Reviews// Battlefield 4 on PS4

EA has had a lot of trouble recently with launching online games, but it still surprised me that Battlefield 4 had so many problems. On all formats, including PC, gamers have been complaining of crashes, bugs and getting kicked from servers.

Thankfully the PlayStation 4 version I’ve been playing has been flawless in this regard, and what is left is a truly incredible game that I’ll be playing for a long time.

A Step Forward

Battlefield 4 looks absolutely incredible on the new system and the most impressive visuals are created organically. I literally had to stop and watch when I reached the top of a hill overlooking a city while jets flew around sky scrapers and rockets screamed from the ground towards them.

I regretted soaking up the carnage instantly though as some bellend with a sniper rifle couldn't believe his luck when he saw a lone soldier gawping at the top of a hill. Pro Tip: Don’t just stand about in the middle of nowhere with no cover.

Sound design is as good as it’s always been. Which is really bloody good. When it works, it sounds incredible. From simple gunfire and explosions to the music that builds tensions as your tickets slowly tic away.

It’s a shame then that the sound glitches from Battlefield 3 still remain in this version. With ambient noise and gunfire either being isolated or dropped it’s a little bit of a let down. It has certainly improved on its predecessor but not enough to be flawless.

What with all this new processing power Dice has decided to let us play with more people. This was initially a concern for me but Battlefield 4 handles 64 people superbly. It’s very rare that you’re caught in a moshpit of bullets and if you’re deploying correctly you’ll never have a CoD-esque spawn-die-repeat scenario.

That doesn’t mean that you wont be up against it. When you come across a well drilled team you’ll feel the force of the numbers. When defending it’ll feel like you against the world and if you survive your palms will be sweaty and heart beating but good god does it feel good.

The smaller pockets of conflict seem more fierce and offer a warning for a more intense war up ahead. Gone are the days of running for ages without seeing anyone. It’s safe to say that in this case it’s The More The Merrier.

Unsurprisingly there have been no changes made to the gameplay itself. It’s Battlefield as you know it and not a generation leap that some of the more insane gamers would have hoped for. Thankfully because of the lack of changes, it’s still the most balanced and enjoyable multiplayer shooter on the market.

All modes are intact, which might seem like a strange thing to comment on but when you read what has been stripped from the new versions of FIFA 14, it comes as a welcome confirmation.

The leveling system feels unforced and fun. Each level brings rewards and pushes the gamer forward and with the amount of unlocks, challenges and classes on offer there are literally hours of content on offer.

Level design is incredibly good in Battlefield 4. It gets everything right, from aesthetics to functionality and tactical encouragement. With the power of the new console the levolution (Sorry) and general destruction of the maps looks incredible and clearly adds to the experience.