Plus, the tragically underrated Vietnam expansion nails the historiography of its setting better than most full Battlefield games, extending the shelf life of Bad Company 2's multiplayer with a more ferocious, claustrophobic variant on the game's irresistible slashings of PvP. There are cliches aplenty, but the snappy pace and expert mission design were just two bonus reasons to spend more time with the titular company of vagabond heroes, and that final, completely bonkers mission is still a total hoot.īad Company 2's multiplayer was equally carefree and chaotic, with varied maps and a whole suite of impressive physics, destruction, and sound effects for experimenting with. Battlefield Bad Company 2 features the best campaign of the franchise to date, with funny writing, unique mission scenarios, and a cast of characters who are actually a laugh to be around. Battlefield 1įor all its steely eyed militarism, it turns out that Battlefield has a real personality on its off hours. Oh, and it was the game which blessed us with Wake Island, a near perfect multiplayer map, which justifies its position in this list alone.
For its time, the open map design and record breaking 64-player limits were a jaw dropping feat of technical power that let PC players value every penny they'd invested into their gaming machine, and even today, the authenticity of the gameplay stands up well.Īll the DNA of Battlefield is here – class-based gameplay, vehicular, all-terrain combat, team-focused multiplayer modes – proving that DICE had struck gold with a formula that has maintained its appeal in the shooter genre all these years later. Not just valued for its historical importance, Battlefield 1942 is a fantastic first person shooter in its own right. Battlefield 1942 is a formative piece of gaming history, in which DICE first took the concept of the hardcore military sim and marketed it to a wider audience. That’s right, you can this own this piece of digital historyon us, uncut and unaltered, the classic original game just as it was 10 years ago. The first, the original and, for many, one of the best. To celebrate both the two million member milestone and the 10-year anniversary of BF1942, we’re pleased to offer Battlefield 1942 for free, exclusively through Origin. Battlefield 4 has come a long way since then, but we can't ignore the shadow of its false promises, hence its somewhat diminished position on this list. Sadly, launch day troubles soured public opinion on the game for quite some time, its best qualities blighted by crippled servers and bugs aplenty. PlayStation and Xbox owners could finally appreciate the joyous chaos of 64-player matches, while the Levolution system – in which huge parts of each map could be drastically changed by weather and player activity – is still an impressive addition. While DICE clearly struggled as it worked to release Battlefield 4 on PC and across two console generations, there was a lot to love here. While the campaign is an improvement, it still had plenty of room for improvement – not that you cared all much once you were knees deep into Battlefield 4's upgraded multiplayer options. With the foundation for a new era of Battlefield outlined by Battlefield 3, DICE's follow-up is essentially more of the same.
Platform(s): PC, PS3, PS4 Xbox 360, Xbox One