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It's been two years since the release of Battlefield 3 and its successor is now available for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360, with next-gen consoles versions releasing in the coming weeks. We played through what we believe to be the quintessential version of Battlefield 4 (the PC edition) for our review, praising it for adding improvements to core gameplay elements, but faulting it for its lack of modes, maps, absent features and bugs.
Playing through the BF4 story campaign we experienced frequent game-crashing errors and the occasional in-game glitch. The multiplayer component wasn't immune to this either and the Battlelog browser system required to play the game had its fair share of errors as well but developer DICE is working away, restoring features and keeping the community informed.
On the official Battlefield 4 forums a thread has been created and updated daily to list bugs as they are discovered, reported and then fixed. The issues, while frustrating for players who invested in the game, are similar to the launch woes Battlefield 3 faced when it first released. That game practically released in a beta state.
While lacking on the co-op front, not including bots and having less modes and maps than BF3 does currently (thanks to multiple DLC expansions), there's plenty of Battlefield 4 content in the pipeline and Premium subscribers get it all, beginning with 'China Rising' on December 3rd which adds four (massive) maps, new vehicles and more gadgets.
The second of the five DLC packs planned (and the only other one that's been detailed) is called 'Second Assault' and as its name indicates, it offers a return to locations previously seen in the series. According to IncGamers, the following maps will make a return, first on the Xbox One as a timed exclusive alongside the console launch on November 22nd. The word came from DICE at the Europe vs USA showdown event.
- Caspian Border
- Operation Metro
- Gulf of Oman
- Operation Firestorm
The selected locations are pretty close to what Core Gameplay Designer Alan Kertz hinted at this summer. Grand Bazaar and Strike at Karkand, which were popular among fan polls, clearly didn't make the cut.
How the maps will be upgraded with the Frostbite 3 engine and what sort of "Levolution" features they may include remains to be seen but what we can say is that Caspian Border and Operation Metro are some of the best maps of the last game and bringing them back is a good thing. We don't yet know when they will be available on the other platforms. The remaining three DLC expansions include Naval Strike (spring 2014), Dragon's Teeth (summer 2014), and Final Stand (summer 2014).
If you are playing Battlefield 4 but haven't witnessed the Levolution events on all of the maps, or simply don't know how they function, the video up top by LevelCapGaming does a great job of showcasing each.
Battlefield 4 is now available for PC, PS3 & Xbox 360 platforms. PlayStation 4 & Xbox One iterations will launch just prior to their respective consoles. Game Rant reviewed the PC version of the game.
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Follow Rob on Twitter at @rob_keyes.