Review of Battlefield 2042

SPOILER: It’s my third favorite COD game.

I’ve always been a fan of the Battlefield franchise. But I must admit their business model seems to be to release a steaming pile of shit to see if anyone cares. They always do care, and end up doing QA for DICE/EA for free. Then, six months later, the game has been fixed to the point it should have been by launch. And by then it’s usually a pretty good game.

This time is no different, although some of the problems may be too foundational to fix.

PROS

• It works.
• There are vehicles.
• There are players.
• There are large maps.

Previous releases have been so buggy as to be almost unplayable. This one you can play. I play it on PS5 because I know that has a solid level of performance, and no one can say I need to update my drivers. The graphics are good, but nothing to write home about. Maybe I’m expecting too much from 4k gaming.

If you like large maps, BF2042 has those. If you want a lot of large maps, you’ll have to wait. But right now you have have battles with up to 128 other players. Most of them will be snipers.

CONS

• No real story
• Few weapons, and no really interesting weapons
• Confusing UI
• Difficult to fly vehicles
• You have to grind to get the weapons you do have to the way you like them.
• Unreliable spawning
• Play style is more Call of Duty than Battlefield
• No voice chat in a team game
• Design encourages COD style play with little strategy.
• Stupid skins
• Welcome to Running Simulator

It’s a big ol’ chaotic shooting mess. Some people like that. I don’t. That’s not why I play Battlefield. I play for team based large scale combat. I also like to be able to configure my loadout to match my strengths and weaknesses. Technically you can do that, if you grind with your starting weapons for 20 some levels. Who’s got time for that to get a second sidearm or sniper rifle?

What works best? Jumping around with a SMG or sniping from miles away. Want to get anywhere? You’re going to be running over miles of open terrain. If you’re lucky enough to get a ride, your pilot will probably bail when he’s over his chosen sniper location. And suddenly your ride is in freefall.

To be fair, I haven’t played the other game modes. Those seem even MORE like COD than the main mode. Earn money through wins to upgrade your gear. Nah, fam. I think not.

SHOULD YOU BUY IT?

Most of the reviewers I’ve seen say no. About half the people I’ve played with say no. It’s kind of pricey for an unfinished feeling game, so I’m going to have to lean in the No direction as well. Unless you haven’t played Battlefield before and all you want is Call of Duty with bigger maps. Then maybe yes.