Battlefield 2042: Three Years Later

There's no denying that Battlefield has had a rough few years. The last couple of games haven't been received in the same way as Battlefield of yore, and DICE's other efforts with the Star Wars: Battlefront series haven't been much better either. In fact, following the (let's call it what it was) disaster that was Battlefield 2042's arrival and first year, many like to suggest that Battlefield is at a bit of a do or die moment, something we'll see explored when the next instalment makes its rumoured launch next year.

I for one have always been a big supporter and fan of Battlefield, and it's because of this that the past few years have been particularly tough to remain so positive about the series. Battlefield V paled in comparison to the still epic Battlefield 1, and the missteps made at 2042's launch effectively caused me to lose almost all interest in the current newest game. But things change and often for the better, so I decided to shrug my prejudice and return to the futuristic battlegrounds to see how Battlefield 2042 is shaping up three years after its launch.

For starters, what immediately came to my attention was just how much better this game felt to play. The gunplay is now crisp and tight and feels rewarding to master, in the same way that older Battlefield games did. The classes are much better implemented and feel more relevant and less rigid, even if the character system doesn't quite land with me still. The sound mix and audio design paints a picture of an often frighteningly real combat scenario wherein you truly feel the danger and magnitude of what's happening in a way that few shooters can rival. The variety of vehicles, weapons, and game modes mean there's so much content you will practically never get bored, and the visual presentation serves up an experience that frequently feels overwhelming. Essentially, it's Battlefield through-and-through, and it's a more similar and familiar experience than what was originally presented in 2021. For that reason, I can already recommend checking out the game if you skipped it originally, but there are reasons to be wary all the same.

First of all is the speed and pacing of the action. The slower and more methodical setup of a traditional Battlefield is lost here for what more closely resembles a Call of Duty title. I enjoy both shooter series so it's not a massive detraction for me, but at the same time seeing enemies sprinting around at Mach 10 and sliding and hopping around using what can only be described as budget Omnimovement isn't exactly what you want from a Battlefield experience. What was once a more casual series has transitioned into a much sweatier and more demanding experience, and for that reason I can see many veteran Battlefield fans struggling to adjust to this instalment.

Secondly, the maps. There are some solid maps that stand out and impress, but there are still a bunch that leave much to be desired. I tend to find that the issue with this game is that it became too huge for itself, with maps that take an eternity to explore and action that wraps up in milliseconds due to the low time-to-kill values. If anything it more closely reminds me of how battle royales play, where you can go for periods without really anything of substance happening, before meeting someone in the middle of nowhere, getting into a fight, and that fight wrapping up in five seconds. Granted, this is less of an issue depending on game mode, which is why I still recommend solely playing Rush and Breakthrough modes, as they reduce the playing field and make the action much easier to locate and sustain. Sure, if you like vehicles, Conquest and such are the places to be, but Battlefield 2042's boots of the ground action is where it's at its best, so stick with the tighter modes.

My other nuisance with the game is the really overdone particle effects. Sometimes it will feel as though you cannot see an enemy standing five-feet in front of you due to the sheer number of smoke effects, explosives, sparks, and other nonsense implemented to make the game feel more "real". From a top-down perspective and looking at the game from a distance, these effects make the action really striking, but in practice, especially during night-time matches and when major weather effects like tornadoes grip lobbies, it can become so overwhelming and overdone that you lose focus on the solid gunplay action.

But here's the thing, otherwise, this is a much, much better shooter than the one we received three years ago. It has its kinks for sure, and I can also see (and still struggle to dispute) the argument that this game doesn't do much better than Battlefield 1 did in 2016, for example. But, if you're tired of being dropshotted, no-scoped, Omnimovemented, and generally battered by the fast-paced Call of Duty community, then Battlefield 2042 is a solid alternative in 2024, more so than ever since you can snag the game at a fraction of its original price or even check it out through EA Play or Game Pass.