Battlefield Hardline Reviews
Battlefield: Hardline is a stupid game. I quite like it.
At the very least, it's "more Battlefield", which is by no means a bad thing – yet – and at its highest points, it's a bit of silly, Vice-inspired fun. I do not think the world will care to remember Hardline very much in future, but for what it is, it's a good effort to be more than another disposable shooter, even if that's all it really is at its core.
It's not Battlefield in practice, but a great single-player mode elevates this game into something special.
'Battlefield: Hardline' puts a clever spin on the 'Battlefield' formula, but a serious identity crisis keeps it from being a solid step forward for the franchise.
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.
Battlefield Hardline has a decent campaign and great multiplayer action, but a lack of personality means it feels more like an expansion than full sequel.
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.
Battlefield: Hardline may seem like simply an expansion to the fourth entry in the game, but after diving in I enjoy it a lot more than the previous effort. The campaign is a breath of fresh air, and the multiplayer adds enough to make it stand out.
There are people that say that Battlefield Hardline is just a DLC pack disguised as a new release, but that's not quite true. It feels familiar in terms of gameplay, but fresh enough in theme and heavy enough in content that it's worth its own release. It's a decent game that gets points for originality of concept, but how much value it has is down to how much you enjoyed previous entries in the franchise, and how much you'd like to see the Cop FPS genre become a thing.
Battlefield Hardline takes a fresh look at the traditional warfare gameplay with a focus on combat between criminals and cops. The single-player campaign makes for a compelling and innovative approach to the traditional Battlefield gameplay with an increased focus on multiple victory paths and stealth. A variety of new game modes and redesigned progression system make for some of the best online multiplayer gameplay found in a Battlefield series game. Battlefield Hardline is a worthwhile entry in the series that shouldn't be passed over by fans.
Battlefield Hardline is easily the most complete game in the franchise since Battlefield: Bad Company 2's release five years ago. The story makes you actually care about the characters and introduces some much-needed new gameplay with the addition of stealth and non-violent takedowns. It's not the strongest story you'll see, but the positives far outweigh any negatives that the stupid AI and cliched story provides.The multiplayer is genuinely refreshing, and whilst veterans of the franchise may notice the missing game modes and vehicular combat that they are used to, the majority of gamers will find the fast-paced and amusing action to be fun-filled.Visceral's first attempt at taking control of the Battlefield series can only be seen as a success, and whilst it maintains the unique feel of the series, they've added a fresh and new twist to every aspect. Just as Forza Horizon's differences perfectly compliment Forza Motorsport, EA may have finally found a winning combination to compete with Call of Duty.
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.
Minor gripes like the netcode and kill trades aside, the game delivers an online experience that can be cathartic, tense, and ultimately an adrenaline rush – something that echoes the core tenets of a "Battlefield" game.
There are some who can dominate Battlefield's multiplayer with an Olympian efficiency, but the overwhelming majority are marooned in the middle, where the concussive sound of bullets and the smoldering plumes left by grenades aren't signs of domination but reminders that you're still on your feet, not dominating the world, but surviving in it for another few seconds. There's genuine awe in these moments, a beauty particular to video games, demanding respect for scale and the necessary investment of thought, coordination, and time to accomplish simple acts like moving a duffel bag from A to B. It's a poetic antithesis of the game's story mode, proof that order can more easily come from conflict than from conflict's preemptive repression.
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.
Whether your a fan of the Battlefield series already, or looking for something new to try, you certainly can't go wrong with this one.
Even with a new setting and a new developer, Battlefield Hardline is still a Battlefield game which means it can be a rough road to travel for more casual shooter fans. The story campaign is fun but has zero lasting appeal once you beat it and the multiplayer is something you can only really enjoy for the long term if you're willing to invest in the game's Premium service or you have a dedicated group of friends to play with. Battlefield Hardline may have taken strides to shake up the core Battlefield experience but, in many ways, it's still more of the same old Battlefield, for better or for worse.
Visceral have create a perfectly good functioning Battlefield game in Hardline. It shoots as good as the best of them, the car-chases are fun, and the small tweaks made to the core formula are very welcome. But a little refinement does not mask that this is a very similar game to what we bought in 2013; despite the strong efforts to make a variety of new game modes, you can't shake the feeling of playing classic Battlefield. And quite honestly, Battlefield without tanks and jets is only half as fun. Curiously the single player campaign is the most interesting element, which is surely due to the studio's strength in solo-play design from their days on Dead Space. That's not enough to make it an essential purchase, though. Players new to the series may find the urban setting interesting and will certainly benefit from the refined mechanics. Series veterans, however, are best sticking to what they already have.