Trying the beta of Battlefield 2042, the impressions obtained from the upcoming title have a value that is not totally positive: let’s find out the details in this preview
The Battlefield saga is back with a brand new chapter, this time set in the future not too far, pledging to create a military world consisting of a character of modernity. In this way, he avoids overdoing the new technologies that are too “futuristic”, while still allowing himself to use a little imagination. The Battlefield 2042 beta we accessed for this preview, according to DICE, appears to have been produced months ago. The problems encountered during the game sessions should therefore be almost all ignorable, since they will not appear in the final result when the game is released.
Statements that would sound reassuring, if you do not consider the past reluctance of developers in releasing official gameplay more than a month before release. By participating in the beta it was possible to verify how the game stood out from previous titles, and if it respected that much-vaunted revolutionary desire that seemed to push the title. Let’s go into the discovery of this new battlefield.
Different players, same music
We will open the preview by looking at the typical Battlefield menu, with its glitch-style visuals even more pronounced in the beta of the futuristic 2042. Another recurring feature in the beta of the saga is the matchmaking which seems to have more than one flaw, since accessing games has often resulted in constant disconnections from servers, in addition to the ubiquitous problems related to the netcode. But putting these aspects aside for now, once you have entered a match you can select your class. Or so they are called, but what we will have will actually be four “specialists “.
The role we will choose this time will not bind us to a single type of equipment: in fact, even if we decide to be an engineer, with the ability to carry a rocket launcher, we will still be able to keep a sniper rifle with us. This change is intriguing on paper, but in reality it becomes rather impeding during the battle, since it is not possible to identify the arsenal available to the enemy, nor what our companions will have. Which means that if before we had the certainty that a certain class would be out of a weapon, and we could have used this information for a strategy, now that will no longer be the case.
Specialists will have only one gadget equipped, often leading to the forgoing of medical kits or boxes of ammunition, further reducing team play and mutual aid between teammates. This renunciation is also prompted by the addition of the health refill, and by being able to collect ammunition left on the ground by fallen soldiers. It is noted how some decisions serve to encourage the use of specialists: for example, the medical specialist Maria Falck has the ability to cure from distance teammates and to revive them with full health; if we had equipped the defibrillator without impersonating her, the resuscitation will last longer and life will only partially fill.
Between renewed controls and new features – Battlefield 2042 beta preview
In the Battlefield 2042 beta we were also able to get a preview of one of DICE’s most acclaimed innovations, the “Plus System”: it consists of a menu that opens from the weapon, where it will be possible to change accessories during the game, without having to return to the spawn screen. With this we try to make everything more dynamic, but a flaw in the beta is how you cannot customize the accessories of the weapons in a definitive way, or before entering the battle. When we die, we will always have to rearrange them.
One command that is particularly lacking is the button for communicating with other players, with which you can request ammunition or care. In fact, we will be able to ask for help from our companions only if we want to be revived. Another bizarre change is the console hotkey for the throwing of grenades, which has been moved to the directional key at the top; somewhat uncomfortable position, which leads to move the thumb from the left analog, forcing the player to stop to throw a grenade. Of course, this is obvious by simply changing the keys in the settings, but it still remains a factor that perplexes console gamers.
Weapons and Vehicles – Battlefield 2042 beta preview
Interesting addition, taken from Battlefield V, is the one that will allow us to do arrive a vehicle wherever we are: this will leave room for moments of strong exaltation, for example by having a tank spawn on top of the roof of a building. Among the vehicles available in the squad, there is also the brand new one robot dog Ranger, which follows its owner everywhere and can be sent to a specific area to check the state of things, and explode on occasion. To arms, it was also added the grapple, which thus creates a possibility of further verticality even in a “flat” map such as Orbital.
About our arsenal, that we certainly cannot avoid describing in this preview of Battlefield 2042, we should not expect a great variety from the beta: we only have a dozen rifles, two pistols and standard accessories such as C5, medical syringe, defibrillators and rocket launchers and a few other gadgets. Speaking of the gunplay, even this was not too important: the recoil of the weapons is very low, yet this does not imply a better accuracy. And the weapons still give the impression of being strangely “light”. Added to this defect, there is also the Time To Kill quite high in order to be able to bag a good number of kills in good time.
Attempt to Reconquest – Battlefield 2042 beta preview
In this part of our preview we will open a parenthesis on an important side of Battlefield 2042: the will to revolutionize Conquest mode. Since there will be 128 total players, it was necessary to readjust the mode and maps according to the battles on a larger scale, to avoid crowded bottlings in the various sections to be conquered. Intent that did not work much, since the conflict almost always focuses on some bases, such as the one located on the highest building, which is almost always targeted by aerial vehicles.
It may be that the problem is in the map chosen for the beta: Orbital is structured into eight sectors, but it’s not as big as it may seem. It appears rather bland and empty in terms of structure variation, often leaving large open spaces with no cover available, where you won’t even have smoke grenades available to hide. Doing it all on foot would take quite a few minutes, and the meager spawn of vehicles (especially jets and helicopters) often won’t help us avoid long walks to our goals.
Within the map it will be possible to attend various events: from rocket launch which stands right in the center of it, and which if destroyed could reshape the entire battlefield (but not to the levels of Shanghai in Battlefield 4), to a storm that will plunge the fight into a blanket of disturbing twilight, generating in followed a tornado that will wipe out everything and every person in its path. As always, Battlefield 2042 excellently stands out for its scenographic effects, even if the “levolution” does not stand out significantly compared to that in previous games.
Graphic, Audio and Technical – Battlefield 2042 beta preview
In our preview we will now go to cover the main sore point Battlefield 2042: being, as reiterated before, a “beta of a few months ago” (according to DICE), running into bugs and glitches is certainly not new, especially if you are already used to the beta of previous Battlefields. However, for a game due out in just over a month, some structural problems really seem too important to be solved through small patches.
Among these, one that we would like to emphasize is the indicator that represents the players in our faction. Understanding who is allied to us and who has not been returned very difficult, by means of small blue squares placed above the heads of the soldiers, which in addition they all already have look identical to each other because of the models all the same, in appearance and uniform, used in specialists. This also makes it difficult to identify the fallen comrades, and it is therefore impossible to go to their rescue in good time.
Fast-paced interface and movement – Battlefield 2042 beta preview
Speaking also ofSKIN, the light blue and orange colors used are quite intrusive and annoying to the eye, especially in situations where the system warns of the capture of a target, showing a giant colorful banner that falls above the view. For what concern technical sector, it will be a bit like shooting the red cross, but frame drops and continuous lag have been very prominent during this beta, even with a mid-to-high-end PC.
The sound of weapons it appears somewhat indistinct among the various rifles available, and one often wonders from which direction the bullets are coming. The sound of footsteps is in turn almost non-existent, especially in closed places, while that of vehicles seemed to be the most audible of all. The movement of the soldiers has changed, becoming much more accelerated also due to the addition of one slip usable while running; yet, it still remains not very fluid. Finally, it seems that the possibility of lean out of corners to aim, a function that has always been useful and appreciated in many moments in the past titles.
Last chance
The criticisms aimed at the beta of Battlefield 2042 in this preview are aimed above all at the shortcomings in which the game pours, given the stage of completeness in which it should be now. With this title the team revealed a real change in the series, also removing the campaign and adding brand new modes such as Hazard Zone (not yet in the beta), but the prospects are getting darker. Among other issues not discussed, there are also the “artificial players” inserted to replenish the servers and which make the experience unsatisfactory. Long story short, Battlefield 2042 doesn’t appear to be a game ready for release anytime soon.
It will definitely come out with a full-bodied patch al day one, to then receive new adjustments in the following months; once this is done, it will certainly be a title that will be able to provide fun in those who are looking for a renewed feeling compared to the previous chapters of the series. However, there are doubts as to how some problems inherent in the game system will be solved. We therefore await the feedback from DICE on the feedback sent by the players, hoping for a some intervention by the development team. We conclude …