Battlefield 4

Battlefield 4 combines a middling campaign with some of the finest larger-scale online warmongering ever conceived. As a package it constitutes extraordinary value. Levolution aside, it hasn't reinvented any shooter tropes, but it has refined and improved them to impressive degree.

Most of you have already decided whether you’re playing Battlefield 4 or not. And for those who are riddled with doubt we have the following announcement: buying Battlefield 4 will get you a multiplayer game that’ll suck hours upon hours out of your life in the coming year.

The intentions of DICE and EA are quite clear when you start the game up: the multiplayer defines this fourth official installment in the franchise. With the new Levolution system and destructive environments this is a great shooter. However, gamers who want something more need to choose for the next-gen consoles.

Anyone hoping that Battlefield would finally get a respectable single-player campaign will be sorely disappointed, but if you’re looking for a worthy evolution of the franchise’s sweeping multiplayer battles, you’ve come to the right place.

Battlefield 4 continues the Battlefield heritage by being the best shooter for fans that love multiplayer team-play, but DICE seriously needs to consider ditching the single-player aspect of the series and focus on a multiplayer only experience.

As Battlefield 4 takes over carrying the flag for its franchise it comes with much the same baggage as the last iteration. The multiplayer is as amazing as it's ever been, but it continues to be saddled with a sore excuse for a campaign.

Battlefield 4 is an online multiplayer title that has something to offer to every type of player who's looking for a unique experience, and it even comes with a complimentary campaign mode that's perfect for those occasions when you're feeling a little antisocial. If you liked Battlefield 3 we can assure you that you will fall in love immediately with this renewed experience.

Battlefield 4′s multiplayer is as bombastic as ever, featuring that exceptional mix of infantry tactics, vehicular warfare and big-budget destruction, and the tweaks to the class system and character progression are welcome (but yet to be fully field-tested). The flipside of the coin is that the campaign is soulless and uninspired, the graphics take a knock in fidelity for the sake of prettiness and the overall package comes out as slightly imbalanced.

Battlefield 4 is a solid entry in the series.

Unlike 2011’s installment, though, multiplayer excellence can't completely compensate for a misguided and rote single-player campaign, which makes BF4 an unsatisfying choice for those looking for the total package.

While Battlefield 4’s next-gen outing offers something new and exciting in terms of multiplayer – 64-players – and in visuals – it looks fantastic and runs at 60 frames per second – the current gen version is more of the same, with no real evolution aside from a few instances of "levolution." A great game if you’re sticking around on current-gen for the foreseeable future, but worth waiting for if the next-gen of consoles is on your horizon.

The current-gen version of Battlefield 4 isn't the ideal way to play, but it isn't damaged or deficient despite its limitations. It accomplishes less than you'll see on other platforms, but it's still a great multiplayer shooter that makes the most of its ambitions.

Battlefiled 4 lacks in the single-player campaign with a dull and forgettable story, while its still remains a very strong experience in its multiplayer side. Unfortunately it gets dragged down by several bugs capable of impacting the entire experience with hangs, savegame corruption and hitbox problems that we hope will be quickly be fixed.

Battlefield 4, with its huge maps and high attention to detail is just screaming next generation. Playing on maps built for 64 players with a mere 24 seems like not only a disservice but lacking in punch too.

It’s an improvement over last year’s iteration, but if you’re getting a next-gen console, you definitely want to wait to upgrade for feature parity with the PC version.

While the campaign is a damn sight better than Battlefield 3's, it still falls a little flat in spots. [Issue#105, p.82]

For all of its innovative bonuses however, Battlefield 4 on Xbox 360 is beginning to show signs of age. It can be applauded for great water physics and being able to handle the frame rate of a constantly dynamic environment rather well in both single and multiplayer. However, the character models and maps are definitely looking rather blocky and dated, even at 1080p.

Business as usual with a mediocre single-player campaign and one of the best multiplayer experiences in all gaming – although one severely compromised by playing it on the Xbox 360.

Battlefield 4 doesn't break any molds, but whether you're making your way through the glossed-up campaign or burning scores of hours battling online, there's always a strong underlying sense of anxiety and uncertainty. You simply never feel safe. All the great things you remember about the series like realistic ballistics, balanced vehicles, and solid gunplay are here.