For this week’s WeView we’re exploring a game that’s so new it’s not even out yet. The second Battlefield Hardline Beta has just finished, so we thought now would be the ideal time to get you to look back on it.
Before we get to that, however, lets take a peek at Tef’s thoughts on the beta when he got early access to it.
The first thing Tef highlighted was that while Hardline certainly pulls in a lot of elements from other Battlefield games, Visceral have very much put their own spin on things with its cops and robbers setting. In particular, he noted that you “move just that little bit faster” in Hardline, which fits with the whole ethos of the title. You really want a game like this to feel slightly more frantic and action filled, which the beta certainly seems to deliver on.
It’s clear just how much faster the vehicle based play is in the video above, with the use of civilian cars making the vehicles seem not only faster but also somewhat more integral to the experience than they have been in the past. Of course the Hotwire mode doubles down on this, placing the control points you’re seeking on vehicles, but personally I’m just a fan of any high-speed chase that features people shooting out of the window; it lends things a very Hollywood vibe.
He was also a fan of the game’s Heist mode, which he calls “about as close to Payday as you could imagine Battlefield coming” when you’re playing on the Bank Job map. Although this mode is fairly similar to the familiar Rush mode, he was impressed by the way it’s got a much more cinematic feel to it. I suppose dropping “an air conditioning unit in through the roof” of a bank vault is slightly more interesting than capturing a generic objective.
Finally, he sums up the whole experience quite nicely here:
Battlefield fans might yet be sceptical of whether this game deserves to live under that brand, and this beta will be another opportunity to convince them, but what I feel both EA and Visceral deserve credit for is trying something new, as they’re looking to rejuvenate a long standing series with quite a drastic tonal shift and lots of smart new ideas in the mix.
So now that you’ve heard what Tef thought of the beta, it’s time for you to give your thoughts on what you’ve played over the last week. Do you think Hardline is a bold new step for the franchise, or did the beta leave you cold? Does the cops and robbers theme work for you, or would you rather the series stuck to modern military conflicts?
Whatever your thoughts on the beta are, you can share them by simply leaving us a comment below. We’ll pluck out a few for next week’s WeView Verdict. Given that the usual ratings don’t make much sense for the beta, let us know what you’re going to do for the full game using Will Buy It, Might Buy It, or Will Avoid It.
wonkey-willy
had a crack at both betas and i am still sitting on the fence.
unless the single player has some substance this really should be an add on pack a lot like Vietnam and retail at around the £15.00 mark.
i don’t think it will sell bucket loads at the full admission price so i reckon it will drop within its first month.
die hard battlefield purists are not going to warm to this but a change in pace may tempt a few cod players over for a try.
maybe buy it for me!
beeje13
Sorry to pick on you to with my argument but your comment sums up what I have seen alot of: “this really should be an add on pack” Yet, “die hard battlefield purists are not going to warm to this”.
Surely these go against each other, if it’s significantly different from the main battlefield that some regular players won’t like it, why should it be just an add on pack?
I have zero issue with them re-using Frostbite 3, UI, and other systems, especially when they are some of the best as is the case here.
Completely new campaign from a studio who made their name with Dead space single player campaign, 9 completely new maps, some quite original game modes that work well.
And no intrusive microtransactions/ ridiculous dlc plans.
I believe it is very much a full fledged game!
wonkey-willy
a fair point beeje!
but i would like to see a comparison in sales if this had been an add on.
i am i big fan of battlefield myself but this just doesn’t feel right.
i only use the Vietnam add on as a prime example of how this should be pitched and who to.
i liked it,but it hasn’t done enough to persuade me otherwise.
as an add on i would snap it up.
Forrest_01
I know practically nothing of the game other than what has been released to the general masses of course, but my opinion is simple – If it has a fairly sizable single player campaign, somewhere around the 7-8 hour mark (you know, something to play when the PSN goes down… again!) & its multiplayer has a decent amount of content & more than 6 or 7 maps, it can be classed as a full release. If it is just the multiplayer stuff, it should’ve been DLC. Niche DLC it would seem, but DLC all the same.
However, I believe that it fits my former reasoning, so personally, I am happy with it being a full release.
beeje13
Hmm, would be interesting to compare add on and full release separately, but Fifa has done it before with euro 2012 and failed. Also to note that some popular add ons get released as their own game, such as read dead undead nightmare, gta 4 episodes, and assassin’s creed freedom cry.
I do remember the excellent Battlefield 1943 which was released exclusively digitally, although it only had 3 maps (plus a bonus map) and had no single player campaign. I cannot remember the exact price of it either.
Avenger
Heist was fun and it was the mode that best suited the cops versus robbers premise. It was hosted on a great map, but the problem I see is that with only so many maps in the full game, it could get quite boring quite quickly. After all, there’s no vehicles and no big sweeping battlefields, just a small map which provides the niche setting of a heist.
Hotwire was fun, but the excitement of cruising down the road and blowing up other vehicles was soon lost to the fact that there was nothing else to do. Being outside a vehicle was mostly boring, and traversing the map to try and either get into a vehicle or ambush one was laborious. The idea of just being in a vehicle, blowing other people up, and then rinsing and repeating is not attractive.
Conquest, one the core modes of Battlefield games, was bland. I can’t quite describe it, I think maybe the Dustbowl map was the problem. I can’t work out why the fuck policemen and criminals were in the middle of no where. Where’s the excitement of any crime film or fiction in the middle of no where. To be honest conquest has more to do with military battlefield than skirmishes between cops and criminals. A silly mode, that like the name, shouldn’t be attached to Hardline.
That last sentence sums it up really. I think what they’ve done is niche, but it’s limited, and it’s bogged down by the Battlefield name. I also can’t see it lasting me that long in comparison to the longevity of previous Battlefield games and CoD. WILL AVOID IT, but my soft spot for shooters means I’d wait for a huge price drop and just play it anyway.
UseTheInkRibbon?
Personally I quite enjoyed it. The new modes are fun (particularly Hotwire) and the core gameplay is as solid as it has ever been.
One thing I would say is I don’t think the Cops vs Crims theme works particularly well. Having small lobbies and giving the cops/robbers radically different weaponry/gadgets could have been good, but instead the huge lobbies, attack choppers, grenade launchers, etc just make it feel like a BF4 mod, albeit a pretty enjoyable one.
I still see potential though (particularly for the game’s campaign) so I’ll give it a MIGHT BUY.
argusmanargus
Good second beta. Many improvements. No, the game still won’t make breakfast for you, nor will the ecstasy of the visuals, gameplay, etc blow your mind. But the game is good.
1-10 hrs were awesome. Heist and Conquest take time to get used to. The real winner is Hotwire. Hanging out the car window rolling through town with the wind in your hair as you hunt the other team’s cars is invigorating to say the least.
10-20 hrs were a bit annoying. Why was I playing this game again? Still dying really fast. Playing engineer can be a labor of love.
20 hrs + .. much better. More powerful engineer guns even the odds a bit in close combat. Remember how fun it was initially to hang out that car window. Check BF 4 graphics compared to Hardline. Hardline is cartoony.. but its way smoother. The motion is far more fluid. If someone tells you BF4 looks better, ask whether their problem is the cartoony character in Hardline.. because they’re simply being obstinate if the hangup is anything else.
I liked the game at the first beta and bought it then. BF 4 has been a good game, but I’m moving on once Hardline comes out. Anything that nets you 100+ hrs of playtime is well worth $60.
gazzagb
I didn’t sink a huge amount of hours into it, but I guess that was because after just a few hours it felt like it was done.
The game modes are fun at first, but without an overall objective like in the BF games of moving across the map, you just repeat the same objective until you run out of tickets. I think shorter games could be better, but it will still get tiresome.
And at the end of the day, it feels like it should be a mod, or at most £15 DLC. Whilst the single player might offer something different, it isn’t enough to interest me. Avoid It.
cam_manutd
The beta was a mixed bag for me the first time round when I briefly sampled it last year. It cam at the time when gamers were still angry about BF4. The similarities to BF4 don’t help the game imo.
When I played it 2nd time around and Heist mode in particular, the game has definite potential MP wise. I liked the Heist mode a lot. The way in which it is set up is great and feels like an overblown version of Payday. Sadly, I think it needs other unique modes rather than the dull Hotline and Conquest.
The single player is what this game hinges on despite its Multiplayer focus. Its theme could give a solid single player offering if they approach in the way in which COD approaches its single player-mostly. It is too optimistic to expect a ‘Spec Ops’ esque single player offering but something along the lines of Modern Warfare I would be cool with.
Add a couple of better online modes, a co-operative mode dropped from BF3 and I would buy it for the MP alone. Add a solid single player and even if the MP remains dull, I would still buy it.
We have been screwed over too many times in the past year guys and girls, keep your eyes on games and don’t buy straight away unless you are 110% certain its for you. So a might buy from me.
Carrot381
It re-enforced every reason I don’t enjoy multiplayer FPS games. Deleted it after giving it an hour of my time.
Forrest_01
What are the reasons you don’t enjoy multiplayer FPS games?
What did it reinforce?
argusmanargus
The frustrations I feel are common:
-Like anything in life, it takes practice to get good. You have to put time in to get better guns and learn the quirks of the game.
-Hit detection.. enough said
-Squad mates who have different agendas
-Spawn die, spawn die, spawn die
The fun parts:
-Winning a game with your teammates
The really fun parts:
-Winning the game with your teammates, you have a great game, or are a central reason
-When you hit a van screaming by with a tube launcher, it explodes and goes flying 50 years end over end. You pull your pistol and Ali shuffle to kill the guy who bailed before the van exploded. A horn pierces the air only for you to turn and get nailed by a semi. Makes you guffaw so the neighbors hear, followed by a thankful feeling its not real.
Carrot381
I guess the main reason is that i find it quite a ‘dry’ experience. Plus I die too quickly to have any fun yet i don’t have the inclination to practice and get better cos I’m not having any fun.
This gen I’ve given both Destiny and Battlefield betas a good try (Destiny x2) to see if they’d change my mind but to no avail.
argusmanargus
@Carrot381
The fun factor is increased on multiplayer if you play with friends or find a clan. You can even find a server or two that plays maps/modes you like and become a regular. I have friend who plays one or two nights a week and that suits him well. Anymore, and he becomes disinterested.
With clans and friends you often utilize something like Teamspeak, Ventrilo, or Mumble for your voice chat. Voice can be an aid in improving your game and/or helping your team win games.
If none of that strikes a chord, or you’ve already tried it, if the single player is even 3/4 as good as they’re claiming, BFH would probably be worth checking out when it goes on sale.
Starman
I only played a little and it was ok, pretty much what you’d expect from a game with battlefield in the title. No major departure from the main games. It didn’t really feel like cops v robbers to me, just the usual players with differing outfits shooting each other.