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Battlefield 1943

Battlefield 1943

Petter has spent a few days with Digital Illusions' slim fit downloadable Battlefield and he has been enjoying himself tremendously.

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I never played a lot of Battlefield 2. I was simply not good enough. The same was true for Battlefield 2142 that I only tried briefly. I enjoy chaotic, high paced death matches. Games that lean more towards arcade style action, where physics and rules defy the laws of gravity and reality. Quake III, Unreal Tournament, Marathon 2, Half-Life Deathmatch and Halo 2 are favourites I have spent hours upon hours with.

Battlefield 1942 was a milestone in many ways as it was finally released in September 2002 after a lengthy development. I wasn't convinced by the World War II setting or the focus on vehicles. But somehow I got caught up in it. Fast. Battlefield 1942, Battlefield 2: Modern Combat and Battlefield: Bad Company are the three Battlefield games that I've truly tested thoroughly online. Battlefield 1942 is easily the best out of these. Naturally the return to the battlefields of old have been very exciting.

Battlefield 1943, along with other efforts such as Wipeout HD and Grand Theft Auto: Lost and Damned, great examples of how far digital downloads have come. In the beginning of this console generation we paid over prices for ancient and shoddy ports of arcade titles, while we are now treated to a polished Battlefield experience for a mere 1200 points (360) or 15 dollars (PS3).

Battlefield 1943 is at its core something of a sequel to Battlefield 1942. We are not fighting the Nazis, instead we are battling the Japanese as the Americans in the Pacific. Initially three maps were released and only one game mode (43 million kills unlocked the Coral Sea map and an additional mode). This may not sound like much, but that's not true. It actually helps in that it lowers the learning curve, as we only need to study and memorise the geography of three maps and only learn the rules of one mode. And simplicity is something an online multiplayer experience always can do with.

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Conquest revolves around one team trying to captured five points on the map and hold them. There are three classes - scout, rifleman, and sniper - and with each respawn you have the option of changing your class. Everyone who has ever played a Battlefield game will feel right at home within seconds and everything is simple and easy to grasp straight away.

As you would expect the maps are littered with vehicles to command. And as any Battlefield veteran would know you become extremely lethal if you learn how to control a tank or a bomber. However, to excel as a bomber pilot is no picnic, and despite several tries I don't think I have hit more than one or two enemies.

In the heat of the battle the game truly shows it strong points. Just a simple detail, like providing all weapons with infinite ammunition, as it removes unnecessary frustration. Spawn points are also perfectly chosen and perfect pacing makes this a must for those craving a dose of multiplayer action.

Battlefield 1943 is built on the same technology as Battlefield: Bad Company (Frostbite) and it shows. The graphics are just as detailed and there are a lot of destructible objects on each of the maps. There are numerous retail games on Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 that don't look anywhere near as good as Battlefield 1943 with its beautifully crafted models, luscious textures, and wonderful lighting. However, the animations leave me somewhat unsatisfied and the statistics and player names are hard to read as DICE should have gone for a font size or two bigger letters.

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Battlefield 1943 is an extremely well made downloadable multiplayer experience with no real equal on Xbox 360. On Playstation 3 there is Warhawk and I would choose Battlefield 1943 over Warhawk every day of the week, despite the fact that Incognito's game is thoroughly enjoyable. Battlefield 1943 is beautiful, accessible, perfectly structured and very addictive.

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08 Gamereactor UK
8 / 10
+
Gorgeous graphics, exact controls, sweet concept, fun maps, great sound.
-
Initially only three maps (now four), some stiff animations.
overall score
is our network score. What's yours? The network score is the average of every country's score

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Battlefield 1943

REVIEW. Written by Petter Hegevall

Petter has spent a few days with Digital Illusions' slim fit downloadable Battlefield and he has been enjoying himself tremendously.



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