We haven't even stepped into 2015 and already a new Battlefield game is on the cards. Keeping its competitive nature up against the likes of Call of Duty, the new Battlefield is now set to swerve away from the entire army perspective of things and concentrate more on the modern day Miami.
This time around, however, EA has handed over the initiative of the game to Visceral Games,which did a marvellous job with its previous Dead Space series. And since the shooter, for the time being, moves away from the usual good army vs bad army module, it's more exciting to see how the game pans out from a policeman's point of view.
For starters, Battlefield Hardline features a new variety of gameplay that seems to move away from the traditional Battlefield game modes that we have known all this time. And as we mentioned before, the focus of the game has been shifted to police and the "war on crime", from the military setting that has otherwise characterised the series.
While there's still ample time before the new Battlefield heads over, here's a quick look at everything that's been said and done about the game. Sure there will be changes made in the final release of the same, but here's everything that's currently known for the game.
From Army to the Cops
The next Battlefield game on the cards is up for a major change that deals with the lives of cops and the kind of criminals they encounter, rather than that of the marines fighting a war in some other part of the world. The game sees you play as a Miami police officer who finds himself caught in the sinister underbelly of the city. While more details are yet to arrive on the same, know that the new Battlefield takes cue from the hit cop dramas on TV and works on them from the perspective of making a game. When we first came across this edition of Battlefield, it thoroughly reminded us of the shows such as 'The Wire' and 'NYPD Blues.'
Power of the Frostbite
Battlefield games are anyway known to offer some of the best graphical detailing for a video game, and the Hardline doesn't necessarily move away from the norm. Sure Frostbite is easily one of the most advanced pieces of gaming engines out there, but it has done a mighty good job as far as Battlefield Hardline is concerned. From the massive explosions to the character and setting detailing, everything is more realistic thanks to the evolved Frostbite engine that's on offer. Also add to that, the Levolution mechanic from Battlefield 4.
Arrest Rather than Killing
Sure it's always easy to go in all guns blazing in a typical Battlefields game, but since this one takes a less known path in the history of the franchise, know that Hardline wants you to be as much "humane" you can possibly be in your approach. Hence, it involves the players taking a more calculated approach to the situation by apprehending the bad guys and making arrests, rather than turning your enemy into dead meat via the metal at your disposal. There's even a new hold-up mechanic that allows the player to flash a badge and make arrests. But then again, that doesn't mean you will drop your guard in the situation since the AI has this habit of jumping you from behind or going for their weapons without a moment's notice.
Play Out the Detective
Since there's major police work involved in the new Battlefield Hardline, the devs have put impetus on the detective aspect of things. While you need not collect evidences to level up or move to the next mission, but there are instances when you will come across some light detective work. There's a sort of a scanner device that's always at your disposal so as to highlight evidences that may seem suspicious. Collecting more and more of these evidences opens up a larger background narrative that offers more in the overall single player mode story of the game. In fact, it can even unlock some custom gears that you could later use for the multiplayer aspect of things.
Gameplay Remains Intact
While a new change has been made in terms of the overall setting of the new Battlefield Hardline, there are hardly anything else to show that its gameplay mechanics have changed as well. On the contrary, it still feels like the same Battlefield that we have made ourselves accustomed to over the years. Hardcore fans of the series shouldn't have much problems recognising the mechanics involved since it's the same as that of the previously released Battlefield 4. And with the unchanged things, we are sure the addition of the stealth element in the game will compliment things perfectly.
Four New Game Modes
Battlefield Hardline offers as many as four new different game modes. These include Heist, Rescue, Hotwire Mode and Blood Money. While Heist involves breaking free packages of money from armored trucks by blowing the doors off, then moving the package to an extraction point, the Hotwire Mode offers police chasing down criminals at high speeds across expansive environments. Rescue involves a situation where police officers must try to save hostages from the criminals in the given amount of time.
