Battlefield Hardline on PS3 – The DVDfever Review

Multiplayer is the backbone, though, when it comes to the Battlefield experience – this is what a lot of people will be paying for without even looking at the single-player campaign.

Conquest and Team Deathmatch make a return, Conquest being capturing and holding points on the map, while Team Deathmatch is self explanatory. New modes of play include Heist, Blood Money, Hotwire, Crosshair & Rescue:

• Heist (see below) sees you breaking open a vault or overturned armoured car, you then have to take the money to an extraction point or safe depending on your team
  
• Blood Money is where you have to get the large sum of money from the opposing team
  
• Hotwire you have to steal allocated cars and literally drive them like you stole them while the opposing team tries to stop you
  
• Crosshair you have to get a VIP to the extraction point while criminals try to take him out, this mode there are no respawns
  
• Rescue is a mode where the Police have to rescue hostages from the criminals

So you have plenty game modes to become accustomed to and there is literally something for everyone. Larger maps are used on modes like conquest, while the smaller maps are used for modes like Heist and Rescue. There are a maximum of 24 players on a map at a time limiting teams to 12 or under – ideal for smaller maps but I do feel more would be better on modes like Conquest. I have had no issues connecting to a game; there are plenty people playing this on the PS3 and even with constant deaths at times I received no messages from users hurling abuse etc.

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Battlefield Hardline – The Bank Job – Heist Gameplay – jackfrags

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Visually, Battlefield Hardline is similar to Battlefield 3 & Battlefield 4, using the latest iteration of the Frostbite Engine (also used for Dragon Age: Inquisition). Environments are varied ranging from smaller confined maps (indoor & outdoor) to larger open spaces like the Miami Everglades (below) and are pretty much destructible within reason – e.g. ducking behind objects for cover like a sofa can see holes opening up in it if you loiter to long.

Performance-wise I have encountered a few stutters while a lot has been going on during single player. As an example, the escape at the end of Episode 9, when it becomes pretty chaotic. Occasionally there have been minor stuttering during cut-scenes but nothing that has taken away from the scene and dialog between the characters. I have encountered a few odd looking shadows at times, mainly on people’s faces; this can best be described as a layered/graded type effect from top to bottom. The only other minor gripe I encountered was once again nearing the end of Episode 9 where the security goes lights out on you. You can see their torch lights through the walls, and at one point an enemy actually missed the door completely and walked through the wall towards me!

Sound (sorry for the cop out – no pun intended) is literally what you would expect from a Battlefield game; any game really, when it comes to first person shooter with a military or Police-type theme. Each weapon has the usual sounds of semi auto/single shot and variations when it comes to using suppressors/silencers. There is full voice acting with cutscenes and objectives; plus short news-style screens that are voiced while a multiplayer match is loading. Voice talent used in general is really good and you get to like some of the characters as you go through the story. There is Brian Bloom (The A Team (2010) & various voice parts), Kelly Hu (Arrow, Warehouse 13), Bryce Johnson (Various TV parts and voice acting), Benito Martinez (The Shield, Outbreak, Supernatural), Nicholas Gonzalez (Various TV parts and voice acting) and Adam Harrington (The Mob Doctor and various TV & voice acting – his ingame character is also a great likeness).

Overall, Battlefield Hardline is a welcome addition and change to the genre that is normally dominated by loud military shooters. I am also really pleased with the work and effort that Visceral have put into the previous generation PS3 version. It is also pleasing seeing so many people playing online on PS3. The new multiplayer modes will keep veterans happy and bring in some new players to the Battlefield series.

I certainly hope that the Hardline theme will continue in future Battlefield games, much like you had in Call Of Duty’s Modern Warfare & Black Ops series.

Thanks to those channels featured for the gaming footage.

Battlefield Hardline is released on the following formats and click on the packshot for the full-size image:

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Battlefield Hardline – Live Multiplayer Gameplay #1 – IT’S THE EVERGLADES! – OneCheesyMofo

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Important info:

• Publisher: Electronic Arts
• Players: single player; 24-player multi-player

GRAPHICS SOUND GAMEPLAY ENJOYMENT	8.5 8 8.5 9
OVERALL	8.5