Let me start off by saying Battlefield 4 left a very bad taste in my mouth. It was the game I chose to pick up on the launch of the PlayStation 4. Needless to say the game launched as a broken mess. Some will say that Battlefield 4 is much better off now, but for me it was too little to late. I had issues playing both single player and online multiplayer, to the point I was almost ready to give up on the series.
When Battlefield Hardline was announced, I was very skeptical of the quality, but was intrigued by the premise. I was happy to see the game shy away from the military shooter tropes. Introducing the game as a cops and robbers premise sparked some interest. Come E3 2014 we found out we could try the beta for Hardline. What I played definitely wasn't bad, but also wasn't great either, many people were simply calling the game Battlefield 4 DLC. The game looked like BF4 with just a re-skin and some different vehicles.
As you can see from this video above the game looks good, but something wasn't doing it for me. The game was in beta form so I was a little more forgiving of glitches. Clearly I wasn't the only one to think the game needed more time. After the E3 beta things went quiet, we didn't hear to much about Hardline. The Game was pushed back from it's original release date to allow more time for improving the game.
On February 3rd A new beta became available for everyone to play. I was downloading it the first chance I got. I was curious to see the amount of progress that has been made in the time since the E3 beta. All I can say is wow! it's crazy what a few extra months of polishing can do. This beta feels much better. The game has a purpose, and Cops and Robbers is at the heart of everything. The controls feel tighter more responsive in this beta, a few more maps to try out, as well as the addition of new game modes. Visually the game looks great. This is what I wanted from a new Battlefield game, some diversity!
With the second beta that just was released you can see slight improvements on the visual side. The game looks great! The controls feel tighter, and everything thing seems to happen at a much quicker pace. I'm not just talking about the vehicles when I say that. Your character can run faster, aim faster too. One of my biggest annoyances with Battlefield games is having to travel long distances to get back into the action. This looks to be resolved this time around. Faster cars and movement make a huge difference here, but the other more notable difference is the maps. The maps feel more condensed, but in a good way. One notable change that I enjoyed, is the ability to hang out of a speeding car and take down enemies at an incredible speed. I loved the new game mode they added into this beta Hotwire is easily my favorite new mode. The biggest thing it does right is make you feel like your on a high-speed car chase. In the video above you will see gameplay for this new mode (skip to 3:20 for gameplay).
Should you run out and pre-order Battlefield Hardline? I would still say no. I would recommend waiting to see how this one goes. But progress has been made to make me once again a fan of the Battlefield series. This game feels fresh but still manages to retain all the elements of Battlefield that people love. Getting away from the military setting, adding some extra speed, and some new fresh game modes. This is definitely a game to keep an eye on. Check out the demo if you need some proof.
Let me end by saying Battlefield Hardline is not a Battlefield 4 expansion!
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