The hallmark of Visceral Game’s magnum opus Battlefield has always been extravagant depiction of frontline battles. But for the latest installment of their first person shooter video game, Visceral has taken a different approach. Instead of frontlines this time around players are put in the shoes of a Miami cop named Nick Mendoza. Nick’s just climbed up from being a uniformed grunt to detective with a desire to clean up the streets of his city of drugs.
Battlefield hardline game play consists of newly introduced and equally immersive modes such as Heist, Blood Money, Hotwire Mode, Rescue and Crosshair. Departing from linear shoot first ask questions later approach, hardline provides a healthy dose of reality to the proceedings. As a cop, Nick has access to police scanner which can be used to identify criminals in the vicinity by tagging them on the map. There’s also a fair amount of procedural police work involved like spotting clues, gathering evidence and carrying out analyses. The arsenal at player’s disposal is quite extensive with copious room for customization and modifications. Accessories and gadgets are also available to aid the players such as grappling hooks and zip lines to descend from elevated position.
The most engrossing feature has to be choice driven consequences during gameplay which heavily influence situational outcomes and gameplay. Developers have ensured there are numerous approaches available to a player for a particular scenario. Going in guns blazing or taking the stealthy way in, game allows for creative ways to tackle the situation. Based upon the approach adopted there’s also a scoring system that judges players based on their adoptive approach aptly bestowing Protectionist or a loose cannon moniker.
Verdict
Awesome graphic wise with environments that reflect real world damage during a hailstorm of bullets, awesome story and gaming modes Battlefield Hardline is a highly anticipated addition to the Battlefield franchise. Watch out for its release coming March!