Tired of gunning down endless swaths of indiscriminate foreign enemies in congested urban areas you’ll never visit in your life time? Well it looks like Battlefield Hardline, the new cops-versus robbers first person shooter from EA is hoping to remedy that feeling of stagnation. Battlefield Hardline was developed by Visceral Games, the makers behind the game Dead Space and in partnership with Battlefield series creators, DICE. While leaning on their beloved military-themed blow-everything-up style of combat, the game looks to expand the idea of tactical first person shooting.
Hardline’s single player mode features a a campaign set in the seedy back streets and businesses of Miami’s drug trade. Your player attempts to take out one of Miami’s largest criminal enterprises while attempting to stay alive through several harrowing circumstances. But enough of the boring stuff, lets get to the meat and potatoes of the game, the multiplayer.
Hardline is definitely undergoing a concerted effort to make this Battlefield uniquely innovative over previous Battlefields. With scenarios like Hotwire, a cross between Battlefield’s previous detailed first person shoot-em’ up and another EA property, Need for Speed. Hotwire puts the player in the both the driver seat and the open van door shooter. This mode includes super fast vehicles ranging from trucks and cars to side-winding motorcycles. Unlike previous Battlefields, the emphasis is more on the driving at high velocity and less on the mass destruction with large death harboring vehicles.
Another innovative take on the tried and true capture the flag style of gameplay is, Heist mode. Here criminal teams (of which you’ll most likely want to be exclusively a part of) plant bombs in various locations, use round-robin loot grabs and zip lines to escape routes to accomplish successful bank robberies. If you happen to bleed blue you could, as a cop, attempt to kill the robbers and reset the dropped loot until the timer runs out. Either side you choose, you’ll have fun with a myriad of toys at your disposal. From motorbikes, armored trucks, to rocket launchers and timed bombs as well as freakin’ helicopters, the game is chalk full of endlessly creative ways to accomplish your goal.
If that wasn’t enough, Hardline threw in Cross hair mode, which is take on the attempted assignation of ‘rats turning states evidence’. As part of the criminal organization, you’re tasked with taking out a former criminal turned informant, while as a cop it’s your job to make sure the witness is extracted safely.
Lastly, there is Rescue. This challenges a team of cops to successfully rescue hostages from a team of robbers. Much more than a simple smash and grab, this mode emphasizes planning and timely execution. But who are we kidding, there is always that guy who messes it up for the team and it eventually becomes a blood bath with hopefully a lucky extraction on the part of the lone survivor.
If you’re thirsty for a taste of this next generation multiplayer game, Battlefield Hardline is currently on the Xbox One in open beta until February 8. So go check it now ahead of it’s official launch March 17 for both the Xbox one and Xbox 360.
Further reading: Microsoft, Multiplayer, Wire, Xbox
