The last time we reviewed Battlefield 2042supposed online shooter just released the second and last major update, starting to feel like something is getting close to a finished video game. With Season 3 coming out this week, it’s even closer now.
Note that I am not making that statement as a criticism. Battlefield 2042 was released in the midst of a pandemic, with nearly two years of its development affected, and as a longtime fan of the series — but also a video game journalist familiar with how this stuff works—I made peace with the fact that the game was clearly hastily scrapped by executives to meet short-term financial goals, regardless of the damage it did to the long-term position of the brand. brand.
So I just don’t get it exactly when I say—like anyone who’s played the game at launch will know—it’s just not ready for release in November 2021. Those of us still find something to love in the game and keep playing for months, basically public play and testing an unfinished video gamesomething that can only feel “complete” (at least compared to its predecessor) after months of updates.
Well, we are now at the “update month”, which was in the previous section battlefield will be the stage where the game has been significantly addedbut in 2042 the case is just where it is within face value touching distance.
This week sees the launch of Season 3, which adds a huge new map (set in Sweden around two boxy robotic weapon factories), an anti-tank vehicle new, an electromagnetic gun and a new specialist who is unique. The weapon is a miniature air blast gunpowder rifle.
All is good! The map, Spearhead, is a large map, and Like Stuck in front of it is clearly distinguished by having two large indoor playgrounds for close combat, surrounded by large open spaces for snipers and vehicles. I had a great time with it, because of its long design and rocky terrain between the two buildings which means games often turn into meat grinders in the center control points, leading to massive, explosive battles.
New specialist, Rasheed Zain, which is also what the game needs; His air rifle can destroy enemy forces hiding in cover or around corners, helping infantry the kind of space-freeing capabilities that were previously available only to vehicles or a few who can actually use grenades properly.
I don’t fully trust the other two major additions, the electromagnetic gun and the anti-armor tank. The latter, EMKV90-TOR, plays like StarCraft’s Tank siege; you can drive it around a bit with limited firepower but when you really want to mess things up you can lower its suspension and snipe enemy tanks from all over the map.
Meanwhile, the electromagnetic gun is about time; it’s useful as a medium and long range weapon, but only if you can master how it charges itself and then automatically discharges when ready. Nearly all of the game’s current roster of weapons and vehicles has a modern twist, with slight concessions to the fact that the game is set 20 years in the future; These two additions look, sound and feel better Halo weapon.
When you look back at all the work and updates the game has received since then launch—not just new content but also revisions of old maps and tweaks to things like their Expert appearance and soundbytes, giving the game a more cohesive tone—that is clearly a much improved experience!
I think when the Expert system is not popular be remade next month to come back traditional battlefield classes, the year-long effort to make this game the game it should have been made. That, given how catastrophic the game’s launch is, would be a terrible achievement.
And yet, we can’t help but wonder: what would this game be like if the last 12 months were added to the game for free, instead of just doing emergency repairs? I really like the setting of 2042one of the few blockbusters to ever take the threat of climate change seriously and its near-future arsenal is a lot more fun to use than the historical devices available in a few recent games.
We will never know! A pandemic and investor class have conspired to curse this game, and so if all we can expect is one last Season 4 update before the whole thing is ruined and everyone move on to the next part battlefield, then that’s what I would look forward to. Me and others have been enjoying the game since its launch. There are dozens of us! Dozens!
