PlayStation 3
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Product Features

Genre
Action and Shooter
Publisher
EA
Release Date
October 01, 2013
Available Platforms
PlayStation 3

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China Rising Expansion PackFight for dominance across the vast and majestic Chinese mainland in four massive maps, using all-new vehicles and high-tech military equipment in the premium expansion pack, China Rising.Battlefield 4 is the genre-defining action blockbuster made from moments that blur the line between game and glory. Fueled by the next-generation power and fidelity of Frostbite 3, Battlefield 4 provides a visceral, dramatic experience unlike any other.Only in Battlefield can you demolish the buildings shielding your enemy. Only in Battlefield will you lead an assault from the back of a gun boat. Battlefield grants you the freedom to do more and be more while playing to your strengths and carving your own path to victory.In addition to its hallmark multiplayer, Battlefield 4 features...

  • Ravi Nijjar January 27, 2014 PS3
    ****

    How many games with a '4' in the title are actually going to be worth your time? Well, despite so many first-person-shooter franchises now churning out endless annual instalments that all feel pretty much the same as one another, Battlefield 4 proves the exception to the rule by actually being fairly original - and rather good.

    This is largely because developers Electronic Arts have been reluctant to rest on their laurels, instead changing the formula of previous Battlefield games quite a bit for this fourth instalment. Notably, the game looks quite different, as EA has used its new "Frostbite 3" game engine that allows the programmers to create more realistic environments with higher-definition textures and particle effects.

    In short, everything looks a bit more detailed than before, allowing for the creation of a variety of levels that feel very distinct and different, and more real-feeling than ever. And the "destructibility" factor - meaning the amount of environmental elements that you can interact with (and destroy) - seems to have been vastly ramped up here, allowing you to really go to work on the scenery for maximum mayhem (if that's your thing).

    Gameplay is admittedly pretty much what you'd expect (there's only so much you can do within the confines of the FPS genre, after all), with a reasonably good single-player campaign, and an extensive roster of multiplayer modes. I'm someone who actually prefers the single-player experience, so I was glad to see that EA are still catering to solo players with a decent plot involving a US-China conflict (that obviously has to be resolved through a lot of running around and shooting, in various situations and locations).

    There's quite a lot of freedom to choose strategy and tactics to achieve your goal (unlike some on-rails shooters I could name), and a new device that EA calls "levolution" that essentially involves you making big changes to your environment in-game (like blowing up buildings or other architecture), in a way that changes the look and feel of a level or allows you to defeat an enemy more easily. And on the multiplayer side, there's plenty to enjoy too, with new vehicles, weapons and customisation options making this well worth an upgrade, even for owners of the previous games in the series.

    Yes, there are a few glitches that make the game feel a bit unfinished - as though it could have done with a bit more playtesting before release - but otherwise it's a pretty polished product (and EA have released lots of patches and updates to fix those bugs now anyway). Despite some heavy competition in its chosen genre, Battlefield 4 seems to be the best current shooter out at the moment, and I look forward to the inevitable fifth iteration.

    (Disclaimer: I played the PS3 version, so my review is based on that, but I understand that the game is mostly the same on all platforms).

    Ravi Nijjar