Battlefield 1943 Impressions

Maybe you haven’t heard, but Battlefield 1943 is an online-only, multiplayer, shooter that lets you run, drive, or fly around a five islands that were the scenes of brutal WWII battles. Iwo Jima anyone?

The game is fun, once you get past the current connection problems the game is having because of being “overrun” by players. But that will be fixed and the game, which is done by DICE, will have great potential. It will run you 1200 Microsoft points or $15 on the PSN. But is it worth it?

Maybe. That’s the answer to the question I asked in an attempt to trick you into clicking. You get to choose from three difference classes on each of the two sides. You’ll either be a Marine or a member of the Imperial Japanese Army.

Both factions offer a rifleman, infantry member, and a scout sniper. The weapons are essentially the same. But the Japanese sniper has a sword, which is cool. You will be able to drive tanks, jeeps and fly planes while you try to take control of the island. The game allows 24 players at once.

Here is a quick video

Battlefield 1943 is getting rave reviews from several different gaming sites and twitter is buzzing. But here are some flaws that I think you all will find important to know before you purchase.

The gameplay is fairly smooth, though it can take a few too many bullets to get a kill and the sniper rifle isn’t perfect past mid range. Another problem is that the islands are too big for the amount of players but too small for the planes. You’ll find yourself running around looking for somebody to kill. I would advise staying near the flags.

That’s where the action will be. Flying the planes is also odd. You don’t have much room to move and your plane gets shot down fairly quickly from ground troops with anti-aircraft stuff. So take to the air with care.

And there is only one mode: Capture the flag. I would love to see a straight team deathmatch or even some breach or hostage rescue. The island setting is perfect for saving VIPs or hostages via boat.

The game really is fun, though. It’s just not a full service online shooter. But it does allow us the opportunity to run around WWII islands shooting the heck out of each other. The vehicles are a great touch and I will master the airplane.

My advice on this one is to save your money if you are still in a loving relationship with any other shooter out there. I am not, so I will be playing the heck out of this game on XBL.