The Battlefield series has been a solid PC shooter for a while now with the PC games starting in the 40’s and reaching the near future. We have also had a very good console version with last years Battlefield Bad Company. Battlefield 1943 goes back to what made the original so great, simple weaponry and vehicles and huge maps to fight over.

 

 

Battlefield 1943 had three maps initially to play on (with the forth promised once the servers hit the 43 million kill limit(now reached), at 1200 MS Points this game may seem steep but due to the nature of the Battlefield series, no game is ever the same. Each map has five areas to capture and hold for as long as possible. Only when you get all five the reserves of the opposing side will no longer spawn, allowing you just to mop up the remaining stragglers and win the game. In each game you are split into one of two factions, IJN or USMC; both teams have the same weapons and vehicles available to use and differ only in looks. Each faction has three character classes to play as, each one depends on your own preferences, Infantry can use a machine gun and rocket launcher to take out tanks, Riflemen carry a rifle that you can attach grenades onto to help take out large crowds of infantry and Scouts carry a high powered sniper rifle and a pistol for the up and close attacks. Each class is well balanced and take a bit of getting used to but be warned, there is already a large amount of Scouts on most levels just sniping away at spawn points, which does spoil the game a little, but some patience and a well placed knife in the back is more than enough pay back for these camping gits.

 

As mentioned there are three maps in the initial download, Wake Island is a huge horseshoe shape, Iwo-Jima has loads of trenches to run into along with machine gun emplacements and wooded areas and has a well protected stronghold on the top of a huge hill and Guadalcanal is very hilly with lush green fields not offering much cover. Due to the size of each map going by foot all of the time will get a bit boring, so you have some vehicles to help assist in your capturing and defending. There are a few jeeps scattered around which have mounted machineguns, so a few of you can team up and drive into a enemy base and take out the infantry. The tanks have a light machine gun plus a huge cannon to take on the larger bases, the boats are quick movers over the sea, allowing for easy insertions into enemy bases with a couple of machine guns to cover you from air attacks. The planes are the games crowning achievement, and well worth the wait to use, these are great for strafing runs on enemy bases. As well as vehicles there are some strategically placed AA Guns at bases, allowing you to blast those pesky planes out of the sky plus a radar base which allows for an air support bombing run when it unlocks.

 

 

The graphics on Battlefield 1943 are impressive for such a small DLC, you can see the entire map from any point, with no fogging or slowdown when the action gets intense, which is most of the time. The destructible walls from Bad Company make a welcome return as well as plenty of exploding barrels and vehicles. The sound of the ensuing battle is gripping, with planes flying overhead and the rattle of distant machineguns all around you, the experience is very gripping.

 

On paper the contents of this game do not sound like much, three maps, three character classes, simple weaponry and a handful of vehicles, but it is only through playing the game that you realise that it is huge and will entertain you for many hours. This is yet another must have piece of DLC that oozes quality and action.