Available on

PSN!

Platform

Playstation 3

Genre

Shooter

Publisher

Electronic Arts

Developer

DICE

ESRB

T (Teen)

Released

July 9, 2009

- Easy to pick up and play
- Excellent graphics and sound

- Limited modes and maps
- Different controls between vehicles may confuse

Review: Killzone 2 (PS3)

Review: Battlefield: Bad Company (360)

Review: Battlefield 2: Modern Combat (360)

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Battlefield 1943

Score: 8.5 / 10

When it comes to videogames, there are a handful of absolutes: Mario games, zombie games, and first-person WWII games. The latter genre has been released so many times, and in so many different iterations, that developers have risked making these games as old and tiring as a junior high WWII history lesson. With Battlefield 1943, developer EA Digital Illusions CE has stepped back to the basics, and what is old may not be new again, but it certainly is fun again.

Published by EA and developed by DICE, Battlefield 1943 is, on the surface, your typical WWII first-person shooter, though strictly created as an online multiplayer title; up to 24 players can take the fight online as part of either the United States or

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Japan, as both sides wage war across a handful of maps, the goal being the conquest of several key hotspots. By standing underneath the flag of said hotspot, players can take control of the encampment until the opposing side takes it over. The team that secures the most hotspots and does the most damage will end up victorious, but with the aid of tanks, jeeps, and planes, that goal won’t be easily attained.

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Players also have three classes to choose from, between Infrantryman, Scout, and Rifleman. Each class brings its own style to the fight (Infantrymen can repair vehicles, Scouts use sniper rifles, Riflemen have rifle-mounted grenades), but no class overly dominates the other, and with the ability to switch between classes during battle (by picking up the available backpacks strewn around the encampments), experimentation brings little risk and plenty of rewards. Vehicles take a bit more getting used to, as ground-based vehicles such as tanks and jeeps control slightly different from planes, with the latter requiring the most skill, and often becomes the subject of amusement as impatient players will sprint for the nearest aircraft and shortly crash into the nearest mountain. The battles for camp supremacy can grow quite hectic as well, and with enemy units free to spawn at the very hotspot that is being attacked, this game is a rare exception where spawn camping becomes a legitimate strategy.

Battlefield 1943 brings nothing new to the WWII FPS table, but what makes it stand out is its simple yet polished design. The controls are tight and intuitive, whether you’re taking cover from a tank, to riding that same tank in the conquest of the enemy’s encampment. The tactical toys of warfare are also a cinch to pilot once initially mastered, and the game rarely feels unbalanced despite all the mayhem going on. The visuals also do a spectacular job of displaying said mayhem, with many destructible environments and explosions filling up the screen, and the audio delivers a rich, booming experience; when the warning sirens are sounding off, and the bombs are dropping from the sky above, even the most veteran player will shake in his boots as he runs for cover.

The basic interface of Battlefield 1943 is also a double-edged sword (or katana, as the Japanese soldiers wield). With only a handful of maps, two ways to join a game (quick join, or a friends-only campaign), and only one game-type, Battlefield 1943’s features may feel like slim pickings (and the promise of additional DLC will only enrage people forced to throw additional money, although there are promises of free content as well), but considering the ease of play, the powerful aesthetics, and the arcade-like addictive gameplay, there’s more going on underneath the hood than an unpolished game with more bells and whistles. This is one war worth repeating.

- Jorge Fernandez

(July 21, 2009)