Host Advantage

What is it about World War II that compels us to pick up the controller for the umpteenth time to resume our imaginary hostilities towards the Germans, in this case the Japanese? Perhaps war was more simple then where the technology was only advanced enough where the killers saw the white of their prey’s eyes before sending them to hell for their audacity to stand. Battlefield 1943 puts you in the thick of this mayhem and it does this all the while making you forget that you only paid fifteen dollars to witness it. The latest downloadable game from Electronic Arts is a throwback to the original Battlefield 1942 in that the maps are preserved from its predecessor but it also makes it current by making employing some current conventions as you will see…

First of all, although it may sound rather superficial, the graphics look great. As you and your squad mates take off towards the island of Iwo Jima because the fastest bastards have taken to the skies for the birds eye view, you’ll notice the rich blues of the ocean as well as the lush green foliage that enrich the landscape. You commandeer the first jeep you see as the way to the first village is just a little far to go by foot, which may clue you in as to how large these maps are in comparison to some games in the genre, and you floor it, hoping to capture the first flag and declare the town in the name of the Americans (or Japanese depending on which uniform you wear). You climb up a lookout tower and gaze through your sniper rifle with your breath stifled in your throat only to find out that on the far side of the island, your enemy is already on its way to put in a world of hurt whether on foot, in a tank, the aforementioned jeep, or a plane mounted with machine guns and a bomb that will send you back to a spawning point or perhaps destroy an adjacent building as well. This comes courtesty of the Frost Bite engine from Bad Company that allows for a decent of destruction within the environment. No more hiding behind paper thin walls to avoid a round from a tank. This is Battlefield 1943, not Ticklefield, only soldiers need apply.

There are three classes to choose from, each demand their own gameplay, and none will stop you from switching classes every now and again. First comes the Rifleman, with his rifle you can send powerful rounds quite a distance away or you can shoot grenades from this versatile weapon to eradicate foot soldiers or even jeeps. Next the Infantry, which packs a machine gun that can extinguish troops from a relatively short distance or you can even lob grenades to draw campers out of hiding. He also packs a bazooka that will put a tank to bed without much trouble which is important as tanks can be formidable in the right hands. A wrench is also at the ready to repair vehicles, which is interesting, but I found it of little use given the disposable nature of the vehicles. Even so it can be convenient at the right moment. Which brings us to the Scout. This class employs the sniper rifle, which is deadly from long distances in the right hands. The scout also has a trusty sidearm for close encounters with the agressor, but a little luck may be necessary if it’s infantry with a machine gun lubed and ready for your ass. Also, remote bombs are included so you can rig a bridge to blow and just wait for a tank to go by unawares. It is my understanding that there was a medic class in the original game that is no longer here. This is where 1943 has become sort of modernized in that your character has the Wolverine-ish ability to heal after absorbing many bullets which Call of Duty and many others made famous. I mean after all, health packs are now obsolete in the pantheon of first person gaming and Wolverine don’t need no stinking medic. In conclusion, depending on the play style you are in the mood for, there are different ways to enjoy the environment.

The controls are tight and responsive, I had no trouble drawing a bead on a soldier and making him pay for being slower on the trigger. I also found the vehicles to control rather well with the jeep not suffering from floaty physics which would’ve made the terrain difficult to navigate. The tank is similar to the jeep in control scheme but you have to keep an eye on which way you are aiming versus which way you are driving. The HUD shows you this with a simple diagram that is unimposing and it helps tremendously. Flyboys can take to the skies in one of the planes if you are lucky enough to get one… everyone wants to dogfight it seems. It may feel a little strange at first but I don’t find the mechanics that bizarre where I couldn’t just get busy the first time. I always was a fan of flight simulators while simultaneously being afraid of heights and this may have prepared me for what lied here. However I find the whole affair to be kinda sluggish in this game, and while enjoyable, I doubt I will lose sleep because I can’t get to a plane as easily as I may have liked.

Anyone who follows the podcast here will quickly identify that perhaps I am not the right person to review this game as I rarely indulge in multiplayer gameplay. I faithfully pay my fifty dollars every year to make sure that I can do it but not too often will you see me in a room laughing at the demise of others under the wrath of my trusty rifle, gun, fist, etc. However, in anticipation of the podcast, I sat at SkricLee’s house watching the game in action and found myself wanting to seize the controller from my host and start poppin’ cats my damn self. I was actually puzzled as to why this was and as I sat there, mystified by my compulsion to play this game it hit me: the large maps are what did it for me. I don’t like to be confined in a multiplayer experience as I get smoked damn near the same time I spawn by a camper. This frustration goes back to my days playing Counterstrike back in college, which I loved, but at the same time no one would confuse me for the professional hitman. Between that and switching between classes sealed the deal. Fifteen dollars flew out of my bank account and nearly six hundred megabytes of my hard drive became occupied. All in all, this whole experience has redefined what I can expect from Xbox Live Arcade as far as size and scope. With only three maps and a useless fourth coming soon, one may make the inference that it may get old quickly but as long as the community stays strong here, I don’t see that a possibility until Bad Company II supplants 1943 as my multiplayer game of choice….

Tags: Battlefield 1943

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 14th, 2009 at 2:22 pm and is filed under Reviews, Shooters. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.