BATTLEFIELD 4 - Best one yet?

Oh come on, let me begin with this one. We all love First-person shooters. We all just love the feeling of holding a virtual gun, aiming around wherever we want and shooting whoever and whatever we want. And we laugh our asses off when we're punished for shooting friendlies. I have seen girls starting off with barbie dolls and then ending up shooting guys in the head with an M4 Carbine. But! The question is... Is Battlefield 4 as good as all that? Hell, yes, its even better than that. Hey, I'm not done, because I'll have to tell you why.

THE REVIEW

I seem to be a bit late, eh? Battlefield 4 released last year in around September and created more hype than any other game in the series has ever created before. Was it worth the wait? Worth the hype? Read on (please!) and find out..

Why is Battlefield 4 the best one yet?

Simple. Because it combines all of the Battlefield games before it. It has that suspenseful vibe from Battlefield 1942, brings back the good old "commander" strategy mode from the second Battlefield game, contains absorbing graphics of Battlefield 3 (much better now, though) and......has the death and destruction of all of them in one small package. A fairly new concept included in Battlefield 4 is the improvement of the AI. Yeah yeah lots of Counter Strike and Rainbow Six fans hate the AI. But hey, atleast take pride you're smarter than them. Now that would seem difficult to prove in Battlefield 4. Why? Because they can adapt. Much faster than you yourself can (and me too, not like I'm a pro or something). Buildings collapse, a dam explodes, explosions all over the screen. And yet, the AI seems to have the time of its life. The soldiers in the AI or the BOTS move around with perfect agility. But you're the one who needs to be alive in the game. Not them. Therefore the use of personal strategy comes into play here. The sudden, quick and huge changes in the environment forces players to change their strategies along with it. You are given a team and you have to command them with a strategy in such a way that they are always ready for a sudden fit of destruction (no, I am not only talking about exploding dams). Kids, you might take a whole lot of time to get used to this game.

Guns, Blazes and... Vehicles!

Oh, finally! The interesting part! Guns. Yup, as expected Battlefield 4 has a plethora of weapons and the detail on them has significantly improved.  The list is huge. And by huge i mean HUGE! Carbines, rifles, snipers, shotguns, SMGs, pistols.. Everything is there. Shit, I forgot the machine guns and the rocket launchers. Again. So anyway, the ever popular M4 and AK-74U are obviously there but what struck me in this game is the fact that there is actually more sniper rifle significance than rifles. The L96, M39, Scout Elite and a whole lot more are there. But hey, nothing like a Magnum hey? (Counter Strike fans probably got that) The pistols section include the ever popular M9 and .44 Magnum revolver and more variations like P226 and FN57. Shotguns have the SPAS, USAS and more. SMGs obviously have the very popular P90 and the UMP-45 oh and the little but devastating MP-7 is also there! I love that little thing. Shoots everywhere! Developers haven't left out rocket launchers and machine guns either providing lots of variations to each of the sections. The total weapons list includes :-
Rifles - 19
Sniper Rifles - 19
Carbines - 12
Machine guns - 15
SMGs - 13
Pistols - 12
Shotguns - 11
Rocket Launchers - 11
Total - 112 weapons. Like i said. HUGE
If you want a more detailed list with pretty little pictures you'll get it here :-
http://bf4central.com/battlefield-4-weapon-list/
 The vehicles. Armored cars, tanks, jeeps, choppers, planes... Hell, even a motorcycle! Yup, there is a motocross bike included in Battlefield 4 and it is simply awesome. The detail on each of these is amazing. Gone are the times when vehicles used to move but their wheels would not and no matter how much you shoot the glass would not even get scratched. Ever detail in every vehicle has been supervised. Transparency is seen at its best when you look through the glass of vehicles. And when you're hiding behind one you don't need to peak out from the car's bonnet and shoot the guy. Shoot through the glass and its done. Sounds have been at their best too and makes the game seem even more real. A detailed list of vehicles is right here :-
http://bf4central.com/battlefield-4-vehicle-list/

The Environment - One of the best aspects of the game.

Battlefield 4 excels in its map design. Honestly, I love Call of Duty but i haven't yet seen a better map design than the one provided in Battlefield 4. The level design is simply terrific. Each of the maps will make players scout around for opportunities like vantage points and every detail seems alive (sounds like a an advertisement for a new television, doesn't it?). Seems to be exaggerated but this is exactly what it is. Leaves fly around, the water gives ripples and reflection, smoke comes from every small fire and spark. Maps like the Hainan Resort and the Rogue Transmission will live on as classics (not a spoiler). The calmness of the environment before a storm or an explosion and the change that takes place is amazing. The game uses the reality based Frostbite 3 engine which works like a charm, considering you have good enough hardware.The game takes place in the year 2020 and the developers have shown significant technological improvements without making the game something like Star Wars. 

Multiplayer or Singleplayer Campaign?

Both. In the Campaign mode, you play as Recker who has the two functions of tactical visor and Engage command. The campaign features Recker giving commands to his sqaudmates to take out enemies and other actions including sniping from a vantage point. Playing the campaign mode is fairly important as each mission and the kills in them unlock achievements which in turn unlock weapons which can be used in the Multiplayer mode.Collectible weapons return with the introduction of collectible "Dog Tags" which are kind of like points to be used in the Multiplayer mode. There are a huge number of missions and almost all of them have really exciting objectives. Yes, much more exciting than defusing a bomb or saving hostages.

The multiplayer mode. This one outshines the campaign mode. Easily. The multiplayer can host upto 64 players (!!!!!!) divided in three factions - US, Russian and Chinese. The "Commander Mode" from Battlefield 2142 is reintroduced and gives each player an RTS view of the whole map being played and allows the player to give orders to his sqaudmates. There are different weapons kits for use such as the 'Assault Kit', 'Reacon Kit' and 'Support Kit'. A spectator mode is also included. Internet based gameplay was lag free in my PC but then again that depends on individual network connections. All in all, its pretty damn great. 

Gameplay

The gameplay in this game is as good as everything else. The game's Heads-up-Display (HUD) is pretty much the same as Battlefield 3. The lower left hand corner features a mini map but not too mini to not be read properly. An simplified objective notice hovers above it and when you don't know what to do after killing almost everyone in the area (that happens, yes), consult the compass in the map to know where to go. The lower right includes an ammo meter and a health meter. The health meter is one aspect of Battlefield which I personally do not like. The Call of Duty health engine is better as it is self healing and gives players much more opportunity to complete missions. The checkpoint aspect of Battlefield 4 gameplay is evident. You die. You respawn. You have to kill the same enemies again. But.. you do not have to restart the mission again. (phew!). And the game is not just shoot and bang and kill everyone making as much noise as possible. There is a lot of stealth based gameplay too. And a whole lot of sexy sniper kills. Promises to be great.

THE CONCLUSION

"In Battlefield 4, gamers will experience huge environments, a playground of destruction, access to an arsenal of vehicles, the ability to direct squad mates, and much more." - IGN

The "much more" is exactly what I just talked about. The game is just awesome and its meant to be played. The game is so immersive and good that you will not pause it even if your girlfriend calls. Kill that damn terrorist and save the world and then pick up with "Hi baby..". Shed a few bucks and get the game from here :-

http://www.amazon.com/Battlefield-4-PC/dp/B00EDJLXHI

I swear, its worth it.