Battlefield Hardline Reviews
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.
Battlefield: Hardline can be ridiculous, with stealth and arrest mechanics that stretch the very limits of credulity. All the same, the single-player campaign works brilliantly as the video game version of a big, dumb action thriller. Cracking set-piece firefights are mixed with stealth, escape and exploration, and there's scope to play some sequences your way, not just follow the objective marker. Multiplayer, meanwhile, is fiercely enjoyable, and in Hotwired boasts one of Battlefield's finest hours. Look past Hardline's minor faults, and you'll find the best all-round Battlefield since the great Bad Company 2.
Battlefield's first foray into stealth makes for a fresh campaign, and the multiplayer has something for everyone.
Battlefield Hardline has an amazing single player campaign, with some very unique ideas. Where it fails the most is when it quits trying to be different from past installments.
The single-player mode starts out promisingly, but bogs down into a rather weak stealth game whose action feels hit-and-miss. Multiplayer is where the game works best, especially on its smaller maps, which can deliver truly thrilling and intense action.
Hardline does show occasional flashes of brilliance, though, so there's definitely something worth pursuing here. With a stronger emphasis on open area stages and multiplayer modes that utilize the police arsenal, Visceral could craft something much stronger in the future. Further investigation is required.
It's easy to dismiss Hardline out of hands as being too far removed from Battlefield's typical setting to be worthy of the name, but even as Visceral ride on the brands coattails, they've had the confidence to adapt that core gameplay to suit a new setting. That's not just true of the multiplayer, but also the single player story and its compelling tale of drugs and police corruption.
While Hardline is tone deaf at times, mostly it is just deafening. Explosions and bombast are used not to distract from a troubling narrative as much as a stale one perfunctorily paced and reminiscent of network television emptiness.
Battlefield Hardline did not crash during our tests and appears to function precisely as expected at this time.
In areas where Battlefield has always excelled and pushed forward, Hardline presents experiments, rather than refinements or fixes. The result is multiplayer that feels very familiar, very quickly. But its campaign, while feeling not completely sure about what it wants to be, is more interesting and certainly all-around better than the last few years' worth of Battlefield games.
While it doesn't feel as vital as Battlefields past, inventive new multiplayer modes and a fresh, if slightly unfocused campaign make Hardline the worthy TV spin-off to DICE's big budget blockbusters.
Thankfully, while Hardline might be a more different than veterans may have hopped for, it does enough of its own to come off as a solid start to a new type of Battlefield. Although, it does need to be said that with it being such a departure, it's easy to see that it is still trying to figure itself out when put against its more militant and seasoned counterpart. Fans of the series will find many moments that harken back to the heart of franchise if they are willing to try something new and are are able to make a few gameplay adjustments. Anyone trying out a Battlefield title for the first time will find a game that's much more accessible than any of the other ones in the past, but much like the previous ones, if you're getting in the helicopter, please practice in an empty lobby before crash landing with your whole team on board.
The campaign pulls in some strong performances from its actors and earns points for its open-design. The campaign gameplay, however, leaves much to be desired. Still, it's a step in the right direction for future Battlefield games. Hardline may not revolutionize the Battlefield brand, but it fixes many of its biggest problems.
Just like BF: Vietnam and BF: 2142, it does not reinvent the wheel, but it does enough unique things to be called its own, and if you're looking for chaotic multiplayer fun, you can never go wrong with Battlefield Hardline.
Hardline might not reinvent the wheel the series rolls on, but it certainly makes it spin a whole lot smoother. Speeded up gameplay, an opened-up single-player, and a robust suite of new multiplayer modes lends itself to the best Battlefield to date—though that's not saying much, a decade later.
A mighty fine bite-size Battlefield experience that takes a franchise synonymous with being a military shooter and establishes it in new territory. Battlefield Hardline is not as grand or epic as you'd perhaps expect a core Battlefield title to be, but it's certainly a damn fine alternative.
Battlefield games have always featured huge maps and plenty of vehicles. Hardline strays from that formula to provide a different experience that is still fun, but it would almost be more impressive if it wasn't a Battlefield game and wasn't held to the same standard. In other words, Hardline is a great game if considered on its own merits, but it's not the best Battlefield game.
Hardline doesn't sufficiently evolve interesting mechanics in the terrible single-player and is only saved by an at times enjoyable multiplayer component.
This is the 10th Battlefield game, and at this stage in the franchise's history, it isn't easy to come up with fresh takes. Visceral Games has done that.