Battlefield 1

Battlefield 1’s solemn campaign and over-the-top multiplayer may feel like polar opposites, but the complete package is all-around excellent.

With Battlefield 1, EA and DICE have proven that sometimes it’s best to take it back to basics. While the developers tried to do something different with Battlefield Hardline, FPS gamers crave the chaos and destruction of a battlefield, not shootouts at a bank in downtown New York. It puts an emphasis on the stories on the individuals in the first world war, and not the war itself, showing that those who fought in the war – on both sides – were just like us, and it’s a sobering realisation. The interjection of statistics and other WW1 facts throughout the game are educational, and help gamers of today grasp just how devastating the first world war was. A phenomenal single-player mode, fantastically enjoyable multiplayer and mechanics that’ll keep us on our toes for some time makes Battlefield 1 one of our favourite games, possibly ever.

There was controversy surrounding Battlefield 1 for its return to The Great War. Concerns about whether or not such delicate subject matter could ever be given the treatment it deserves, especially in a video game, are justified. Whether or not EA and DICE achieve that will be determined by the individual, but I think they come as close as anybody to providing an incredibly powerful representation through what is an utterly brilliant campaign.

Battlefield 1 does an amazing job of transplanting the fantastic chemistry of the series’ traditional multiplayer action into the weaponry and vehicles of World War I. The era brings with it not only a visually striking backdrop for classic game modes like Conquest and the compelling new Operations, but a distinct personality that touches everything from its rich lineup of archaic and distinctively designed weapons to the somber anthology of character-driven stories in its brief but surprisingly poignant single-player scenarios. While maps are not its strong point, Battlefield 1’s dynamically destructible environments and the minutely balanced mechanics of its classes and gadgets keep the moment-to-moment first-person shooting varied and engaging.