Review for Battlefield V. Game for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, the video game was released on 20/11/2018
After the excursion into the first global conflict that we had so much appreciated and the recent adventures between present, future and bank robberies, DICE brings his Battlefield back to the place where it all started 16 years ago with the now historic 1942. Battlefield V traces the places of the Second World War (with a move similar to that made by the "rival" Call of Duty a year ago), aiming to tell lesser known sides of the conflict this time, all while maintaining the gameplay that we have now come to love.
Too bad for the Swedish team that this time the game knows less about innovation and more than already seen within a decidedly intense competitive context, while maintaining some of the now classic strengths of the series: enough to make it more than advisable for fans.
Because in fact it is perhaps since the days of Hardline (developed not by DICE but by the then defunct Visceral team, formerly responsible for Dead Space) that the pre-release "buzz" of a chapter of the main Battlefield series had been so low, with not only old acquaintances like Call of Duty, who recently performed in a remarkable showdown with Black Ops 4, but also "new" arrivals like Destiny: Forsaken and if we want great successes like Fortnite and his majesty Red Dead Redemption 2 to steal the scene at the Electronic Arts shooter. With this we don't want to say that Battlefield V is not a game worthy of attention or prepared with care, but simply that this year we would tell a lie if we claimed that it was a game at the center of media attention in the videogame world. And all this is also reflected in the final quality of a product that probably would have deserved a few more months of development to earn its stars more easily on the battlefield, perhaps even if only by making it wait until January or February to be released "complete" in stores. .
Everything is ready? Almost
Because Battlefield V is not so much a "poor" content title but at launch for example does not present, we tell you immediately to clear the field of doubts, the Battle Royale mode, called Firestorm (Firestorm), which is expected for spring 2019 (!). No immediate comparison with the very successful BLOPS 4 Blackout then: DICE preferred to sip the releases of its contents in three chapters of the "Winds of War", in practice three seasons (the first will be released in December) in which the dev will bring us new maps , modes and even single player content, all for free.
Certainly Battlefield fans are used to paid DLCs, so no unexpected news apparently: however, we didn't expect everything to be told to us even during the pre-launch period, almost as the team wanted. divert attention from a present that is not disappointing, but at least without much fanfare or surprises. Battlefield V offers as always large-scale battles with vehicles and up to 64 players divided into two factions to compete in one of the eight - magnificent we must say - maps present in the first incarnation of the title. It is certainly not an exorbitant number, but quite in line with the previous chapters and moreover we are talking about Battlefield maps (ie huge, destructible and detailed photographs from the front), inspired by 4 locations that are certainly not "cover" but extremely interesting: Norway , North Africa, Holland and France. On this front, this fifth incarnation of DICE's shooter does not disappoint, on the contrary: especially Rotterdam with its streets and canals and Arras with its French plains. The only element definitely different from Battlefield 1 in the pace of the games is one less emphasis on ground vehicles, so predominant especially in the Conquest mode.
A question of class
A first element of continuity with the past is to be found in the modalities, in which - waiting for the battle royale - we do not find anything that has upset us. Also the much publicized large-scale operations convince in terms of spectacularity, but are not so advanced compared to the simple operations introduced in BF1, just a little longer and more varied in terms of approach. The rest is Battlefield: spectacular and so satisfying in the "feeling" in the use of weapons, in the "heaviness" of the bullets and in driving the various vehicles unleashed, sowing panic among the enemy ranks. The gameplay loop is therefore what we have been playing for a few years already, except that this time the emphasis on teamwork and the choice of the right class has been further increased compared to the previous title, thanks to the novelties of the fortifications, the new ammunition and healing system. If the Assault and Recon class do not present upheavals, the same cannot be said of Medic and especially Support, with a new mechanic that requires players to behave differently than in the past, building fortifications (does not become Fortnite eh!), or health crates in strategic locations to help comrades. In addition, each class features two specializations (Roles) to further customize their play style.
Customization is also the right word for another - although not so important - novelty of Battlefield V, namely the customization of your character, they are not in weapons and their accessories, but also in physical appearance and clothing, with an elementary loot system. Nothing to scream a miracle, especially considering that there are currently only two (!) Armies available to play with - Germany and England - thus structurally self-limiting the options for customization.
Stories that didn't need to be told
Where, however, Battlefield V loses compared to its predecessor (beyond a general less originality with the return to WW2, less "fresh" and already seen compared to WW1) is certainly in the new iteration of War Stories, the mini-campaigns in single player that lead us to live adventures of ordinary people between despair and the glory of conflict. With a short duration and very limited appeal in the development of the characters, these stories absolutely fail to impress the user, unlike those of BF1, which had successfully introduced the formula to the general public. The history of Battlefield with 1P mode over the years has always been very mixed and Battlefield V makes no difference, with stammering plots, little-appreciated characters, almost total absence of vehicles and an open approach with a lot of stealth which does not fit the tradition of the series at all. You will forget about War Stories after a few days, perhaps with the exception of Nordlys (the Norwegian countryside) which at least features an interesting protagonist and some new mechanics such as skiing.
All this speech without counting that the graphic impact of the game, although always positive, in the year of Spider-Man, Forza Horizon 4 and Red Dead Redemption 2 fails to impress like two years ago, even with the Xbox One X's 4Ks. This is by no means to say that Battlefield V is ugly to look at or full of inaccuracies, but the evolution from the previous game is a bit limited.
This last reflection mirrors the narrative that serves as the backbone of this review: Battlefield V, at least in its current version, is a very good game in terms of mechanics, adequate in content and really fun at least in multiplayer, but at the same time it takes a quantity limited risk, delivers a barely enough single player campaign to us and could suffer from a brief identity crisis in such a competitive market, with so many competitors in stores this end of 2018. The expected content fragmentation - criminal not having the Battle Royale mode available immediately - it could be positive for the longevity of the title, but it certainly does not help early adopters and word of mouth about a game that has nothing really wrong but not even something that can indisputably convince us.
► Battlefield V is a Shooter type game developed by Electronic Arts and published by DICE for PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, the video game was released on 20/11/2018
