Battlefield-4
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PSA: Battlefield 4 Commander app now free on iTunes
Controlling the flow of combat in Battlefield 4 just became a bit more convenient thanks to the launch of the iOS Tablet Commander app. While the app won't be of much help in a straight up firefight, it does allow players to take control of the game's Commander mode from the comfort of the nearest iPad. Using touchscreen controls, the app allows would-be generals to scout the entire map at once, direct teammates on where to go, and call in airstrikes, either from Cruise missiles or nearby attack helicopters. Since the app fundamentally changes the way Battlefield 4 is played, virtual commanders will not find themselves ranked as usual at the end of a match. Instead, they'll be competing directly with the other team's commander. If there is no commander on the other team, just pat yourself on the back every time you ruin someone's day with a few hundred pounds of precision-guided explosives. The Battlefield 4 Tablet Commander app can now be downloaded for free from the iTunes App Store. Developer DICE claims that an Android version of the app will be available soon.
DICE gets sentimental over Battlefield 4 on PS4
Battlefield 4 offers 60 FPS for 64 players and it's just the most swell thing you'll see this year, according to Creative Director Lars Gustavsson. We compared the PS4 and Xbox One versions of Battlefield 4 to PC, and found PS4 in particular to be nearly identical to the PC edition.
Target's buy two games, get one free sale spans all consoles
It turns out the previously-reported buy two, get one free sale at Target stretches across all major consoles, and is on now through Saturday, November 16. The sale includes games like Pokemon X and Y, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD, Grand Theft Auto 5 and Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag. We know what you're thinking: "What about all those launch games for PS4 and Xbox One that I want?" We filtered the platforms down on Target's sales page, and found that only four next-gen games are seemingly eligible for the sale: NBA 2K14 on PS3 and Battlefield 4, Fighter Within and Call of Duty: Ghosts on Xbox One.
Xbox One Kinect tracks head lean, voice commands in Battlefield 4
When Battlefield 4 hits the Xbox One, it will bring with it a few new Kinect options that make your own body movements part of the virtual firefight. Most novel are the device's head-tracking capabilities. According to Polygon, if your Kinect senses your head tilting far enough to the left or right, your in-game character will mirror this action, carefully leaning out of cover to line up a shot (or have his or her fool head blown off). Voice commands are likewise supported, allowing players to call for more ammo, medical assistance or a ride from any characters currently driving a vehicle. Though the Xbox One (and PS4) iteration of Battlefield 4 launches on November 19, the Xbox One itself won't debut until November 22. Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC versions of the game are currently available.
Assassin's Creed 4 sails by Battlefield 4 in the UK charts
Pirates trumped modern soldiering in gaming's battle of the fours, at least going by this week's UK charts. A huge retail week saw Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag as leader of the pack, ahead of Battlefield 4, in what data gatherer Chart Track called a "fiercely contested battle." That said, Ubisoft's naval adventure did have three more days on EA's blockbuster shooter, arriving in the country on Tuesday rather than Friday. It's also worth mentioning both games fell short of their preceding three-quels' sales, which is in line with both companies' comments about lower current-gen pre-orders in anticipation of next-gen versions. Of course, we'll know more about that in just a few weeks' time. Lower down the order, former chart-topper Batman: Arkham Origins dropped back to fifth, now sitting behind the consistent Grand Theft Auto 5 and FIFA 14. Talking of consistency, the UK's love affair with Football Manager continues after the 2014 edition arrived in sixth, wrestling ahead of WWE 2K14 in seventh.
Battlefield 4's 'Second Assault' DLC maps declassified
Battlefield 4's "Second Assault" map pack, a collection of Battlefield 3 maps that have been updated for DICE's latest, will take players back to Caspian Border, Operation Metro, Operation Firestorm and Gulf of Oman. EA confirmed the four maps in an email with Joystiq earlier today and even added each map will now incorporate a new "levelution" moment. "Second Assault" will be available first as a timed Xbox One on November 22, and will unlock on PS3, Xbox 360, PS4 and PC some time after. "Second Assault" is the second of five planned DLC packs as part of Battlefield 4 Premium. [Note: Image is of Caspian Border as seen in Battlefield 3]
Battlefield 4: How Xbox One and PS4 stack up against PC
Last week, I spent eight hours playing Battlefield 4 multiplayer on PlayStation 4 at EA's Redwood Shores office and finished the entire campaign on Xbox One. On internal EA servers, I played every mode and every map on PS4 – and found the experience closely resembles that of its PC brother. Previous console versions of Battlefield have seen significant cuts in both graphics and functionality, featuring smaller player counts and reduced maps. The Xbox One and PS4 ports of Battlefield 4, however, mark a change in direction for the series, with each next-gen console port running at 60 frames per second and hosting 64-player matches. Battlefield 4 on PS4 gives console players their first taste of the fluidity and frenzy that PC players have enjoyed in multiplayer for years now. The Xbox One port, while just as fluid, isn't quite as sharp.
Metareview: Battlefield 4
War, huh? What - Is it good, 4? Well, Dave certainly thought Battlefield 4 was good in his review, in which he unloaded four and a half stars' worth of praise onto DICE's first-person shooter. That said, there's many a soldier out there on the Battlefield, and you might be interested in what they have to say.
Battlefield 4 review: Corralling chaos
Battlefield 4 drops players into a sandbox and unhooks all tethers, loosing scores of soldiers to squad up and take down the opposition however they choose. The series' trademark, free-form multiplayer is reinforced with some smart albeit incremental upgrades, giving players even more incentive to work together. That in itself isn't terribly surprising; multiplayer has always been Battlefield's bread and butter. What is surprising is that developer DICE has crafted a competent campaign to go along with it.
Shots fired on Battlefield 4's box
EA isn't picking the fight ... just the fighting words. The cheeky press quote on the back of Battlefield 4's retail box is a rare example of press praise, generally of the "amazingly visceral!" variety, being used to take a shot at the competition. This war is getting dirty.
PSN adds Call of Duty: Ghosts, three other games to PS4 pre-order list
In its ongoing efforts to push players toward the PlayStation 4, Sony has added four new games to the PlayStation Network Store, all of which can be pre-ordered right now. This initiative kicked off last week, as Knack and Warframe pre-order options appeared on the PlayStation Network Store. Today, these games are joined by Assassin's Creed IV, Battlefield 4, Call of Duty: Ghosts and Killzone Shadow Fall. Additionally, the PSN also offers pre-orders on the limited Gold Edition of Assassin's Creed IV, as well as the Hardened Edition of Call of Duty: Ghosts. As you'd expect, these special versions cost more than their standard counterparts, but they also include physical bonus items for truly dedicated fans. Alongside this news, Sony has also revealed that those who have already pre-ordered current generation versions of Battlefield 4, Assassin's Creed IV or Call of Duty: Ghosts can upgrade their pre-order to the PlayStation 4 iteration of those games for $10. You can find full details on how this process works by visiting Sony's upgrade page, or you can visit the Sony Entertainment Network to place your pre-orders.
Battlefield 4 goes dog punching
When not dealing with stranded fleets, wounded soldiers or gender equality issues, the latest Battlefield 4 trailer features dog punching. This was dramatic territory already covered by series rival, Call of Duty, which now features dogs taking down helicopters.
'High-end' Battlefield coming to mobile, Gibeau says
EA Labels president Frank Gibeau has discussed an upcoming "high-end and high performance" Battlefield game designed for mobile devices. In an interview with the New York Times, Gibeau was asked if Battlefield could potentially be enjoyed on the smaller screen of a mobile device. Gibeau noted that the game's Commander Mode lends itself very well to a tablet screen, then said, "We are working on a mobile game of Battlefield that will be high-end and high-performance." "It's our bet that we can successfully pull that off. But we're embarking on something no one has ever done before - to get these games to inter-operate between platforms. Will it work? It already has in some cases. Will it work for all franchises? Not all franchises will make the transition." "Battlefield might be a little harder," Gibeau added. News of a high-end, mobile Battlefield game is novel but not entirely surprising. In May we reported on EA's Frostbite Go engine, which would allow for console-esque graphical fidelity on comparatively underpowered mobile devices. Frostbite Go is a slimmed-down adaptation of the same Frostbite engine which currently powers the Battlefield franchise.
Battlefield 4 beta feedback spurs bug fixes and balance tweaks
The Battlefield 4 beta served two purposes: It hyped up fans for the game's launch later this month by offering a small taste of what's to come in multiplayer and it gave EA crucial preliminary data for last-minute tweaks on the eve of release. In a missive on the Battlefield blog, developer DICE has detailed some of the persistent issues from the beta: On PC, players encountered inconsistent frame rates, loading screen issues and spontaneously high CPU usage; on Xbox 360 and PS3, known problems included limited control schemes and empty servers populating throughout the server browser; and across all platforms, elevators were mysteriously catapulting players far off into the sky. While that last one sounds hilarious, it certainly wasn't intentional. Some of the more granular changes to infantry and vehicles, for example, can be seen in the full patch notes over on the Battlefield blog. DICE assures all of the above issues, including more, are being worked on for Battlefield 4's launch on PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 on October 29. Xbox One and PS4 versions of Battlefield 4 will be available alongside those consoles' respective launches.
Battlefield 4: Second Assault DLC available at launch on Xbox One
Xbox One owners will be able to download the 'Second Assault' DLC pack for Battlefield 4 when the console launches on November 22. EA previously announced that the map pack, which features four "fan-favorite" maps from Battlefield 3, would launch on Xbox One first, and that remains the case. There are no details on the DLC's price (it'll be free for Premium members) or when it will launch on other platforms. The news comes via an EA press release (the date confirmed by VideoGamer) for an event showcasing the map pack. The event is to be streamed live from London on November 1 (12PM ET/9AM PT, 5PM UK time), featuring two teams of 32 players each fighting it out on Xbox One. A European team will be led by Xbox EMEA rep Graeme Boyd, while the US team will be led by the appropriately named (for once) Major Nelson, AKA Microsoft's Larry Hyrb.
Battlefield 4 beta includes options for the colorblind
Developer DICE has included a host of options in the Battlefield 4 beta test designed to make the game easier to play for those who suffer from colorblindness. Those who suffer from colorblindness generally see a distorted field of colors, different from those seen by the non-colorblind. By changing certain hues within the game to those the colorblind are more easily able to discern, DICE is able to make Battlefield 4 far more inclusive to potential virtual soldiers. As Reddit user Orli155 points out, the squad colors in the Battlefield 4 beta can be altered to appear more recognizable to those suffering from Deuteranopia, Tritanopia or Protanopia - three of the most prevalent forms of colorblindness. The Battlefield 4 beta is currently ongoing on PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 platforms. The game is slated to make its retail debut on October 29.
Battlefield 4 quite different on Xbox 360 compared to PC
As expected, Battlefield 4 on the Xbox 360 is pretty different than on the PC. While the two appear to be similar from a gameplay standpoint, graphical fidelity varies – not just in terms of particle effects and texture resolutions, but also in map size and complexity of destruction within the environment. Battlefield 4's beta started up yesterday on PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 for Battlefield 3 Premium members, those who pre-ordered the Digital Deluxe Edition of Battlefield 4 and those who registered their Limited Edition or Digital Deluxe Edition copies of Medal of Honor: Warfighter. The Battlefield 4 beta, which highlights Domination and Conquest mode on the Siege of Shanghai map, won't officially open its doors to everyone until Friday, October 4.
PSA: Battlefield 4 beta starts today
The Battlefield 4 beta gets boots on the ground today on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC for the few, with the full rollout starting on Friday. Today's beta includes those who are Battlefield 3 Premium members, Battlefield 4 Digital Deluxe Edition pre-order participants and registered owners of Medal of Honor Warfighter Limited Edition or Digital Deluxe Edition. PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 Europe beta access should be live now, with the PS3 US version deploying between 6-10PM Eastern (3-7 Pacific).
Battlefield 4 ships with these multiplayer modes
Those suiting up for the Battlefield 4 beta next week will enjoy two different multiplayer modes: Conquest and Domination. Conquest is the objective-based mode where two teams battle over flag capture points across a map, while Domination is essentially the same thing save for an omission of vehicles. The featured map will be Siege of Shanghai. A post on the Battlefield blog details the full suite of seven multiplayer modes available at launch. In addition to the pair of modes mentioned above, Team Deathmatch, Squad Deathmatch and Rush make their return from Battlefield 3. Rounding out the list are two brand-new modes called Obliteration and Defuse. Obliteration is a match type where teams rush to deliver explosives to critical points on the map and detonate them – a match type EA has dubbed its "Battlefield Moments Generator." Defuse is much different and pits two teams of five against each other in a single-life elimination mode. Players can win by either taking out the enemy team or by setting off a bomb at a designated area of the map. Battlefield 4 launches on October 29 for PC, Xbox 360 and PS3. The PS4 and Xbox One versions will be available alongside those respective console launches.
Battlefield won't give up until it's 'number one'
Ahead of the game's October 29 launch, EA Games executive VP Patrick Soderlund recently talked up Battlefield 4, discussing the series' competition with Activision's Call of Duty. "Competition is good. It brings the best out of people. If there was only Battlefield or only Call of Duty, then the development teams might have been a little bit more content," Soderlund told MCV. He added that the developer doesn't mimic Activision's efforts on the Call of Duty series. "Maybe they weren't thinking about us much when we made Battlefield 3, but I can tell you, they are thinking about us now. They need to," Soderlund said. "We made a dent in the FPS market and we took share from them. And I am not going to give up until I'm No.1 and I am going to make sure I'm No.1."
