Battlefield: Hardline [EA DICE & Visceral Games][PC/X360/XB1/PS3/PS4]

[Renegade334]

You've probably heard of it by now, either through the early Youtube leak, the E3 coverage or the ads that are streaming here and there to advertise the latest (and eyebrow-raising) member of the Battlefield family.

http://www.battlefield.com/hardline

Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: EA Digital Illusions CE (EA DICE) and Visceral Games
Genre: First Person Shooter (FPS)
Rollout date: 2014-10-22
Price: 69.99 Euros for Digital Deluxe and 59.99 Euros for regular edition (on the official website)
Platforms: PC, XBox 360, XBox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4
Requirements: comparable to Battlefield 4 requirements
>> Preorder here <<

Basically, BF goes cops and robbers. This marks a radical departure from the purely military landscape of the previous games and into a world of (TV series-inspired) crime vs. law enforcement. Stop thinking Black Hawk Down and start looking at Heat instead. We're talking heists, police response and heavy gunfire in the middle of Los Angeles.

YouTube

https://youtu.be/psegKIi_fm8

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YouTube

https://youtu.be/M56_O7a_aKQ

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YouTube

https://youtu.be/WfOIQicW8vo

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YouTube

https://youtu.be/ex1GlZS-t7c

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It is believed by members of the community that this is an attempt to salvage the BF franchise after the Battlefield 4 debacle. Remember when Medal of Honor: Warfighter didn't swim and just sank? The MOH franchise got shelved. EA probably jumpstarted this in order to prevent its only true COD-alternative from going out the Old Yeller way. Since DICE (the guys behind Battlefield) is kind of in the hot seat ATM, EA recruited Visceral Games to take care of the cinematic (heavily inspired by TV procedural dramas and high octane cop shows) single-player, while DICE makes the multiplayer (which is what they did for the MOH reboot) - or at least part thereof.

The SP, as with BF3 and BF4, will primarily serve to showcase the graphical prowess of the Frostbite engine; it will revolve around a revenge-seeking SWAT officer, Nick Mendoza.


The closed beta is already in full swing; it only has one map and two game modes, but the current offerings already showcase what BFH will be all about. You can tell it's a BF game (so well that many of us Beta players -me included- are inclined to even grumble that it's just a BF4 reskin/mod) as many hallmarks of the series are present from the get-go: large maps with a plethora of vehicles, teamwork-oriented gear (health/ammo packs, resuscitation syringes), and 32p matches. There are helicopters and even aircrafts (I see some people blinking, but, hey, please don't blame the messenger).

The map-altering Levolution concept introduced in BF4 makes its return, with the inclusion of landmarks that can be made to collapse to drastically alter the landscape and the gameplay dynamics in the middle of a round. The buildings, however, aren't as destructible as we'd like (think of the urban maps in BF4 rather than those from BFBC2), though.


I have tried the Beta and...

Spoiler:

- Feels VERY BF4-ish. Scratch that, it's BF4 with a different getup. The UI is definitely BF4-inspired.
- Feels kinda sluggish even after modifying the mouse sensitivity settings. I just can't turn around fast enough when someone starts shooting at me from behind. Dunno why and it's driving me nuts.
- The weapon recoil is dreadful. It feels like I'm holding a jackhammer instead of a firearm.
- Some of the matches (Heist mode, I believe?) are dreadfully short - but that means either the other side is very good and they made the getaway very quickly or your team sucks like a giant black hole (that'd include you, too, btw).
- Some of the BF4 netcode bugs (cornerkills) are still there.
- Had issues getting into matches: I get stuck at the "loading level" part, with a black screen and rotating globe. It's as if the Beta only worked on odd-numbered days, but not on the even ones.
- The choppers are annoying like hell and the "engineer" class, for some reason, is equipped with FIM-92 Stingers.
- Some of the gadgets can only be used in "designated" areas, like the grappling hook, which is best for climbing through skylights or overpasses/bridges but can't allow you to climb to balconies, or the zipline, which is useless unless you want to go from one skyscraper roof to the other (usually, where a getaway helipad is located).
- Blood Money is like Obliteration or Capture the Flag: you crack the other team's vault, pilfer their money and bring it back (without getting killed) to your team's own vault...while the other side tries to do the same thing.
- No more battlepacks. You earn money after each mission and buy the gadgets you want. What's the catch? Well, the weapon add-ons (optics, grips, barrels, etc) can only be unlocked through kill count (every two weapon stars or so), not according to the amount of money you have in your pocket.
- Don't expect a cornucopia of firearms in the Beta. Only a few of them are available.

I'll say it here and now -and this is merely my own opinion, you need to make your own- but I'm just about done with BF. BFH can be fun (there are OTHER game modes out there, but the Beta only gave us two for testing, so don't be hasty) but for me it wasn't. I'm still reeling from the neurasthenic BF4 (which feels less dynamic and highly nerfed compared to BF3 gameplay) and thus treated BFH as if it merely were BF4.1 or BF4.25; there was therefore a non-negligible amount of bias coming from my side and the bugs I encountered on BFH only reinforced my desire to declare that it was nice while it lasted and maybe it's time to walk away with the good memories.

So...what do YOU think?

[risingstar3110]

Isn't it too early for April Fool?


I means even EA won't be stupid enough to just put a new theme on their old game and expect it to revolutionised their gameplay to compete with others. They can't be that stupid, right?

Right?


Edit: and and cop versus robber on top? Are they targeting age 15 and below or what?

[Chaos2Frozen]

It would have benefited them better had this been a new IP, the things that bug me are stuff like "Why are the bank robbers so heavily armed?" and "Isn't all this a bit overkill for a bank heist?", and the answer is because it's has Battlefield in the title... Seriously, why is it still called Battlefield when it's about law enforcement >_>

Basically it's not that much different than playing a military shooter (ie. any Battlefield game), I think the Rainbow Six gameplay trailer did a way better job at showing a police/SWAT game.

[Renegade334]

They're probably desperate enough (BF4 players were steadily leaving, though the recently-made-free-for-a-few-days BF3 is currently witnessing a spectacular surge of popularity) to have come to the conclusion that the more radical the change, the greater the chances of positive feedback. Like a high-risk, high-reward gamble.

Let me reiterate: at times it does feel like a BF game...but, thematically speaking, it's worlds apart from the previous members of the family.

It would have benefited them better had this been a new IP, the things that bug me are stuff like "Why are the bank robbers so heavily armed?" and "Isn't all this a bit overkill for a bank heist?"

About that, it's no coincidence that I referenced the movie Heat in my first post. That very memorable flick (the downtown shootout scene is a true classic on top of being quite realistic) inspired two robbers to heavily arm themselves (with military grade weaponry) and commit what is now remembered as the North Hollywood Shootout, a wakeup event that forced the SWAT and police units to buy assault rifles and high-powered weapons en masse because of how severely outgunned (but still managed to take out the two perpetrators) they were during that event.

Remember that BFH is primarily (according to DICE and Visceral themselves) inspired by cop shows and movies...and the bad guys there aren't armed with SuperSoakers or puny, snub-nosed Smith&Wessons.

[Chosen_Hero]

Wait, why is everyone speaking about this game as if it started development afyer BF4? A game that released just a few months ago, I distinctly remember there being rumors of Visceral developing a game after Dead Space 3, or am I missing something?

I haven't played BF4 but from what I've seen and heard it was a disaster but, it isn't fair to say this is just to salvage what BF4 almost destroyed. If you remember this game was leaked if they wanted to use it to salvage the franchise they would have announced it sooner themselves while saying "We have more to share at E3".

Seriously what is ut with the negativy as of late in every single gaming article and site? Can't people enjoy something anymore? The definition of the word Gamer should be changed to: "Self-entitled crybaby", makes me feel ashamed at being a gamer.

P.S. I'm not defending EA.

[Drake]

People seem to be ooh'ing and ahh'ing at the grappling hooks and ziplines like they are some fresh new idea, except those who've played Battlefield 2's special forces addon from 2005 will quickly remember it isn't, and by what I've read so far they worked a lot better in 2005...

[Renegade334]

Originally Posted by Chosen_Hero

Wait, why is everyone speaking about this game as if it started development afyer BF4?

It was. DICE was busy creating the Frostbite 3 engine (and its gimmicks such as Levolution) for BF4 and it's only after that game's reveal (and release of gameplay footage) that rumors of Visceral being involved with BF started going around. At first it was believed that VG got a shoe in because EA wanted DICE to concentrate on Star Wars: Battlefront and Mirror's Edge 2 after the BF4 launch, but this plan was completely shredded when the full scope of BF4's immaturity was revealed. EA DICE was eventually forced to put ALL projects on hold until they had Frostbite 3 and BF4 (which IS the basis for BFH - if you've played the closed beta, you'll have realized that BFH is practically a reskin of BF4) stabilized and improved...and that plan required a couple months. By the time BF4 stopped having its ever-infuriating crashes and sound bugs, DICE lost a LOT of credibility...and there's a lot of players on Battlelog (the BF forums) who believe VG is there to take some heat off DICE and give some colors back to the BF franchise.

I haven't played BF4 but from what I've seen and heard it was a disaster

The first months were nightmarish, yes. Poor performance, massive hardware slowdowns, netcode issues, crashes, sound bugs...you name it, BF4 had it.

but, it isn't fair to say this is just to salvage what BF4 almost destroyed.

They're certainly trying. I mean, we barely hear anymore news of the upcoming BF4 DLCs nowadays (prior to the entire scandal DICE used to merrily trumpet each DLC's arrival, now it's become quite subdued) and the BFH reveal came a couple days after DICE rolled out a boatload of Netcode-related bugfixes. Obviously they are trying to say "the problems are gone it's time to trust us again."

If you remember this game was leaked if they wanted to use it to salvage the franchise they would have announced it sooner themselves while saying "We have more to share at E3".

The gameplay footage was leaked on YouTube a couple days before E3, and DICE was forced to make a post on Battlelog acknowledging BFH's existence one or two days after the entire hoopla. Someone literally stole DICE's thunder a few days before the big reveal.

Can't people enjoy something anymore?

If you had posted this sentence on the Battlefield forums during the first weeks of BF4, you'd have been crucified, flayed alive, your limbs shattered with a rusty hammer and your body thrown into a blast furnace for good measure. That's just how bad the game was upon release and the player base's reaction reflects just how cheated it felt. The game was pricey, unfinished and buggy and it was only a couple weeks ago that some high-profile bugs were...more or less fixed.

The definition of the word Gamer should be changed to: "Self-entitled crybaby", makes me feel ashamed at being a gamer.

P.S. I'm not defending EA.

Pretty much most people posting on the Internet answer to that definition (me included, let's not deny the truth). Humans are never happier than when they have the opportunity to complain; somehow it makes them feel better.

But, hey, lemme ask you: aren't we customers who paid somewhere between 40-60 Euros (depending on the game edition) not allowed to feel discontent when the merchandise fails to live up to what it's advertised to be?

Now, TBH, I have been enjoying vehicular warfare on BF4 (tanks, mostly) as of late, but infantry and team deathmatch are still meh, compared to the faster-paced and less bug-prone BF3 (I feel they made it even worse in BFH with the increased recoil). Likewise, there are things in BF3 that I regret aren't as mature as they are in BF4, such as sniper scopes and vehicle optics, but otherwise, as a whole, I feel that the Frostbite 3-group BF games are a step backwards and the gameplay suffered from it. EA DICE made the BF4+ source code way too complex and they started to lose control of it (to the point where they had to switch off Levolution on the China Rising DLC and deactivate some FB3 gimmicks to prevent crashes/severe performance drops), resulting in the recent debacles.

[Shinji103]

Originally Posted by Renegade334

If you had posted this sentence on the Battlefield forums during the first weeks of BF4, you'd have been crucified, flayed alive, your limbs shattered with a rusty hammer and your body thrown into a blast furnace for good measure.

Which shows how ridiculous the gamer community has become. I'm with Chosen_Hero on this.

[Firefly00]

Originally Posted by Renegade334

The map-altering Levolution concept, introduced in BF4, makes its return, as there are landmarks that can be made to collapse to change the landscape and the gameplay dynamics. The buildings, however, aren't as destructible as we'd like (think of the urban maps in BF4 rather than those from BFBC2), though.

Or, for that matter, Red Faction: Guerrilla.

Some of the gadgets can only be used in "designated" areas - like the grappling hook, which is best for climbing through skylights or overpasses/bridges but can't allow you to climb to balconies, or the zipline, which is useless unless you want to go from one skyscraper roof to the other (usually, where a getaway helipad is located).

Coming as this does after the likes of Just Case 2 and Bionic Commando's 3PS reimaigining, Visceral should hang their heads in shame for having such limitations.

[Mcfart]

2 things I really like about Hardline:

A - No supression mechanic, so shooting feels all-around better
B - I like the theme



However, even if it ships with 14 maps, I still won't get it at full price. I played a ton of BF4, and will wait for a new Battlefield game. BF3 was pretty different then BC2 (larger scale in general), and I can always play brokenfield 4 if I wanna play some modern Battlefield.

That said, there's still a single player mode. Hopefully that turns out awesome.

[Darthtabby]

To me this is milking an established brand to sell something different that really ought to have its own title. Then again I thought similar things about Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare and regardless of the questionable directions that franchise has gone since then the first Modern Warfare game was awesome. (That being said, I'm not so sure this game is going to be on that sort of level.)

Now as for what I'd like to see in a new Battlefield game, I'd like to see multiplayer gameplay that's a bit friendlier to casual/newbie players (which is what I fall under -I basically got BF3 to play at the LAN parties I occasionally do with friends). Granted tweaking gameplay so that the casuals can have fun without getting constantly slaughtered while still giving the serious players something they'll enjoy sinking their teeth into is a bit of a challenge. But making things less reflex oriented might help a bit (my brother commented that he felt the older Battlefield games were less "twitch" than BF3).

[Firefly00]

First, a look at a portion of the campaign, accompanied by about twelve minutes' worth of video.

Also, feel free to peruse this other article with words from the devs on their thinking with respect to the campaign.

The fact that you can opt to capture instead of sanction the HVTs (and net greater rewards) reminds me a bit of Mercenaries: Playground of Destruction (which is still fun after all this time)... and this is by no means a bad thing.

Next, a study of Hotwire, the vehicle-focused adversarial mode, along with a brief look at a mode more reminiscent of Counter-Strike or old-school Rainbow Six...

[barcode120x]

Bump bump. Game has been out for almost 4 days and I'm REALLY liking it. Launch is so much better than BF4. Game runs super smooth and I like how the game is a lot more fast paced. Blood Money and Hotwire are well done game modes (best played on a 32 man server). I'm not all that impressed by the graphics though. I'm also disappointed in the lack weapons each class can use and it seems there are a lot less weapons overall. I mean I know the game is supposed to mimic cops and robbers, but I'm sure there are a lot more weapons they could have added.

[Renegade334]

Originally Posted by barcode120x

Launch is so much better than BF4. Game runs super smooth and I like how the game is a lot more fast paced.

The difference in smoothness between Beta #1 and Beta #2 was like night and day; you could easily tell Beta #2 came with a lot of optimization under the hood (though I could also argue that my swapping my old GTX550Ti 1GB for a brand new GTX970 4GB also had a hefty hand in this change of perception), and the netcode most likely included the latest BF4 patches with higher tickrate that finally made BF4 an acceptable game.

I'm not all that impressed by the graphics though.

Not surprised; BF4 also had meh textures and models compared to BF3 so I surmise the successor would also exhibit the same flaw. I guess either the new Frosbite 3 tesselation engine isn't as top-notch as it was advertised, or Visceral deliberately dumbed down the graphics (especially the textures) in multiplayer to lighten GPU load and make the game more hardware-democratic.

I'm also disappointed in the lack weapons each class can use and it seems there are a lot less weapons overall.

Don't forget that the same day Hardline launched, EA also announced Hardline Premium with four DLCs on the release track. Each DLC will most likely contain somewhere between five to ten weapons (if they follow the BF3/4 DLC pattern), so there is room for expansion.

I mean I know the game is supposed to mimic cops and robbers, but I'm sure there are a lot more weapons they could have added.

I suppose Visceral took to heart some of the context feedback sent back during Beta #1 about excessive weaponry; some players were okay with grenade launchers but found the inclusion of FIM-92 Stingers in a robber/SWAT officer's loadout one step harder to believe, and eventually rocket/missile launchers were taken off the player loadout in Beta #2 and relegated to the role of battle pickup. Also, I do remember during the BF4 Beta that DICE and EA were changing the way they were getting copyright licenses for the inclusion of real-life weapons (yes, they literally have to call Heckler&Koch, Colt, Glock, Remington, Barrett, etc. to obtain permission to include their products in Battlefield, all the while promising that their in-game portrayal would remain faithful to their real-life performance, so as to avoid generating negative impressions about the said weapons), so it's possible they're trying to drive down licensing expenses, too.

Anyway, I'll probably wait a few months before getting this from the bargain bin and I'll most likely not take the Premium pack unless a DLC or more stokes my interest.

[blakstealth]

How's the campaign?

[barcode120x]

Originally Posted by blakstealth

How's the campaign?

Terrible haha. You should check out Levelcapgaming's single player impressions of it on youtube, pretty spot on. I played it just so I could unlock more battlepacks.

Originally Posted by Renegade334

Anyway, I'll probably wait a few months before getting this from the bargain bin and I'll most likely not take the Premium pack unless a DLC or more stokes my interest.

A good idea actually. I bought premium only because my bro bought me the game xD.

Quick tip for anyone looking to get easy money/exp. Pop an Objective Boost and play Blood Money game mode on a 32 man or less server. You will rack up points easy just by doing the objective; however, it does help if you're team is good. I was using a 200% Objective boost and was racking in 20k+ points per round which lasted less than 10 minutes each.

[Renegade334]

The very beginning of the campaign (drug busts, finding and interrogating possible suspects) was a-okay from what I could watch, but after a certain...BIG event in the game, BFH wanders into highly implausible and head-shaking territory.

Spoiler for episodes and scenes:

I mean, the airstrip tank episode? WTF was that? The bus escape part was a nice touch (though it reminded me too easily of similar missions from recent COD and BF games), but the one involving scuba diving inside a skyscraper batted my suspension of disbelief out of the stadium and into a faraway parking lot. Which reminds me...an evidence detector/scanner app for your smartphone? Wow, I guess CSI is really a matter of the past now, even beat cops can do it if they own a Motorola Nexus or a Samsung Galaxy and have Google Play installed. And...how in the nine hells did Tyson survive TWO pipe bombs exploding practically in his face?

As for the badge-flashing system, it might have been more interesting if Visceral had taken a leaf out of the good ole SWAT4 game and made it a non-surefire action. In SWAT4, the player could shout "Police! Freeze and lay down your weapons!" before entering a room and the enemy NPC(s) inside could actually refuse to comply and either started shooting at the player instead or tried to escape the area; in BFH, the suspects pretty much freeze and give up without fail, even if you're holding a handgun and they're toting assault rifles. However, the surrendering NPCs can, from what I've seen, actually pick up their dropped weapons and shoot at you if the arrest process is spotted and interrupted by non-frozen NPCs who stumbled upon you while you were busy cuffing a suspect.

Anyway, as for all previous recent BF titles, play it for the MP, not the SP.