Well let's begin shall we by addressing the main issue with the game. Nothing has fucking changed. I find it almost insulting that Call of Duty has to completely revamp its franchise with every installment to gain acceptance, where as over in Sweden they can get away with not bothering. I really don't believe this game is worth another £40 as there are very little changes. The main changes to the general gameplay come in the form of the addition of dual scopes, which I remember coming to Call of Duty in MW3, funny that. There is also a ridiculously overpowered targeting system that instantly reveals all enemies within an area, making the campaign a hell of a lot easier, but apart from that there really isn't a lot more. Rather disappointing.
Now the main development in the campaign comes in the form of a new tactical visor, wow, which really isn't necessary in a game like this. Far Cry possibly, but Battlefield, no. The campaign has the usual bravado that DICE include such as collectible tags and weapons that encourage the player to actually bother with the campaign, although as we shall find out later that's the only reason you would. I do like the unlockables in the campaign, it's a nice reward for players who have actually bothered with sitting through the whole story. The campaign also looks very nice, the cities look beautiful and it's sometimes nice to admire the stunning views while your squad-mates endlessly catch up with you, because they're lazy and useless. The other problem with the campaign is the AI are so glitchy and unintelligent that they're effectively broken which becomes rather frustrating when a soldier just randomly runs through your whole squad with nobody giving a single shit.
Multiplayer has remained almost exactly the same, there are now 64 players for next gen consoles but on the current gen there are still the standard 24, which still works nicely and the maps barely seem empty and they're still fun to play on. There are also some nice additions with cleverly designed maps that make full use of the local terrain and landmarks and the new levelution system, ugh horrible word, works like a dream and makes the maps dynamic and unique every time you play them. There are new weapons and vehicles available, but nothing really revolutionary, it's just the same thing you expect from Battlefield. The main addition for multiplayer comes in the form of commander mode, which allows a player to command their army. Sounds good in practice, but rarely do I see it being used effectively, it seems a good idea may have been wasted.
Now the plot is an interesting one, probably as you have no idea what the hell is happening. Never once was I introduced to the premise of the plot, I had to get that information from the title of the missions. Neither was I told about the antagonist, who it turns out isn't the leader of China like the game makes out and is instead trying to get power in China, important details the game never bothers to tell you so in the end the big bad villain looks like Mao Zedong if he worked at your local Chinese takeaway. It seems they haven't quite copied this villain thing yet from Call of Duty, which is a shame as they've copied everything else. The rest of the cast include the protagonist, who doesn't talk, smart move, it's not as if we need to care about the good guy is it, generic squad-mate number one, a stereotypical Chinese immigrant and an annoying black guy who does the talking for the protagonist, which isn't good as he's fucking annoying. The only hint of an interseting character we get is from a wounded Chinese man who is somehow the catalyst of the plot, but that was also never explained, but he is unfortunately stationed in the fucking med bay throughout the campaign.
Obviously this doesn't bode well for the story, and in fact the best part is the opening scene where Bonnie Tyler is playing in the background, until of course that's ruined by a fucking QTE. The opening part of the story however is filled with fun missions and the story progresses nicely, if without any direction, there are the occasional moments where you think you're playing Call of Duty with the over the top action sequences, but I forgive that. Arguably the strongest section of the campaign comes in the middle stages with an impressive double turn that is expertly written, and a returning character, who is in no way a rip off of Viktor Reznov, that helps you escape a prison, that is in no way a rip off of Vorkuta. However, this doesn't last, as the ending feels rushed and very anticlimatic. The main problems come from a very poorly done COD back from the dead heroic return and a final decision that only hangs on personal preference and has no bearing on anything. This is my problem with this campaign, nothing is explained and there are no repercussions to anything you do, the player is just expected to go along with what is happening. A good example of this is when Irish is just about to reveal why he is called Irish, a good chance for some character development, but then is cut short and it's never mentioned again. It seems Swedish literature died with Stieg Larsson as the plot is so poorly constructed and thought through that I ended up feeling very disappointed.
Overall then this seems like a rather pointless game. Why do I have to spend more money to get the same Battlefield experience I got with the previous games. There are definitely some improvements and it is certainly a step in the right direction, but as per usual it's brilliant multiplayer, terrible campaign. Same shit, different day.
Final Score: 74/100
Favorite Quote: "Turnaround, every now and then I get a little bit tired of listening to the sound of my tears" - Bonnie Tyler
Favorite Moment: Killing a Battlefield fan boy with the luckiest quickscope in the world.
Worst Moment: Oh another mandatory update, it's only 2GB this time and won't at all take an hour to download.
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