Previews

Posted by: jkdmedia

Pre-E3 2009 Preview

DICE’s Battlefield franchise has long been among the prime WWII shooters on the market, offering huge multiplayer battles and serious staying power with online gamers. The series has undergone some changes here and there, but has always maintained the same intense online mechanics as always. Now, DICE is readying to release their first iteration of the series for Xbox LIVE Arcade and PlayStation Network, Battlefield 1943.

A title that will be available exclusively for download services (a downloadable PC version is also on the way), Battlefield 1943 takes the elements that worked well in the original Battlefield 1942 title that launched on PCs almost a decade ago, namely dozens of players fighting for control of spawnpoints on a specific map in multiplayer skirmishes, and changes the setting to a Pacific campaign. Additionally, the game makes good use of the Frostbite engine, offering up great graphics and sprawling destructible environments.

The gameplay in Battlefield 1943 is the classic tried-and-true formula for the franchise. You and eleven of your friends can take on twelve other players, each side fighting as either the side of the Marines or the Japanese Army on one of three maps: Iwo Jima, Wake Island, and Guadalcanal.

Each player can select from three classes as well: Infantryman, Scout, and Rifleman. Each class has its own benefits that it brings to the group dynamic, depending on how you play the game. Additionally, you’ll have access to a variety of vehicles, including tanks, trucks, airplanes, and so on.

If there is a shortcoming to be found in Battlefield 1943, it’s the lack of content. The game will only offer 3 maps, 3 classes, and no unlockable weapons or abilities. Additionally, its $15 (1200 Microsoft Points) cost puts it in the higher price bracket of most downloadable titles on PSN and XBLA. However, Battlefield fans should be able to create tons of hours of fun within the game’s environment, and should have a great time with it regardless of how many maps it offers. Look for it to release this June.
 

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