A Case of False Identity
*NOTE: This review reflects the 10 or so hours spent on single player. I am not a fan of the online experiences in the Battlefield series so they are not considered in this review*
This game seemed like something that could have been a sleeper hit. It had all the right fixings, it strayed from the traditional military stories of other Battlefields, and it was made by Visceral (of Dead Space 1&2 acclaim, I would rather not mention 3). You get to be a gritty cop who gets into intense moments that feel natural and test your morals, sounds awesome! Unfortunately though, the final product feels more like a second rate episode of CSI: Miami. Granted it has some good moments, but much of the game left me wanting more.
You are Nick Mendoza, a new detective with the Miami Police Department. His morals are good and just, and he wants to be everything opposite of his crime ridden family history. This description is forced time and time again down players throats, and the main character does not get to develop much further past that. The story is intriguing at times, but again is less reminiscent of great cop drama properties like The Shield and End of Watch and ends up being more like a forgettable episode of a cop show that only lasted one season. It is just a very bland story. I understand that Battlefield’s focus is traditionally multiplayer, but the forefront of this one should have been its core story. It suffers from a clear issue of not knowing what it wants to be. It is at times serious, and others not serious enough. There is no clear distinction of the feel that the developers wanted to give.
This game seemed like something that could have been a sleeper hit. It had all the right fixings, it strayed from the traditional military stories of other Battlefields, and it was made by Visceral (of Dead Space 1&2 acclaim, I would rather not mention 3). You get to be a gritty cop who gets into intense moments that feel natural and test your morals, sounds awesome! Unfortunately though, the final product feels more like a second rate episode of CSI: Miami. Granted it has some good moments, but much of the game left me wanting more.
You are Nick Mendoza, a new detective with the Miami Police Department. His morals are good and just, and he wants to be everything opposite of his crime ridden family history. This description is forced time and time again down players throats, and the main character does not get to develop much further past that. The story is intriguing at times, but again is less reminiscent of great cop drama properties like The Shield and End of Watch and ends up being more like a forgettable episode of a cop show that only lasted one season. It is just a very bland story. I understand that Battlefield’s focus is traditionally multiplayer, but the forefront of this one should have been its core story. It suffers from a clear issue of not knowing what it wants to be. It is at times serious, and others not serious enough. There is no clear distinction of the feel that the developers wanted to give.
The gameplay, which is a core part of that, is sloppy. It is every bit of basic you would expect from a shovel ware producer, not EA and company. You can choose stealth, which works if you are very patient, or go guns blazing. The issue here is that you can feel the restraints of being a good guy, yet the lines are very blurred when I can shoot a suspect in the back of the head without warning. You get an arsenal of standardized weapons known in the genre, and can carry one sidearm and another of your choosing. On top of that you can equip two gadgets, many of which are only necessary for a mission or two. If you want to go the stealthy, by the books cop route (which nets you more xp) you may want to opt for the taser. It stuns an enemy and recharges fairly fast. Other than that though there is a gas mask (used once) and a grapple/zip line gun which is used a few times. It does not feel authentic to me, that a detective would take this grapple gun with them anywhere. Sure if this was Black Ops or Rainbow Six, yes by all means have a grapple hook, but this game trips over itself time and time again. Included for the CSI effect is your scanner, which basically finds all the collectables for you so that little to no effort is needed.
The previously mentioned experience points are further proof of that. You get more for being a good cop which means non-lethal take downs and arrests. Using your badge in the game is simple, click a button and up to 3 enemies will go hands up. You have to keep switching your sight between enemies in front of you or one of them will go for the weapon. The problem is that you feel in control no matter what. You should not see a bar over their head in a real crime experience, but rather have to read their body language. That or at least add sound and screen effects that make it feel as you have something to lose if they go for their gun. In Hardline you can just drop a few slugs in the perp if they decide to retaliate and that is it. No dialogue of remorse or surprise from Nick, just on to the next checkpoint. You also get some points for kills regardless, and the leveling system would be maxed out by the end of the game either way. There is no change in story depending on your actions and no dialogue change so the only reason to not have as much fun and go around tasing is totally optional. It is an odd choice, and really unexplored potential that the development team left up for grabs. There are not a lot of cop games on the market. L.A. Noire is the best one that comes to mind, and they explored the life of the character in detail and depth. Hardline does not do that. They give you daddy issues and a gun. The car chases are mostly a letdown too. They do not feel high speed, controls are very stiff, and it feels too set up. Makes for a cool cut scene if they would have chosen that, but the experience is not rewarding.
Where the game does get it right is in the details. Environments look authentic, and plenty of set pieces make the scenes feel individually built, not copy and pasted. I took full advantage of the Xbox Ones screenshot feature here, because the lighting works so well with their environmental structures and textures. The use of licensed music like that of Earl Sweatshirt (of Oddfuture) and Public Enemy help immerse you. There is little conversations going on that do not feel forced, from arguments to chatting about daily activities. Even the advertisements look like the can be real world products. Places like the Everglades shine as you get to see the better aspects of the game (also where you get to use the grapple hook excessively.) It is at times like these were I felt the game should have wanted to embody these feelings throughout and they failed in doing so.
Where the game does get it right is in the details. Environments look authentic, and plenty of set pieces make the scenes feel individually built, not copy and pasted. I took full advantage of the Xbox Ones screenshot feature here, because the lighting works so well with their environmental structures and textures. The use of licensed music like that of Earl Sweatshirt (of Oddfuture) and Public Enemy help immerse you. There is little conversations going on that do not feel forced, from arguments to chatting about daily activities. Even the advertisements look like the can be real world products. Places like the Everglades shine as you get to see the better aspects of the game (also where you get to use the grapple hook excessively.) It is at times like these were I felt the game should have wanted to embody these feelings throughout and they failed in doing so.
All screenshots were captured personally on Xbox One
The voice actors do a solid job of carrying their weight, and they are as a whole one of the few things in the game that managed to be above average. The character models look good, but could have been better. The game has the looks of Battlefield through and through, but the human models look like they have a layer of watercolor over them that muddles the realness of everything else. The cars do not look so great, as is the downfall of many first person shooters. Guns look decent enough, and everything else is standard as far as the Battlefield name suggests.
This is 2015, games are more widely recognized for standing out, whether it is uniquely or dramatically. Developers have to decide if they are making something like The Last of Us or something like Saints Row. Either be dedicated to the image or story you are trying to conceive or it just is not going to work. That may sound harsh, but I expected more from a triple A series like Battlefield. There was a lot of potential here and they did not reach it. I did not hate my experience with the game and I would recommend it for a rental or bargain pick up, but it is frustrating to say the least when you see something half assed. 6/10
By Edwin Velez
Follow us on Twitter @player2reviews and my personal account @MrVelezbian for more reviews and gaming goodness.
This is 2015, games are more widely recognized for standing out, whether it is uniquely or dramatically. Developers have to decide if they are making something like The Last of Us or something like Saints Row. Either be dedicated to the image or story you are trying to conceive or it just is not going to work. That may sound harsh, but I expected more from a triple A series like Battlefield. There was a lot of potential here and they did not reach it. I did not hate my experience with the game and I would recommend it for a rental or bargain pick up, but it is frustrating to say the least when you see something half assed. 6/10
By Edwin Velez
Follow us on Twitter @player2reviews and my personal account @MrVelezbian for more reviews and gaming goodness.