Battlefield Hardline Review Round-Up

We weren’t awake at the ludicrous time of 4AM this morning, and you probably weren’t either, so might’ve missed the Battlefield Hardline embargo lifting and a flood of reviews heading to the internet.

Our review went live then too, and Stefan scored it 8/10, praising the marked improvements in the story department due to the TV cop show feel of the game. While it might be easy to dismiss the game as a lazy Battlefield offshoot, Tef praised the way they “adapt that core gameplay to suit a new setting”. So, without further ado, the other scores…

GamesRadar – 7/10

The campaign may lose its way at the midpoint, but it’s a no less entertaining accompaniment to the multiplayer’s main show. And online, Hardline delivers. While not quite as main-event-essential as previous Battlefield blockbusters, the tighter, faster Hardline is most definitely the good cop.

Gaming Age – A-

All in all, I came away from Battlefield Hardline feeling pretty impressed. The campaign side isn’t perfect, but still felt substantial and fun to play. And the new online modes, player customization, map interactivity, and the ridiculous action presented throughout the entire game makes this a shooter I don’t think you should miss. While Hardline certainly isn’t your standard Battlefield experience, the changes and tweaks present here are welcome additions, breathing new life into the franchise that’ll entice both veteran and new players alike.

PlayStation Universe – 7/10

At its core, Hardline is still a Battlefield game, for better or for worse depending on who you ask. The gunplay – how the weapons move, feel, and handle – still remains strongly similar to past entries. There’s a little bit of a learning curve for newcomers to grasp all the different classes and the components of the loadouts.

Polygon – 7/10

In areas where Battlefield has always excelled and pushed forward, Hardline presents experiments, rather than refinements or fixes. The result is multiplayer that feels very familiar, very quickly. But its campaign, while feeling not completely sure about what it wants to be, is more interesting and certainly all-around better than the last few years’ worth of Battlefield games. The result is something that’s both less and more than its predecessors.

Destructoid – 6/10

While Hardline is tone deaf at times, mostly it is just deafening. Explosions and bombast are used not to distract from a troubling narrative as much as a stale one perfunctorily paced and reminiscent of network television emptiness.

Gamespot – 7/10

The simplicity of the campaign’s stealth gameplay and the enemies’ readiness to submit at the sound of “Freeze!” is comical, though the silliness was not likely Visceral’s intention. Even in Battlefield: Hardline, multiplayer competition remains the series’ heart and soul.

Trusted Reviews – 8/10

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.

Shack News – 6/10

Hardline does show occasional flashes of brilliance, though, so there’s definitely something worth pursuing here. With a stronger emphasis on open area stages and multiplayer modes that utilize the police arsenal, Visceral could craft something much stronger in the future. Further investigation is required.