No, this isn’t a rage article. I’m not going to mention the oh so many faults that the latest Battlefield entry has, such as the lack of classic game modes, and an outdated and poorly optimized game engine. Also, this isn’t a review, even though I do technically give it a score later on. This article is intended to be an opinion piece.


 

Whether you hate Battlefield, or you love Battlefield, it doesn’t really matter. Battlefield Hardline isolates everyone by actually changing the formula of what made Battlefield Battlefield by removing the battlefield.

Instead of epic battles on war torn landscapes between two opposing armies, Battlefield: Hardline removed the battlefield, and replaced it with cops and robbers. That’s right, you can play as a cop, police car and all.

And you know what? It’s actually fun. The basic run and gun formula is still there, and by all intents and purposes, this game still feels like Battlefield. It has massive destruction, insanely large gun battles, and pretty much everything that made you fall in love with the series to begin with.

Except for, you know, the battlefield. 

Unfortunately, the game is different enough to make classic Battlefield fans weep. While there’s still Conquest and Team Deathmatch, everything else is either new, or modified to a point where it’s almost unrecognizable. Take the new Heists mode as a fine example.

Heists starts off almost exactly like Defuse, where one team must plant a bomb, while the other must try and defuse it. Once the bombs have been destroyed, the criminals are then required to pick up some loot from some kind of vault, and then to take it back to a designated zone, and wait for a helicopter to come and take your loot away, ending the game. The other team, cops, will try to stop you. 

It’s a weird mashup of defuse and capture the flag, and it works. Which is a good thing, since defuse and capture the flag aren’t actually playable modes in Hardline. 

Now, there’s something that really surprised me, and that’s the levelling system. Before, you would earn experience points, which would automatically unlock certain weapons and gear for you to use with your character. 

Now, gear unlocks must be bought with the in game currency, which takes the place of exp. This is honestly a really cool system, and I gotta admit; I love it. Though, this is likely going to be one of the biggest gripes with die hard fans of the series, as it’s something new. New doesn’t always work, so fans naturally avoid anything new or different. But with Hardline, it works. It’s fun. It’s unique, and best of all, it feels refreshing. 

Character customization has also been improved, with new melee weapons. Each weapon actually has a different feel, with the big and powerful machete being slower to swing, though practical guaranteeing a kill. It’s so powerful, you can kill multiple enemies with one swing.

Then you’ve got the knife, which is a faster weapon, but it doesn’t always guarantee a clean kill. Of course, every weapon kills from behind, and each offers a different animation which I believe is super freaking badass. Criminals have baseball bats, while cops have batons. It’s just awesome, and when you kill from behind, you can’t help but to feel a sick sense of gratification. 

 

While Battlefield Hardline is in no way a perfect game, I had a ton of fun playing it online. It’s just a good experience, and is oddly refreshing to go to Hardline instead of Battlefield 4. It feels different, and that’s a good thing. Just don’t go in there expecting Battlefield 4, as Hardline is far from the war experience you’ve grown to love.

 

This is definitely a 9 out of 10. Buy it.