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The third part in our five part series on Battlefield 1943 From the Editors' Desks, "Reactions of a Former Franchise Fan" is another (arguably much stronger) viewpoint from another member of our writing staff which questions the decision to move in 1943's direction:
--Dairuka is the newest member of the TGN staff, but he has been a veteran member of Total Battlefield 2 for a number of years. He resides in Canada and is a political op/ed columnist for a Canadian newspaper.
Be sure to leave your thoughts and comments about this editorial.
Who among you remembers Half-Life: Decay? It was a standalone expansion port for the Playstation 2 version of Half-Life. It was actually a pretty good add-on, adding something new and unique to an otherwise bland console port of a great game. It gave us a cooperation mode that allowed two friends to try their hands against the evil forces of Black Mesa. It wasn’t received well by the public; Half-Life was supposed to be a Personal Computer series in their eyes, and that poor attempt to make its ports more acceptable was deemed a waste of time. So, people screamed bloody murder on every forum known to mankind, and after it was released, they forgot about it. Naturally, it failed miserably. Well, lately I find myself suffering from bouts of Déjà vu, enduring many of the same arguments from detractors and supporters over the sudden announcement of Battlefield 1943. Only this time, I can’t help but lean towards the detractors in this instance, mostly because of an unfortunate typo that sullies the good name of a great game. 1943, one year after 1942; surely this must be a standalone expansion? Are we to expect the same great large-scale battles that piqued our interest and wet our appetite for destruction? No. Because Battlefield 1943 tosses out the very engine that made the original game and its sequels so spectacular for the sake of cashing in on the console cash-cow. This wouldn't be such a bad idea, were it not for the fact that the new Frostbite engine isn't being utilized to it's fullest, offering gamers absolutely nothing spectacular beyond it's ability to make cover disappear at the drop of a grenade at the steep cost of huge maps and server size. This isn't an expansion to the battlefield hit that was released back in 2002: It's a downgrade.
Battlefield 1943 is clearly more akin to its Bad Company brethren than to anything that resembles a true Battlefield game, so why not call it Bad Company 2? Oh, that's right, because DICE has already decided to use that name for the actual Bad Company expansion. So what is 1943 supposed to be then? Did Digital Illusions really think that Personal Computer gamers would be more willing to forget the puny 24 player maps and the desecration of any semblance of strategy merely for the sake of nostalgia?
It’s no secret that Electronic Arts is hemorrhaging money like an ATM with an aortic dissection, but does this really give them a right to lay a quarter dozen rotten Frostbite engine eggs with the official Battlefield stamp on them?
Frankly, I’m indifferent to the whole ordeal. If I were not asked to write out my thoughts on this subject, I’d have gone back to ignoring this monstrosity. Battlefield 1943 is destined for the same obscurity Half-Life: Decay now enjoys, and everybody will go back to the status quo once it’s forgotten. This game’s 3-map, download only concept proves that it’s nothing more than an additive/filler meant to act as a cash-grabbing stepping-stone to the next big blockbuster, (Probably the Sims 3, which they pushed back to June 2nd due to money trouble) but only if the public is willing to put up with it.
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Battlefield 1943 is clearly more akin to its Bad Company brethren than to anything that resembles a true Battlefield game, so why not call it Bad Company 2? Oh, that's right, because DICE has already decided to use that name for the actual Bad Company expansion. So what is 1943 supposed to be then? Did Digital Illusions really think that Personal Computer gamers would be more willing to forget the puny 24 player maps and the desecration of any semblance of strategy merely for the sake of nostalgia?
It’s no secret that Electronic Arts is hemorrhaging money like an ATM with an aortic dissection, but does this really give them a right to lay a quarter dozen rotten Frostbite engine eggs with the official Battlefield stamp on them?
Frankly, I’m indifferent to the whole ordeal. If I were not asked to write out my thoughts on this subject, I’d have gone back to ignoring this monstrosity. Battlefield 1943 is destined for the same obscurity Half-Life: Decay now enjoys, and everybody will go back to the status quo once it’s forgotten. This game’s 3-map, download only concept proves that it’s nothing more than an additive/filler meant to act as a cash-grabbing stepping-stone to the next big blockbuster, (Probably the Sims 3, which they pushed back to June 2nd due to money trouble) but only if the public is willing to put up with it.
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--Dairuka is the newest member of the TGN staff, but he has been a veteran member of Total Battlefield 2 for a number of years. He resides in Canada and is a political op/ed columnist for a Canadian newspaper.
Be sure to leave your thoughts and comments about this editorial.