Battlefield 1 Reviews
While it can't resist urge to go over the top at times, in doing so, it at least delivers one of the best Battlefield campaigns to date.
Usually I would not recommend a Battlefield game on the strength of its single-player, but Battlefield 1’s War Stories have toppled this tradition like a well-placed mortar to a windmill.
Battlefield 1 might not be the best Battlefield game, or the best FPS game I've ever played, but it succeeds at doing what it needs to do. It feels like Battlefield, it works like Battlefield, and it has plenty of opportunities for amazing things to happen that have only ever happened in a Battlefield game. It’s nice to see DICE returning to the roots of what makes this series so amazing, and I’m happy that, for the first time in years, a new Battlefield game doesn’t feel like it is in the middle of an identity crisis.
No one makes more beautiful shooters than DICE, but their gameplay still leaves something to be desired, despite what appeared to be a total refresh with the WWI setting. Fans of the series may look past these faults or even embrace them, but some of them are hard to get past, and can define the entire experience.
Operations mode is the standout addition to the multiplayer, bringing together the behemoths, the destruction, the hellish screams of people charging into the fight. I do wish that the single player had been able to push on and draw more from that excellent opening, but stepping back to the First World War helps to give Battlefield 1 a refreshing and invigorating veneer to the game, and it’s lost none of the series’ explosive gameplay in the process.
I didn't see myself playing through (and enjoying) Battlefield 1's campaign even just weeks prior to this assessment, but here we are. It somehow manages to be a good amalgam of the staple formula DICE has relied on for years, with a bit of anime (flashes of Metal Gear Solid V and flowing shonen capes) sprinkled in for good measure. I'm really not looking forward to spending $50 on the DLC to get more maps, but for now, I'll be coasting along in Operations for the next few months.
The First Word War setting feels a little less daring than you might’ve hoped, but as a complete first person shooter package this is one of the best of the generation so far.
Battlefield's tried and tested multiplayer feels wonderfully at home in the WW1 setting, and the solo campaign tells interesting - if historically lightweight - stories.
While the campaign’s experimental short stories may just be the most interesting thing about Battlefield 1, this is not a niche experience to accurately portray the history its borrowing. This is a Battlefield game, and that means World War One in the Battlefield style, with all the compromises therein.
Some poor mechanics keep the campaign from being superb, but fans come to the series for its competitive multiplayer. Battlefield 1 is successful in turning back the clock while other franchises are aiming for the future.
Battlefield 1 is the best version of the franchise since the Bad company 2. Despite having the same problems like the narrative and level design, the game succeeds to offer a better experience with the story, and this success is achieved by the enchanted narration and the developer’s creativity. But the best part of the game is in the online multi player mode, which is now at the peak of the well known “battlefield formula”. You don't have to spend all your time in the Conquest mode, because with the revolutionary operations mode and the other interesting modes like the War pigeon, you can enjoy the power of the Battlefield’s multiplayer much more and better than ever.
Review in Persian | Read full review
A few minor shortcomings aside, Battlefield 1 is just the type of reinvigoration that the franchise needed.
Battlefield 1 manages to inject new life to the series thanks to great visuals and the best campaign in the franchise in some time while retaining most of the elements that it has traditionally done well such as massive multiplayer confrontations and vehicular combat.
Though the “1” in its name may officially stand for the Great War, it could also represent the rebirth of a franchise that took a bit of a beating with Battlefield 4, went down an awkward path with Hardline, before finally rising as the Battlefield title that simply all shooter fans must buy.
Battlefield 1 might seem like a step backward, but it moves the genre forward in several areas. Mostly the campaign, which is the most polished, and enjoyable campaign I have played in years. I cannot recommend it enough. The multiplayer feels great, but it is still Battlefield
The blessing and curse of Battlefield 1 is that it is another well-polished entry in a series that clearly follows a sacred gameplay formula. Fans who have enjoyed the series thus far will find the same enjoyment in this latest entry, and aspects of World War I have clearly been carefully curated and incorporated into the game. However, it does feel that the series is playing things too safe. As good as the multiplayer is, I'm hopeful that future entries will take more risk. In the meantime, Battlefield 1 is another great offering that follows the series' enjoyable gameplay template.
With open maps and confronting action, Battlefield 1 is a stable, balanced and exhilarating multiplayer shooter.
If the Campaign is a little disappointing, the online multiplayer, the maps and the graphics are absolutely great.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Make sure you do yourself a favour and grab a copy as soon as you can. It really will change the way you look at first person shooters. Utterly amazing.