Battlefield Hardline isn’t being developed by DICE which may be the biggest strike against it from hardcore fans of the franchise – or is it something else? Maybe it’s EA and DICE’s current stand with Battlefield players, since the last entry into the franchise – 2013’s Battlefield 4 – had a rather bumpy launch and still isn’t quite fixed by many accounts.
Visceral Games is developing Battlefield Hardline – not DICE – and that’s a good thing. Visceral has a good track record with its Dead Space franchise, and even the Godfather titles which were quite good – not to mention the fact that they are now working on a new Star Wars game with Amy Hennig at the helm – who wrote all three Uncharted games. It is time for a breath of fresh air for Battlefield and we should give it a chance to prove itself – shouldn’t we?
Why are we being so tough on Battlefield Hardline?
EA has made a few smart choices lately and they had to after the botched Sim City launch followed by the issues with Battlefield 4. EA decided to fix Battlefield 4 and delay Hardline to make sure it doesn’t have the same issues at launch.
Other strikes against the game – before it even launched – is the fact that the multiplayer mode is thought to be mediocre and mod-like even. Fans and press say this is all a big joke but isn’t this just another case of gamer entitlement and being so jaded that it makes me question why we play games anymore.
Battlefield Hardline should be given a fair shot with a new creative studio putting a fresh spin on the series. Hardline will feature a different Single Player campaign and is moving away from the beat down military story – welcome to a cop story that takes direction from a TV series format. I like the sound of that. This could be very cool and keep in mind, we are talking about Visceral here!
The multiplayer mode received a lot of hate – yes, it was full on hate at times – because it felt like a mod. Visceral heard your feedback and went back to the drawing board on some of this stuff which is the cause for the delay to 2015. The idea itself is quite awesome, cops versus robbers in the streets of LA. Sure, the weaponry and vehicles are military-esque but we are talking about a video game here, not a documentary! We are here to have fun after all.
Now, cut these guys some slack and give EA and Visceral should not be dismissed before we get to play the full game. As with any game, if you don’t like the reviews, don’t buy the game – if you don’t like the gameplay you see from the hundreds of lets plays and quick looks, don’t buy the game. We live in a world where we quickly say things on Twitter, post things on Reddit or NeoGAF – let’s slow down a bit and use our brains before we lash out.
There are real people behind these games, people who put their life blood into a product they want to make the best they can. Think about your creations being judged and how you would feel, if you were publicly bashed and put down – wouldn’t feel so great, would it?
