The Bleak Future of Battlefield

First there was the groundbreaking Battlefield 1942, followed by the revolutionary-and still surprisingly popular-Battlefield 2 with its numerous expansion packs. Then came BF 2142, which did not share the familiar surroundings of its predecessors and has not enjoyed the same acclaim and popularity. The still unreleased Battlefield Heroes has faced delay after delay and seems more like an offshoot than another BF game, judging by both its appearance and its features. The series really needs a worthy entry in this predictably named Battlefield 1943. So what does DICE have in store?

Graphically, the game is shaping up to be dramatically better looking than BF 2 and 2142; however, that is somewhat predictable. As seems to be the case with the majority of games these days, there will be plenty of over-simplified elements in BF 1943; again, this is somewhat predictable. What is shocking is just what aspects have been "streamlined." Let's talk automatic health regeneration.

This means no more medics! Medics are a fundamental part of what makes the Battlefield series what it is-a teamwork-oriented game of massive proportions. Sure, well organized squads are still going to trump a jumbled handful of soldiers, but taking out what has always been one of the core concepts is just nonsense. If they really needed to add regeneration, they could have still had medics in some form. How about including morale and having medics greatly influence that? Adding features is usually better than taking them away in a game of this magnitude.

And speaking of taking features away, the new limit of 24 players per server is absolute nonsense. Battlefield has always at least stayed true to its name with regards to the scope of its combat. Considering how many people hop in vehicles at every given opportunity, it is unlikely much infantry combat is even going to occur. Then again, without medics it wouldn't have been as much fun anyway. Oh, and everyone has unlimited ammo. It almost seems like a joke, but it's true.

Innovation was in the air during the development of DICE's pet project, Mirror's Edge. The single-player game seemed geared toward a niche crowd, and in many ways is more like an Indie game than the more mainstream Battlefield. DICE took a gamble with Mirror's Edge, and now they have decided to take an even bigger gamble with its flagship series in Battlefield 1943. Whether or not it proves successful, many longtime fans can't be pleased with the dramatic changes in store.