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Battlefield: Hardline is something of a step away from the franchise to this point, at least on the single player side. Instead of a military shooter, you’re a police officer, and technically you’re not supposed to run around putting bullets in heads. But the single-player game, while fun, suffers from an identity crisis that keeps it from being all it could be.
Battlefield: Hardline (PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3 & PS4)
Artistic Achievement
First of all, this game is very, very, very pretty. Playing on the PS4, the frame rate was silky smooth and the graphics were packed full of details without being flashy about it, although some areas, like an abandoned mall getting trashed by a hurricane, are obviously just showing off. Similarly, the sound work and score are top-notch; it’s pretty to look at and to listen to. If only it had much to say.
It’s not that the story of Nicholas Mendoza, a legit cop trying to make it in Miami, is bad, necessarily, it’s just pretty generic, something the game emphasizes by structuring the single-player campaign like a cop show complete with recaps and a stinger. It even calls its various levels “episodes” and they unfold like you’re watching the series on Netflix. That said, you’ll call every plot point well before it unfolds, and the fact that all Nick needed to do was back up his evidence and the game would have ended before the half-way point is annoying. On the other hand, it’s well-acted, at least: Visceral brought in cop show veterans like Kelly Hu, and they do the job handily.
As far as the topic of police violence goes, to be fair to the game, it’s never once presenting itself as a realistic simulation of police work; it goes out of its way to state just the opposite, really. That said, it’s staggeringly tone-deaf in places: The game opens with KRS-One’s “The Sound of the Police,” which a quick read of the lyrics will explain is a terrible misunderstanding of the song. Similarly, lines like “Don’t worry about their rights!” are awkward at best, especially when you have to start shooting people in the face. So, uh, killing is bad, except when people are in the way of finishing your mission objective?
EA and Visceral obviously were worried more about offending the least number of customers than dealing with a sensitive topic, and that’s a shame. The game would have been better if it had acknowledged the tough line even the most honest officer has to walk when making a judgement call.
Innovation
It’s tempting to just say this game is Far Cry: Cops And Robbers. For the Battlefield franchise, it’s fairly innovative, but everything in this game, from sneaking up on foes to take them down to throwing shell casings to lure enemies in, will feel familiar. There’s even an evidence scanning system cribbed straight from the Batman: Arkham series.
That said, when Visceral is allowed to make the game they clearly wanted to, they do an excellent job with it. Admittedly, the enemy AI could use some work; you can essentially walk right up to somebody and knock them on their duff as long as you’re not within their line of sight, although the “arrest” mechanic is incredibly useful for taking down enemies who can see you. Similarly, your partner is invisible, no matter what, which can quickly become ridiculous as they run in front of enemies who don’t seem to notice them.
That said, the level design does stand out for cramped, claustrophobic gun fights, full of cover you can’t rely on, and an inability to take more than a few shots. It’s a different, and welcome, experience in this franchise and leads to some tense moments.
On the multiplayer side, the new modes are largely fun and offer some new twists. A nice touch is that Rescue and Crosshair have no respawning, so nobody’s pulling a Leeroy Jenkins. It all feels a bit Grand Theft Auto (or Payday, in the Heist mode), and honestly after dipping into each mode I returned to the single player, but it’s definitely different.
Execution
The big problem is really that there are two games at odds here. In fact, it’s neatly divided by title, here: You’ve got Battlefield, which the game increasingly turns into as you play, and you’ve got Hardline, the stealth-based game Visceral clearly wanted to make before orders were handed down that Battlefield games involve shooting people.
When the two collide, the game gets muddled, fast. For example, I spent an hour trying to finish one encounter in the second episode using stealth, because aside from a few minor shootouts, the game had me sneaking through and beating up mooks to that point. I ultimately finished the encounter by finding a shotgun and blasting away, which is clearly what I was supposed to do, but the game never makes it clear that was its intent.
Adding to the problem, you’re not a bullet sponge and your enemies are excellent shots, so if you’re spotted out in the open, you’re dead unless you can get to cover fast or fire off a string of shots. That’s a stealth game trope, through and through, and it lingers even when you’re driving around a tank.
What makes this especially odd is that, if you just kill your way through the game, which is viable, you get no experience points for it. Use stealth takedowns and arrests, and the game gives you experience points like they’re candy. Halfway through, thanks to playing it quiet, I’d gotten to level 11.
And what do you unlock, by gaining experience points? New stealth perks? Upgrades for your taser? Quicker takedowns? Nope! You get guns! Guns and more guns! And things to bolt onto your guns! Signals do not get more mixed.
Staying Power
Considering this is a multiplayer franchise, the single-player campaign is actually quite meaty, clocking in at a nice round ten to twelve hours depending on your play style. If you want to go back and find all the evidence, close the various cases and arrest the various “warrants” characters as an optional sidequest, that will probably add a few hours. As for the multiplayer, the new modes bring some new twists, and the modes and maps are flexible and interesting. So if that’s your jam, this is probably worth the money on that side alone.
Bullsh*t Factor
Surprisingly, this is fairly light on the annoyances for a multiplayer-focused game. It does make you log into Origin, and there is a “deluxe” edition priced at $120 that more or less confirms DLC of some sort is on the way. And, yes, sadly, the Battlepacks make a reappearance, although you can earn them by playing through the single-player and finishing cases.
But you don’t need to log into Origin to play the single player mode, and nothing feels cut out of the game in order to sell it back to you later; if you pick up the standard $60 game, you’re going to feel like you got your money’s worth.
Final Thoughts
This is a muddled game, and disappointing in how it turns down an opportunity to be more than just another shooter. But if you can set that aside, it’s pretty fun. The levels aren’t open world, but they’re open enough, and aside from the occasional forced confrontation, you can generally play it through the way you want to. Combined with a campaign of a nice length, that adds up to a game worth giving a spin.