Battlefield 4

The modern day shooter peaked six years ago with the release of "Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare". Since then, military-themed FPS games have bombarded the market. They are all virtually the same in content. All offer the same basic multiplayer rules and all contain a story mode featuring the usual Hollywood action clichés. This latest "Battlefield" doesn't break that trend. In fact, it could be called "Battlefield 3.5" since it feels like an expansion pack to its 2011 predecessor. But despite the lack of innovation, I'm still giving it a passing grade because it works on the level of slight strategic fun. However, the genre itself has become tiring and my thumb may not be up much longer for these type of games.

"Battlefield 4" is DICE's "Call of Duty: Ghosts". The developer have seemed to have run out of new ideas for the series. BF 4 pulls features from past "Battlefield" games but it mainly resembles BF 3. The campaign is more over-the-top than before, truly resembling a COD game. And the multiplayer benefits from a few tweaks that further encourages teamwork. Unfortunately, unlike "Battlefield 3", there are no cooperative missions. While the game doesn't feel incomplete without co-op, a Survival-like mode would've been appreciated. However, DICE did finally add a test range where you can practice controlling vehicles. If you're playing the PS3 version, the 24-player cap feels rather limiting. This is "Battlefield" and the big maps were obviously meant for more soldiers to storm the field. But if you're don't a PC or PS4, this version is still worth your time if you love the franchise.

Thanks to the Frostbite engine, DICE added more destruction and pretty visuals to both the single-player and multiplayer. In single player, you play as Recker, a speechless solider who helps his "Tombstone" squad help recover vital information and a political figure from the power hungry Chinese Army and their Russian allies. DICE added the ability to recon an area just like in "Far Cry 3" and you can now order attacks by marking targets. The campaign is about five hours long and it goes over a laundry list of the usual FPS missions. Unless you want to collect every hidden collectible and earn every medal (by completing high scores), it's not something you'll want to replay. It's the multiplayer that is once again the heart of the game with plenty of modes, vehicles and unlockables.

At first glance, BF 4's online play is indistinguishable from its predecessor. The subtle differences are nothing game-changing, but do keep things interesting. Commander Mode (available at rank 10) allows a player to direct attacks to their team from a map screen. And the Field Upgrade system works similar to kill streak perks from "Call of Duty". With it, your squad earns points by completing objectives to upgrade combat abilities such as heavy armor and the ability to move faster. The progression system now includes "Battle Packs" which give you three random items every time you rank up 5 levels. As far as the customization options, "Battlefield 4" includes the most ever featured in a BF game. You'll spend hours unlocking and testing out firearms, attachments, rocket launchers, knives, camos, etc. The new multiplayer modes are "Obliteration" (where your team must find and fight over a bomb and plant it) and "Defuse" (same rules but without re-spawns). You can also now add in-game challenges to a friend's online game if you wish. There are plenty of filters to use if you want join a particular server.

Unfortunately, EA released the game about six months too early due to the numerous bugs that have plagued the game since Day One. I've experienced two; online freezing and single player saving (or non saving). But overall, "Battlefield 4" is a rather enjoyable shooter. While it's not an essential military-themed game to play, it's a fun time waster. If you're a die-hard fan of the series, you may be underwhelmed by the small changes, but the classic BF experience is still there. The one major criticism I have of BF 4 are the cumbersome customization menus that have been carried over from "Battlefield 3". Hopefully, they will be streamlined for the next entry.