Battlefield 2042looks to give players a lot of new and innovative features, while also calling back to the core of what has made the franchise so beloved. From over-the-top weather-based destruction to gameplay that is more reminiscent ofBattlefield3andBattlefield 4, fans of the series are looking forward to having a new game that recognizes the history and success ofBattlefield.It already seems to be a welcome change from what the franchise was trying to do with its most recent installment.
Battlefield 5was a very different game for the franchise. Although it tried to ride the hype of returning to the World War 2 era, that wasn’t enough to fix all of the game’s faults. Some issues were bigger than others, but some of the most consistent complaints came from gameplay changes that were meant to shake up the pace of play. While this was accomplished, these new features weren’t received well by a lot of hardcore fans. Looking forward toBattlefield 2042, it’s clear what features fromBattlefield 5should be left in the past.
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Scarcity and War of Attrition Features
A lot of the changes that were made totheBattlefieldformulainBattlefield 5were in the name of immersion. The idea was to give players an authentic World War 2 experience like no other, and one of the features that motivated this was scarcity of resources. Players were given much less ammo and general supplies as opposed to previous games, and although it does make for a more realistic experience, that doesn’t always make it fun. IfBattlefield 2042is going to keep gameplay smooth and fast-paced, making sure players have enough ammo to last them more than five minutes would greatly improve the experience fromBF5.
Fortification Building
Part ofBF5’s gameplay centered around building fortifications to defend certain areas. Whether it was boarding up windows or creating impromptu cover out of sandbags, players had a decent amount of control over the open maps. However,2042probably wouldn’t be a good place for this feature. Not only would most fortifications fromBF5not make sense considering players are dealing with skyscrapers made of concrete and steel, the weapons used in2042appear significantly more destructive. It just wouldn’t make much sense when one player in a helicopter can immediately wipe out most reinforcements.
Operations, Grand Or Otherwise
Battlefield 5took some cues fromBattlefield 1and its long-form Operations mode. The game mode managed to capture the way battles in World War 1 went on for days at a time by putting players through multiple rounds of one game session, andBF5upped the scale with Grand Operations. While this was a decent way to make players feel immersed in the scale of WW2, it probably wouldn’t be the best fit for2042.Moving back to a more modern era, theBattlefieldfranchise has already shown that it can thrive with two massive teams in one game, so it would be best to avoid any unnecessary gimmicks.
Battlefield 2042has a lot of pressure moving closer to its release.Battlefield 5was a general disappointment, and there are a lot of expectations now that the franchise is going back to a more modern era. Excitement has been high sincethe newBattlefield Portalmodewas announced, and it already seems like it’s going to open up a lot of opportunities for community content. AsBattlefield 2042’s release date draws closer, hopefully EA will show more of how the game is giving fans aBattlefieldexperience that showcases the best of the franchise.
Battlefield 2042releases October 22 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
