The Battlefield franchise has offered a unique flavor of gameplay, dropping players into larger-scale conflicts than what most FPS games are capable of conjuring. Those large-scale conflicts are host to uniquely Battlefield moments, as players face off on the ground, in the skies, and on the sea. Hopes that Battlefield 2042 would honor that tradition in unique ways were high, but unfortunately, it fundamentally misunderstands what makes Battlefield good.

Battlefield isn't just about the scale of the map and the number of players that pepper it, something that Battlefield 2042 is all too eager to forget. Rather, it's about the thin veil of believability that separates it from Call of Duty and Halo. It's unrealistic to dive out of a jet, fire a rocket at a pursuer, and then re-enter a jet, but it's the set dressing that makes the suspension of disbelief possible in Battlefield games. The series is set apart by the movement, the weapons, the arsenal of attachments, all the way down to the character designs themselves, especially in a semi-modern entry like Battlefield 2042.

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Battlefield 2042 forsakes all of that to create an experience that feels more like playing with toy soldiers than what Battlefield fans are really after. The selection of weapons is severely limited compared to prior entries; soldiers sprint with janky movements, and – with some exceptions – most of the specialists look like they were taken from the set of a cheesy action movie. Battlefield 2042 is trying and failing to give itself a unique identity, but it perfected its identity with Battlefield 1. All the franchise needed to do was stay the course with different settings, which makes this fumble feel all the worse.

battlefield 2042 players dropping off a building

It would be one thing if the identity issues were the only problem, but Battlefield 2042's content is another major blow. Launching with a total of seven maps in the base game, it's a smaller offering than previous entries. It's not just that the selection is paltry, but the maps just aren't that memorable. Most of them are comprised of relatively flat, open spaces that make long-distance engagements occur more frequently than in other entries. While it's not new for a Battlefield game to have large open spaces, Battlefield 2042's maps have fewer interesting landmarks and buildings for close-quarters combat. And there's no substitute for chaotic options like Operation Metro or Operation Locker, which offered a nice change of pace amidst the chaos.

These big, open maps make Battlefield 2042's worst qualities shine through. Players can waste a lot more time than usual running to the other side of a massive open space only to be gunned down seconds after arriving at their destination, a problem only partially alleviated by squad and vehicle spawns. It's yet another area where Battlefield 2042 fails to improve the series' shortcomings while the game mechanics are decidedly worse than usual. The issue is so egregious that even though Battlefield 2042 supports 128-player matches, maps feel less full of life than when the series only supported 64 players.

Battlefield 2042 wingsuit kills

Outside of lackluster maps, even Battlefield 2042's biggest new gimmick is stale. While prior entries brought in "Levolution" and a few other innovations that could change a map, Battlefield 2042 occasionally drops in a massive tornado that will disrupt UI elements and pull players, vehicles, and other bits towards it. There's something to be said for the spectacle during the first few matches it makes an appearance, but not much else. It's disruptive, not particularly interesting, and reads like a half-hearted commentary on climate change. It's not so much an interesting gameplay mechanic as it is a marketing tool.

Plus, Battlefield 2042 is buggy, well beyond what fans would normally expect in the launch window. One all-too-common bug left us in the revive state with no respawn timer and no ability to force our way back to the spawn menu. The only method to fix the bug was to back out of a match completely, which is immensely frustrating even in casual matches. Another problem blocks players from swapping around specialists and their weapon kits, which even persisted between matches on occasion. One of the worst issues removed the friendly marker from an ally's head, which is particularly distracting because both teams use the same Specialists, making friends indistinguishable from enemies in some scenarios. These are issues that can be solved with updates in the future, but it's a laughable presentation at launch.

It's not all bad, of course. Battlefield 2042's Specialist system is entirely the wrong direction for the franchise – a point that couldn't be stressed enough if one were to write an entire book on the subject – but some of the equipment they bring to the table changes up the experience in interesting ways. The best example of this is the grappling hook gun that Webster Mackay uses, which allows players to take up interesting angles against enemies. But while the extra verticality is nice, it's an element that all players should have access to regardless of their specialist, as Battlefield 2042 is severely lacking verticality out of the box.

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battlefield 2042
Battlefield 2042

Battlefield 2042 is the latest installment in the long-running Battlefield franchise. Featuring similar game modes and structures to titles of the past, the DICE-developed title features next-gen graphics and the same iconic large-scale battles that players have become accustomed to.

The other addition, and arguably Battlefield 2042's saving grace, is Battlefield Portal. Portal takes elements of previous Battlefield games and mixes them together, letting players create their own custom matches or relive some of the greatest maps in Battlefield history. For instance, players can whip together a match of Conquest on Caspian Border, complete with some of Battlefield 3's weapons, units, and gear. However, all of that has a Battlefield 2042 coat of paint on it, with players moving with the same jank that they do in the main game. The most damning thing about Battlefield 2042 is that its best feature is content that's a decade old.

Battlefield 2042 isn't just a lackluster Battlefield game, it's a bad FPS in general. It's an overcorrect after Battlefield 5's marketing was criticized for its "out-there" CGI trailers. It isn't clear what Battlefield 2042 is, or even what it wants to be, beyond a bland step back. One can hope for meaningful content updates later down the line, but the ship is sinking before even leaving port.

Battlefield 2042 is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X. Game Rant was provided a PS5 code for this review.

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