Battlefield Hardline Comic-Con 2014

At E3 2014, Visceral Games and publisher Electronic Arts showcased the latest in the Battlefield franchise, the first full retail release made by a developer other than DICE. It wasn't a surprise given the leaked details for months leading up to the official unveiling, but since Battlefield Hardline became official, the response has been less than enthusiastic.

At a glance, Battlefield Hardline looks and plays almost identical to last year's rushed and problematic release of Battlefield 4. The major difference of course is the theme change from military shooter to of cops vs. robbers shooter, a change at its surface, feels like a re-skin.

Because of these things and the reputation issues the series if facing, we found it odd that EA didn't opt to showcase what Visceral may have done the best work with - Battlefield Hardline's single player campaign. That's what Visceral is known for (see: Dead Space) and that's one of the big features the devs have been hyping as part of the reason Hardline is worth its own full retail release. To their credit, the team has been very open with the community, addressing feedback via social media, on the forums, and taking criticisms to heart to improve the title based on what they learned from the limited closed beta.

At San Diego Comic-Con next week, Visceral will finally offer an inside look into what Battlefield Hardline's campaign will be about.

Friday, July 25 from 2:30 to 3:30pm in room 5AB

Titled Battlefield Hardline: A Visceral World of Crime and Revenge, the panel will feature Battlefield Hardline Executive Producer Steve Papoutsis and Creative Director Ian Milham, two of the leads on the Dead Space series, as they discuss how they are moving the Battlefield series in a bold new direction. The episodic nature of the single player game will be explored in a panel that will include the cast and crew from critically-acclaimed TV shows and films, such as Bill Johnson(Justified), Kelly Hu (Arrow), Eugene Byrd (Bones) and Benito Martinez (Sons of Anarchy). Explosive new footage of the singleplayer campaign will be on display, showcasing the game’s story about the war on crime in the gritty and glamorous streets of LA and Miami.

And last week, the game's exec producer Steve Papoutsis took some questions about the game.

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Papoutsis confirms that we'll be seeing a "ton more" before the game's release, including new game modes. He also explains that the game will feature the franchise's signature 64-player multiplayer and that every map will have its multiplayer objectives themed based on the location. Every map will have environment-altering levolution events and one map will feature night time play. As for the inevitable value question:

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Are you at least curious of what Visceral is doing with Hardline's single player story? Should those resources be be allocated to multiplayer or a new co-op mode? Are you already sold on Hardline or are you waiting to see more? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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More: Battlefield Hardline Beta Gameplay Videos

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Battlefield Hardline release October 21, 2014 for PC, PS3, PS4, Xbox 360 and Xbox One.

Sources: Visceral, SDCC