Now that Battlefield 4 has been mostly soothed of its issues, it’s time for some new blood before the next major instalment. Instead of something in the usual cannon, EA have teamed up with Visceral to create Hardline, a cops vs criminals bonanza with new game modes to suit. But how does it hold up so far during the public beta?
As to be expected from something bearing the fabled Battlefield brand, quite well really! Whilst the general look and feel of the game screams ‘reskin’, it plays out completely differently to what you might be used to. Of course, there are the usual recoil heavy weapons and vehicles that will feel instantly familiar to most Battlefield players, but due to the new game modes, a whole new level of tactics emerge.
Blood Money was my first game mode; probably one I’ll continue to play avidly when the game releases. Essentially a glorified yet tweaked version of capture the flag, it places a whopping great pile of cash in the centre of the map and tasks each team to either steal it, or ‘recover’ it if you’re on the other side of the law. Once you’ve collected some money, (you can carry up to 500,000) you then have to get it to your open backed truck, first team to 5 million wins. There are a few kickers however, if you die whilst clutching your bag of treats, the enemy can instantly pick it up off your body and proceed to their armoured truck, netting all the profit. And in case that wasn’t stressful enough, each team can also steal off each other’s trucks, at the risk of having to carry it across the map of course.
Usually, Blood Money commences with all players rushing the centre of the map like a savage pack of wolves; while it’s often hilarious to see a menagerie of vehicles collide and spectacularly explode (due to copious usage of C4) it’s also common to see unspoken vows of teamwork emerge. More so than ever in a Battlefield game, it’s important to stick together here; helping out a pinned down teammate laden with goods is a predictably satisfying moment.
A Battlefield game wouldn’t be complete without tactical, open maps and Hardline is no exception. Taking a quick tour of the map reveals plenty of verticality, open roads, compromised buildings and perches fit for a sniper. Fortunately, to help combat them, there’s now a grappling hook and zip line, which every class has use of. Not only is it gratifying to zip up behind a sniper for a cheeky knife kill, but the possibilities for map traversal will hopefully become exponential once the final version is released.
Another mode on offer is the Heist gametype, which is again, structured like capture the flag, only this time taking a Payday 2 slant on proceedings where the money filled bags must be brought to extraction before the police call a halt to proceedings. Whilst it does play out differently, it does teeter on the edge of feeling a little too like a classic Battlefield match.
Whilst the visuals and sound retain their specific Battlefield flair, there’s nothing too new or too far removed from previous titles of the same moniker. Save for the accompanied single player portion of the game, it worries me slightly that it’ll all feel ultimately like a re-skinned Battlefield 4, only with different objectives. Nevertheless, in the final version I’ll be keen to try out some more of the maps, experience some new Levolution scenarios and try my hand at a few of the new gadgets such as the Tasers and handcuffs. In the meantime however, it comes across as though they’ve changed just enough to avoid calling it an expansion, what with the lack of jets, tanks and a conquest mode, but not altered quite enough to create a new feeling game. Battlefield veterans might well feel ambivalently at home, despite desperately wanting to move on.
Beta played on PC, also available on PS4.
Release date: October 21st, 2014
Full version, when released, will be on PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC
