Battlefield 2042 – Review In Progress

Battlefield was the biggest, most loud, and chaotic multiplayer game ever made. It’s the Texas of video games, and whether you love it or hate it, its bombast cannot be overstated. Battlefield 2042, for better or worse, continues the trend with an overwhelming number of explosions, firefights, objectives and other activities. The game’s 128-player matches and gargantuan maps guarantee dramatic moments – and some of my favorite gaming clips from 2021 – but there’s a thin line separating spectacle and confusion. 

There’s never been a Battlefield game released without Conquest, the signature mode which tasks two opposing teams to capture and defend objective zones across the map. The popular match format is alive and well, but honestly, it’s my least favorite way to play Battlefield 2042. Without the presence of a Commander (an organizational role from past entries), Conquest’s massive battles often feel disorganized compared to Breakthrough, a multiplayer mode replacing Rush from previous games. Breakthrough allows you to engage in more concentrated engagements. Breakthrough separates the map into several segments each with two Control points. If an attacking team captures all objectives within a given area, it can force the defending side to abandon the zone. Breakthrough is my favorite.

Hazard Zone, an innovative multiplayer game format, is where eight teams of four are pitted against one another. They must retrieve data drives from scattered satellite crash sites across the map. Your team will be attacked at every turn by AI enemies who guard all locations. Hazard Zone does not allow for respawning, unless the Redeploy uplink is activated by your teammates. Otherwise, you’re out of luck. Only one way to win is via the highly-contested Helicarrier. It only visits the map twice during each match. If you miss the flight or die before making it on board, it’s game over. In an attempt to get our valuable data drives and score tons of Dark Market credits, the team marched relentlessly towards the extraction site on more than one occasion. This meta currency is used to buy weapons and other gear, but it can sometimes be very frustrating not to earn a return. Admittedly, I was skeptical of Hazard Zone, but it’s been the highlight of my experience playing Battlefield 2042 thus far.

Whether you’re using a grappling hook to swing above the competition like Spider-Man, flying through a deadly tornado with a wingsuit, or sniping from the backline with the rest of your squad behind mobile barricades, each Specialist has an entertaining role to play. The ability to fine tune each operator to your preferences is possible. You also have the option to swap weapons between fights without needing to respawn. Battlefield 2042 offers many customization options that make it a very varied first-person shooter. Playing as Dozer, an athletic character wearing a shield and full-body armor, I came face to face the tank’s pilot. The vessel’s canon slowly panned over to face me, resulting in a hilarious moment of silence before he inevitably fired his shot. My shield stopped the blast from killing me, much to our delight. Just seconds later, an enemy tank launched a bomb from behind me, damaging the tank and causing me to be distracted long enough to get a third kill shielding each of my crew members. The only reason my shield was on was due to a bug that kept me from being able to aim down any weapons. 

Battlefield 2042 is currently lacking a level of polish as it stands in pre-launch. Don’t worry; there’s nothing as serious as Battlefield 4’s launch woes. Most bugs I’ve encountered are minimal, like the grappling hook’s zipline clipping through the front of the device during its animation or struggling to call in air support on an arid map like Hourglass because of a bug with the sand’s navmesh. Some bugs may have an adverse effect on gameplay. I’ve seen sniper scopes with lower magnification lose their ability to see secondary gadgets, or be unable to revive teammates who were killed in Hazard Zone. 

While I’ve spent the last three days playing Battlefield 2042 at a virtual review event, I still need more time with the game on post-release servers before offering my final verdict. Additionally, I’d like to dive deeper into Portal, the game’s community-driven platform that promises unforgettable battles that highlight features from Battlefield games past and present. Given the breadth of exciting content to play, including Portal’s six classic maps like Battlefield 3’s Caspian Border and 1942’s Battle of the Bulge, this entry is an easy recommendation for fans of the series. If you’re on the fence about purchasing Battlefield 2042 at launch, you can look forward to my full review in the coming days.