If you’ve been gaming for a while now, you must have come across one or two games in the Battlefield series. If you haven’t, and you love war games, you’re surely missing out. Battlefield 4 is the fourth game in the Battlefield series and is a first-person shooter video game developed and published by DICE and Electronic Arts. It was released worldwide in October 2013 for MS Windows, PS 3 and 4, and Xbox and 360. However, the game was banned in China a few months after its release. The story follows the events of its prequel Battlefield 3, six years after the 2020 war.

Six Years Later, the War Continues 

As we begin the game, we find that Sergeant Recker and his squad – Tombstone —with Dunn, their leader, are trying to escape from Azerbaijan in Russian territory. They were able to get some vital information about a possible uprising in China. If the uprising occurs, it will complicate the war. Their car eventually gets trapped in the water, causing the Dunn to take a tough decision. He orders his team to escape, leaving him at the mercy of the Russian soldiers. 

Recker is now in charge of the squad, and he leads them to their commander — Captain Garrison. The captain told them that Chang, an admiral in the army, had taken over China after killing a progressive presidential candidate Jin Jie. Recker’s squad, then get an official assignment to Shanghai. They are to rescue a woman named Hannah and her husband. The captain also tells them that a secret intelligence agent — Kovic — will be helping them out. In Shanghai, many things went down, including betrayals, captivity, and many unexpected turns that gave me such a rush. 

Diced Introduced a Downloadable Weapon Crate 

What makes a war game exciting are the number of first-class weapons you could use to destroy enemies on the battlefields. DICE knew this, and they never failed to provide us with the best weapons. They added more weapons in Battlefield 4 through the weapon crate, new weapons include the L86A2, Mare’s Leg, AN-94, Groza-1. Also, you can use most new weapons on land, sea, and air.

Along with its new arsenal of high-tech firearms, Battlefield 4 introduced a wide array of weapon attachments. Most of these accessories can be applied to any firearm, allowing users to personalize their weapons in ways that suit their style of play. The game creators also brought back the ‘Gun Master’ crate, bringing more variety to the picture. 

It’s All about Destruction and Destabilization 

As with previous Battlefield games, Battlefield 4 features a destructible environment which means players can take advantage of different elements in the environment. The game now allows more realistic destruction, allowing players to destroy things like desks and tables. Players can now climb almost any obstacle using a new vaulting mechanic. The destructive environment also means the game’s creators can use the environment against players.

One of the most incredible things about Battlefield 4 is how the game forces me to adapt to different environmental effects quickly. Things get even more exciting in the multiplayer mode, where all 32-player teams have to brace up for the unknown. At some point, a dam suddenly burst, pouring its contents into the field and destabilizing every one of us. Sometimes, it could be buildings that will disintegrate, depriving snipers of the vantage point they need to execute their missions.

These massive destructions can change everything about the battleground, forcing players to change strategies mid-game. I remember being frustrated when I was playing as the commander on more than two occasions. Everything I worked hard to achieve became useless, and I must find new ways to make sure my team remains at an advantage while trying to figure out our opponents’ new moves. 

When It’s All Over 

Once the surprise effects are over and everything normalizes, we can continue the battles like nothing happens, except the effects of the destruction continues to be a stumbling block. For instance, the water could destroy a huge tower, preventing you from going to a particular location. Other times, it could be the debris from fallen buildings that will get your vehicles stuck. You must learn to adapt quickly to the new design if you want to stand a chance to win. Finally, it’s quite satisfying to lay out strategies that help your team overcome the obstacles or even win the battles. 

The tactical layer has also been expanded in Battlefield 4, giving players more tools to achieve objectives beyond attacking or defending. Players now have more options on how to approach an objective. For example, they can cut off enemy reinforcements or outflank them. While it is still possible to complete objectives solo (such as through destroying anti-aircraft guns), teamwork is encouraged.

The Single Player Campaign

The single-player campaign revolves around American Marine Sgt. Recker and his squadron attempted to stop a powerful Chinese military officer called Chan and his followers from taking control of China and joining forces with Russia against the USA. The missions in the single-player mode aren’t the easiest war missions I’ve played in war games. The missions are engaging, exciting, suspense-filled, and fun. 

I enjoyed playing through most missions and always looked forward to seeing the next surprise. For instance, I couldn’t believe it when one of my team members exposed my squad, leading to our arrest and imprisonment. These twits normally make the game more complicated but exciting. Although I initially thought that the campaign functions were too few, I eventually understood that the ‘Engage Command’ and ‘Tactical Binocular’ functions were more than enough to keep me busy throughout the game.

New Game Modes to Compliment Old Modes

The multiplayer mode in Battlefield 4 features different game modes for players to choose from. While DICE returned some amazing game modes from the previous series, they created new modes to suit the current game style. For instance, modes such as Rush, Conquest, and Team Death Match returned from previous installments while new modes like Obliteration and Defuse were added. As I expected, the traditional game modes remained in place.

In Obliteration, teams will work cooperatively to blow up their enemies’ objectives while simultaneously trying to prevent their objective from being destroyed by planting bombs on it. In Defuse, teams must attempt to protect or disarm bombs to win. The other game modes are just as exciting as ever.

Conclusion 

Although Battlefield 4 has several bugs and issues – especially on PS4 – that needs fixing, the game series remains one of the best modern war games ever, and Battlefield 4 isn’t an exception. Whether you’re playing alone or with others, this game is sure to capture your attention. Also, with BF4 came new weapons, environments, destruction effects, and even better graphics.