Battlefield 1943 Review

I certainly don’t have very high expectations for downloadable titles, but it couldn’t be helped when EA and DICE revealed they were releasing Battlefield 1943.

At only $15 USD (£10 GBP), and weighing in at a little over 500MB, we can’t expect the full Battlefield experience, but has the game managed to capture the core gameplay which makes the series so popular?

In Battlefield 1943, you fight as either the Japanese Imperial Army, or the US Marine Corps. There are three different classes for you to pick, Infantry, Rifleman and Scout, each bringing something to the table to suit different playing styles. The classes are well balanced, and you will often find yourself switching between the various classes depending on what the situation requires.

The main mode of the game is the BF classic, Conquest, where the objective is to capture and defend the five control points dotted around the map. 1943 manages to capture the essence of the Battlefield series very well, and it is a great feeling when you’re riding in a boat with your squad to capture control points for your team.

There are three maps for this mode, Iwo Jima, Guadalcanal and Wake Island. They are well designed, and each map offers players different tactical opportunities to explore. All of the maps are pretty large, so you will often need to get yourself in one of the several vehicles such as a jeep or plane to navigate around the maps.

1943 also contains another mode titled Air Superiority, along with a fourth map named Coral Sea. They were not available at launch, requiring users to rack up 43 million kills before they were unlocked, which both consoles have now surpassed. This mode, as the name suggests, is purely dog fighting. It certainly mixes up the gameplay, but unfortunately you often find yourself waiting for a plane to spawn on the deck of your team’s aircraft carrier.

The servers were initially overwhelmed at launch, but thankfully the issues were soon resolved with a major increase in capacity, and the game runs smoothly thanks to the dedicated servers. The matchmaking system seems to work relatively well, but it appears that squads are sometimes split up after a couple of games, which is obviously an irritating flaw. Some users are also experiencing issues with the voice chat, the problem has been acknowledged and we are told to expect a fix shortly.

On the surface, Battlefield 1943 does seem to lack in depth, but you certainly can find variety if you dig a little. The well designed maps, balanced classes, various vehicles and emphasis on teamwork provide a platform for a solid FPS experience. Don’t forget that this is a downloadable title, at a fraction of the cost of normal retail games, so you definitely get great value for your money.

9/10

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