Evidently, Battlefield 2042 was not ahead of schedule. The game greatly suffers from an incapacity to fundamentally understand what makes Battlefield a Battlefield game. EA and DICE failed to understand the assignment: this game is not what long time Battlefield veterans want to play.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
In my opinion, especially with all of the bugs, you should save your money on this one or wait until a heavily discounted sale. Maybe in a year or so they'll iron out some of the issues that plagued its release and work on the "fun factor", but it just isn't there right now for this reviewer to feel comfortable recommending it to our readers or friends.
The launch has been something of a mess all around, from the removal of one of the Specialist’s abilities (an impossible-to-take-out shield) through to a gadget that caused server issues like rubber-banding. Both of these are back in the game, yet the shield can still fully absorb the imposing force of a tank shell. For a series that has always been about fostering a refined sandbox with clear objectives creating some truly spectacular moments, the tank shell sending the shielded player flying makes more sense (the physicality of Battlefield V would have allowed for such a trick). I could list a dozen more examples and ‘what if’ scenarios, but it ultimately circles back to one singular point. Battlefield 2042 is a heartbreaking disappointment.
I don't think there's a situation so bleak they wouldn't try to render in service of people-pleasing and making sales climb higher. Battlefield 2042 represents the pinnacle of a feedback loop that told its creators that bigger is always better. Now that we're here, I'm sure we were never right to think that and I don't think we're stepping back from it anytime soon.
If you're looking to enjoy the next Battlefield title, turn back now. With the next patch not slated to arrive for another month, and the next content update to release some time after that, it's going to be a while before 2042 can earn the right to be called a true Battlefield game. It's best to wait until the smoke clears and DICE fixes any major bugs (maybe even wait for it to go on discount) before spending $70 on this game.
It's not as unsalvageable as Battlefield 5, but it's still hard to imagine this evolving into the definitive Battlefield game that DICE wants it to be. There is fleeting fun to be had here, but it's often spoiled by the game's blatant shortcomings. The maps are a slog, gunplay is bogged down by puzzling design choices, and there's no shortage of bugs that actively require the player to restart the entire game. It's a far cry from the 10-year-old Battlefield 3 and as it continues to age, the series strays further away from those glory days with no road to redemption in sight.
Battlefield 2042 is a pretty huge disappointment. And it's hard to think if there's was a way to make things even worse. It would be great if instead of this game EA would just make a full re-release of Bad Company 2 and Battlefield 3 - the consoles userbase would surely appreciatethe the move.
Review in Russian | Read full review
In a series known for its scale and spectacle, climate change and technical issues are the new enemies
Unfortunately, this goes deeper than a rocky launch. It’s hard not to be disappointed with this 2042 offering. You know when the devs said this is a game to “celebrate Battlefield”? They’ve stripped away some of the most fundamental elements of the series and added tornados and Wingsuits to make up for it. It’s Marketing 101. Explosions, tornados, and swooping helicopters look great. One day, they probably will be great. DICE is one of the best when it comes to post-launch patches - for better and for worse. But if you’re on the fence about buying Battlefield 2042, I would just wait.
Despite trying to present itself as an advancement of the series, Battlefield 2042 instead feels like a severe dumbing-down. The Battlefield Portal offers some familiar fun, but it's just not enough to warrant buying the game.
In a world where developers are getting used to working from home and games are being pushed back due to the global pandemic, EA decided that Battlefield 2042 was ready for this year. It’s not. More time is needed to fix a lot of the problems, but even then that might not be enough to save it from being one of the most lacklustre Battlefield titles yet.
Battlefield 2042 felt like an eternity away, but now it’s only a little over one week from release. After spending three days with other media types playing the next giant war game, I can finally say it’s ambitious but isn’t able to match the ambition so far. I say so far because while we did play online with our group and while we did have at least 4 hours with each mode (some of us had six with Breakthrough), that’s not enough to properly assess modes like Hazard Zone and Portal. I also don’t know if they’re going to start the battle pass during the early access period. So for now, check out my review-in-progress.
The bugs and imperfections are too much incident on the gameplay. The spectacular graphics and interactive maps fail to balance the shortcomings.
Review in Italian | Read full review