Battlefield Hardline Reviews
While Battlefield Hardline is fun and has some cool set pieces, it's not really an improvement over Battlefield 4. Weak story, poorly written characters, and scaled down multiplayer make Hardline feel generic and rushed.
With two great new multiplayer modes, solid maps and interesting gadgets, Battlefield Hardline carefully folds a police theme into the franchise. The result is a chaotic and rewarding experience.
Multiplayer is, of course, the main reason that you buy into a Battlefield game, and it's generally enjoyable, even if it doesn't do anything to revolutionise the genre. However, both Activision and EA, and every other FPS developer that aspires to become the top dog franchise, needs to learn that if they are going to persist in putting single player narratives into their games, then they need to do a far better job. Telling a good story is not about throwing in more explosions. It's about understanding the context that the story is being created within, and then doing something with that context. That's art. That's what separates Battlefield: Hardline from a genuinely intelligent game like Spec Ops: The Line.
As far as Battlefield Hardline is concerned, the 1980s may as well have never ended.
In the end, Battlefield: Hardline is its own worst enemy. There are some great ideas here, but they aren't fully realized, and the game suffers for it. It's not a bad game, but it's also not an exceptional game. Battlefield: Hardline does an excellent job of being downright average. You probably don't want to pay full price for it, but it's one to keep on your radar when a good sale pops up.
While we weren't particularly impressed with Battlefield Hardline's multiplayer offering, we did like the intense ride that the campaign took us on. The story might be fairly throwaway, but the environments, set pieces, and the gameplay scenarios you'll often find yourself in are memorable and make up for the clichés and nonsensical plot details.
Battlefield Hardline is a fresh experience in the series that manages to pull off its novel concept of cops vs. criminals. It still has technical issues and the story may not be for everyone, but its multiplayer mode is a blast and, so far, isn't suffering from the many technical problems that affected past titles.
Battlefield: Hardline tries very hard to be something fresh in a world of familiarity. It just doesn't quite have the chops to pull it off, at least from a campaign perspective. It's cool to have enemies with cones of vision, the option to arrest without killing everyone in sight, and to encourage a more methodical, tactful approach.
Against all the odds, it's the single player campaign that's proved to be Battlefield: Hardline's biggest selling point. Trying to play through as a 'good cop' by arresting baddies instead of filling them with lead is very rewarding. But the gunplay is as fun as ever if you want to play that way too. The multiplayer feels scaled down due to the smaller maps and the heist and assassination missions generally favour the defenders too much. Hotwire's car chases are essential though and will hopefully become a series regular.
Battlefield takes on the police state scenario embedded into modern politics and does nothing with it short of making itself appear restless.
As a whole, 'Battlefield Hardline' manages to reinvent 'Battlefield' as a goofy cop drama, and as a successful one, though its ambitions and advancements are few. It does, however, succeed in freshness, a much-needed course correct away from its grim wartime roots into something far more likely to warrant repeat binge viewing ahead of the next season--er, game, even beyond its ever-lively multiplayer.
If you prefer the sort of fast-paced gameplay that Visceral seems to be going for, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare did a much better job of delivering on that vision.
In a genre that has become saturated with Call of Duty-knockoffs, putting players on to the thin blue line is an excellent change. Battlefield: Hardline shift from the war zones to the streets helps bring a sense of originality to the series.
Battlefield Hardline was a fantastic entry in the franchise. It was fresh, new, stealthy, comedic, and overall a damn good time to play. There's a little something for everyone here.
As it stands, Battlefield Hardline's slick single-player campaign makes it worth your while. Its well-paced, good looking,and a treat to play. Visceral Games' subversive take on the series might be a B-side to the usual military fare we're used to, but playing cops and robbers was never this fun.
Battlefield Hardline doesn't want to be a hero. It wants to be a toy. And despite what Harry Zimm might think, that's okay.
Flop campaign, wonderful multiplayer. Standard
I think, oddly enough, that Battlefield: Hardline appeals to you the most if you aren't a traditional Battlefield fan. To be honest, I have long been over Battlefield's traditional military shooter roots, and since Hardline breaks from that formula, I enjoyed it far more than I have any other Battlefield title yet. If you are looking for something different and experimental, and you enjoy single-player more than multiplayer, then Battlefield: Hardline is a pretty good recommendation for you.
If you're looking for a fun, solid-though-not-brilliant cop drama to play through that then lets you jump into multiplayer and be the cop or the robber, this is the game for you.
Battlefield Hardline is a semi-unique game in the Battlefield franchise that features an enjoyable, if forgettable, campaign and a great multiplayer mode. Those looking for the more traditional Battlefield experience will still find it here, as will those interested in Hardline's twist on the franchise.