Make no mistake - Battlefield 1943 is aimed at fans of multiplayer shooters and players who get their entertainment out of large firefights with countless enemies. Supporting up to 24 players online, the battles are thoroughly exhilarating and the action never lets up once things get rolling. Though, if you do end up in a server with only a few enemies to combat (say 4 vs. 4), the battles aren’t as breathtaking due to how large the maps are.
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| Debris is thrown about with no caution. | Airplanes are tough to control at the beginning. |
The maps in Battlefield 1943 are humongous and will take several minutes to traverse on foot. This is why vehicles, a common staple in the Battlefield series, are included. Not only are they handy when it comes to getting to your destination in a hurry, but they pack a wallop when it comes to damage. Players who like to camp inside buildings to guard their bases will have to come out of hiding when you decide to blow a hole in a wall with a tank. If you’d like to become a suicide bomber, then you have the chance to pilot an airplane and crash it into a building for an increasing amount of damage to your opponents base. The only downside to the vehicles is that the controls for the planes aren’t the easiest to learn – it’ll require time and patience to fully master the art of dog-fighting.
Back to the discussion of the maps, there are only three provided in the form of Iwo Jima, Wake Island and Guadalcanal. A fourth map (Coral Sea) is being implemented into the game in a unique way: players on both the PSN and Xbox Live will compete to be the first to reach the 43 million kill mark on their separate networks – the first network to do so will earn the right to be the first to download the Coral Sea map. In the end, the maps are large enough to last a few dozen hours, but with only three available at this time, the replay value isn’t extraordinarily high. Let’s cross our fingers that more maps are on their way via downloadable content.
On top of all that, the firefights never became stale due to that the three classes provided (Scout, Infantry and Rifleman) all come equipped with a melee and a secondary weapon. Similar to many other shooters on the market, the thrills of sneaking up on your opponent to whack them over the head with a wrench are an all-time high. For secondary weapons, the scouts receive a grenade launcher, infantry with a tank-killing missile launcher and Rifleman coming equipped with detonated explosives.
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| Maps are big enough to support 24 player matches. | Watch out for air raids. |
As a downloadable title, the graphics for Battlefield 1943 are stunning compared to the majority of titles on both services. Also, in usual fashion, the sound is superb when heard in a home theatre system with surround sound like many other DICE titles. The technical aspects are exquisite with a steady framerate, beautiful explosions, and enough foliage in the environment to blow up to last a lifetime.
For the price of $15, gamers can’t go wrong with Battlefield 1943. It has an online ranking system that will keep gamers coming back to level up to prove their excellence with a gun. Along with that, Battlefield 1943 has a stat tracking system for players to compare and contrast how their friends are doing in matches. If you do happen to have buddies to play with, players are eligible to join in squads of up to four players to private chat and strategize. All around, with lag free matches, Battlefield 1943 is a downloadable title that isn’t to be missed – even with the exclusion of a single-player experience.
The islands of the Pacific are ready for their Battlefield treatment.
BATTLEFIELD 1943 VERDICT
For the price of $15, gamers can’t go wrong with Battlefield 1943. It has an online ranking system that will keep gamers coming back to level up to prove their excellence with a gun. Along with that, Battlefield 1943 has a stat tracking system for players to compare and contrast how their friends are doing in matches. If you do happen to have buddies to play with, players are eligible to join in squads of up to four players to private chat and strategize. All around, with lag free matches, Battlefield 1943 is a downloadable title that isn’t to be missed – even with the exclusion of a single-player experience.
TOP GAME MOMENT
Taking a plane for your first run to only find out that it has turned into a suicide run as you crash into an enemy’s base blowing everything in the surrounding area.
