After the release of the Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare trailer a few weeks ago, Electronic Arts began to hype up their upcoming release in the competing Battlefield game series. Their hype included direct stabs at Activision, the publisher of the Call of Duty series, on Twitter.
Battlefield is a game series I, amazing, have never once had a chance to play. The games are, as expected, first person shooters, but clearly, with their popularity, they have their own unique elements to them. Prior releases have focused on massive warfare engagements, hence the “Battlefield” name to the series, with the last release in the series,Battlefield: Hardline, focusing more on special police engagements than on typical military situations. That title was met with mixed reaction, and (unless you count Star Wars Battlefront) there was no Battlefield release in 2015.
Now, in 2016, we have the announcement of Battlefield 1, a new Battlefield title set in, of all things, the horrors of World War 1.
I’ve been saying for years that FPS titles need to go back into more historic wars. In the early days, every single game was set in World War 2. People got tired of it, and in the mid 2000’s Call of Duty took over the FPS scene with games focused more on modern and futuristic combat scenarios. Game series like Medal of Honor effectively died, stuck in the past, and when they did try to move into the future, they were met with disinterest. Of course, Battlefield grew to be a contender, but again, it too, focused most recently on more modern engagements.
This time, though, we are back in the trenches of the Great War. Not just the trenches, though, but beyond, to other elements of this historic event, and it looks promising; certainly looking like something I will want to play.
Of course, this is just a trailer. It is going to look amazing, and the real game might be as bland as ever. I’ll say again I think people expect too much from games, at times, and let the hype get to them.
I’ll be here waiting for more footage. I want to see what they do with the very unique setting; how they handle the weapons of the time, and the insane tactics used.
Battlefield 1 will be available on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
