Battlefield Hardline (2015)

This is a boring as game i quit have way through mostly because of all the dialogue and story and cutscenes every damn time when some interesting is going on.

i did want a different kind of story but this is too lagging behind and takes all patience to play a fps game.

Didn't like the drug mafia undercover cop vide the game is going for and don't have to because i got movies to do that.

won't play again.

(As with my previous Battlefield posts, these are my thoughts on the singleplayer campaign only.)

Based on the little I had read about this entry, I went into it thinking I wasn’t going to enjoy it and that it would be, at best, a marginal improvement over the mediocre BF4. The fact that this was the first game in the series made by Visceral (Dead Space, Dante’s Inferno) got me not only curious, but also assuming this would be a distinctly different Battlefield experience from what I had seen before. Which turned out to be pretty accurate.

Hardline doesn't feel like a Battlefield game at all. The main mechanics and mode of engagement may be similar, and it may keep - enhance, even - its cinematic approach to presentation with its use of cutscenes. But there’s such a drastic change in setting, tone, design and feel that you could’ve easily named this game just Hardline and nobody would’ve batted an eyelid. Is this a bad thing in itself? Not at all, and in fact the game, I thought, was clearly more enjoyable than its predecessor. But if you're going into it actively seeking for the Battlefield experience, chances are you’ll walk away from it disappointed.

For the first time in the franchise, Hardline drops the military scenario. In its turn, we are treated to a modern Miami Vice-type, drug-torn urban conflict with a lot of changes to boot. For starters, the tools at your disposal change drastically, as one would expect. Gone is most of the heavy artillery you had in previous entries, replaced by a cop-appropriate arsenal and interesting gadgets such as the grappling hook and the zipline. You don't necessarily have to use these in any mission other than the one that introduces them, but they serve as an interesting option in several other missions where you choose a stealthier approach. And this is another major shift in the series. For the first time, and for the most part, stealth is an actually viable play style option. Whereas in past titles it was almost thrown in as an afterthought with no real utility, here the missions, levels and enemy layout were clearly designed with it in mind as a valid choice. I like this, it adds a new dimension to the game and gives the player more approach agency. The problem with this is that this agency is constantly being reigned in with how restrictive the areas sometimes feel in size. And like some past titles, if you deviate even slightly from the allowed pathways, the game instantly chastises you.

Hardline makes more changes to Battlefield's usual formula. This is the first time, for example, you have an in-game speaking character. This gives him more of a personality and motivation during the missions, thus stretching out narrative relevance. Again, it was a change I didn’t mind and was actually able to appreciate at times. Alongside this, another big shift is the absence of a 3-men squad during your missions. You now normally only have one partner throughout your playthrough that occasionally changes depending on the stage of the game. However, ironically, your partner is eons more competent in a fight when compared to the useless accompanying bricks you have, for example, in BF4. Hardline also introduces very timid mini-side quests. I say 'timid' because these basically amount to suspect warrants and case files, and don't make you deviate from the main missions in the slightest. Which makes them useful as a bit of extra-content, even if they come with a filler type of vibe. Finally, one noticeable difference in this game as far as mechanics go is the introduction of the freeze system. Similar to the intimidation mechanic you get in other games, you can flash your badge / gun to freeze a maximum of three targets at once. But although I love the concept, I can’t help but feel it’s also quite glitchy, since it's very temperamental and you need to have the targets pretty aligned in order for it to work properly.

All of these are significant changes from what came before, and not all of them work in Hardline’s favour. But between the give and the take, I felt as if the shift was a positive one, especially after BF4.

There are just two more things I’d like to mention about Hardline. The first one is the story, which unexpectedly, I actually enjoyed. It’s divided into two very obvious parts, with the first one - clearly my favourite - giving you this sort of Training Day feel that worked really well most of the time. The narrative isn’t perfectly coherent or even particularly well written, but it's entertaining enough and, at times, surprisingly funny. The second thing, however, is sadly a downgrade when compared to most previous titles. Gunplay simply doesn't feel all that great. It’s decent for the most part, but both weapon feel and sound seem degraded and an unfortunate step down from BF3 or BC and BC2. You eventually get used to it, but it never becomes more than ok at best.

So after all this, I’ll say I enjoyed my time with Hardline, more than I was given to believe I would. It didn't do anything different from a broader gaming perspective, but it did try - and to a big extent, achieve - to be different from the Battlefield games that came before it. It was certainly a step up from BF4. I never once felt bored, and both the story and the new setting gave the franchise a somewhat fresh coat of paint. With more competent gunplay and fleshed out mechanics, this could've been something impactful. As it stands, it's just a good game. 7/10

I share many feelings about this game, all of which involve disappointment. First off, In Hardline's defense, it is a follow up to BF4; a game of which is fair to say, has tainted Battlefield's credibility as a FPS giant. This game's campaign is about as cookie cutter, cheap cable tv; as it can get. The writing was downright laughable, almost to a point where I felt offended. "Was that really supposed to be a plot twist?" I'd scoff at the TV. It's safe to say, the campaign although different, is not going to bring home any awards. And really, If every real life criminal melted at the site of a badge while holding a rifle with such ease, the world wide crime rate would be zilch. (An aspect which did not feel as rewarding as one would have hoped.)

On to multiplayer. While the game is very much cops and robbers, it is still battlefield at heart. From the game engine to the shooting mechanics, the game IS undoubtedly battlefield. However, I am not so sure it was successful in rejuvenating the series. I spent various games with two other friends, looking for a match worth staying in. From blood money to team deathmatch, we experienced several empty servers. However, Servers of which were packed to the tee, had acceptable frame rate. The maps weren't as grand as the entries of past. One caveat you will hear from many BF aficionados is "where's the ability to demolish buildings?" Then came the question of fun. Was this fun? Are we having fun? Mind you, one of us is a fully dedicated FPS gamer with hundreds of shooters under our belt and we just could not find a groove in which both server and mode held up simultaneously.

All in all, BF failed to hold my interest, as well as those of my teammates. BF did try and the effort is clearly there, with the noted campaign cast hiring and various offerings of replay content. And while that's cute and all, the main content was not enough to hook you. It was a game of which can be known as Battlefield's facelift. However, I declare this game a botched job.

8/10

I was close to giving this an 8.5 because Hotwire is such a great mode. I only play Battlefield for the multiplayer so I don't factor in the campaign, but this is a lot of fun. I enjoy the cops and robbers aspect, though I do feel they could have gone farther with it. I also agree with anybody who says this shouldn't have been full price because it doesn't change enough. I do quite enjoy it.