The Battlefield franchise has had many ups and downs over the years. It debuted as a PC powerhouse and remains a technically impressive game with each new entry. It became EA’s answer to Call of Duty, even when the franchise couldn’t really slot perfectly into that role. DICE added and removed a single player component, jumped all over the timeline, and established the foundations of EA’s now ubiquitous Frostbite engine. As we prepare for Battlefield to step into the battle royale arena, here’s a look at where it has gone so far.
While the constant fun of Conquest mode is what brings many to the series (that and the ability to crash helicopters), Battlefield is usually at its best when it’s trying something new. Console exclusive Bad Company‘s destruction was a game changer, making for epic encounters that no game today can replicate. Riding horses and rattling sabers in Battlefield 1 brings a new period in time to the forefront kind of like a massively multiplayer war game version Assassin’s Creed. Heck, there’s even some fun in Battlefield Hardline thanks to its goofy devil may care atmosphere.
While EA has struggled in recent years to make Battlefield relevent in the highly competitive shooter category, this isn’t a franchise we want to see perish. Both Bad Company games are a template for how to create creative and engaging works that stand on their own. You need releases that innovate beyond just an updated set of gameplay features. With the upcoming release of Firestorm, perhaps the change will come in a new style of gameplay. It’s possible, but there are much more unique things on the fringes of this eclectic collection of shooters. The Man on Fire isn’t enough of an identity. The sooner EA realizes that, the sooner we may see something truly special out of DICE.
Battlefield Franchise Tour
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Battlefield 5 and the many Battlefields of EA's Battlefield
EA's Battlefield franchise has gone through many ups and downs. It's been a Call of Duty killer, a PC technical showpiece, and a linchpin in the way Electronic Arts makes games. As Battlefield expands into battle royale territory, let's look back at what came before. -
Battlefield 1942
Releasing in September of 2002, 1942 introduced the world to the large scale multiplayer warfare the series is known for: control points, spend tickets on respawning, and outlast the opposing force. It's a classic mode and it has represented in every entry in the series since. -
Battlefield Vietnam
Two years later, DICE brought the war to Vietnam as many World War 2 shooters were doing to try and shake things up. Featuring new weapons and maps and period-appropriate music on the car radio, this spin-off would establish a familiar cadence for the franchise of main games spawning off the wall experiences. -
Battlefield 2
Sticking with World War 2, 2005's Battlefield 2 further refined the combat of 1942 while adding improved physics and dynamic lighting. An expandalone entry entitled Battlefield 2: Modern Combat soon followed, bringing the franchise to both the then-current year and then-current consoles for the first time. -
Battlefield 2142
Warping 200 years in the future of the original game, Battlefield 2142 is the only entry in the series so far to feature mechs and fully armored body suits à la Halo. The unique Titan mode had players competing to take down a massively mechanized goliath before it overran their base. -
Battlefield: Bad Company
The first entry in the series to not see a PC release, Bad Company is one of the best attempts at storytelling by the series to date. Gameplay in both single-player and multiplayer revolves around securing boxes of gold bars, and the game's destruction tech was second to none. Bad Company 2 followed the game up and put more focus on multiplayer. -
Battlefield Heroes
While Bad Company hit consoles, Battlefield Heroes was the new PC game of choice. A free-to-play experience with cartoony graphics, this was a browser game and a very early example of how many shooters would operate in the years to come. Also, it looks a lot like Fortnite. Just saying. -
Battlefield 3
Six years after the last numbered entry, Battlefield 3 reestablished itself in the shooter market with what some might still call the highpoint in the series. Bringing in the varied modes from Bad Company and the technical wizardry of the series' past, it had PC gamers scrambling to update their video cards in 2011. -
Battlefield 4
Battlefield 4 brought the series onto the latest Frostbite engine. Still, coming just two years after Battlefield 3, many saw this as too much too soon. There were certainly updates over the last release, but Battlefield had never really been a yearly endeavor. EA got the memo, and future games went all over the map. -
Battlefield Hardline
Hardline is probably the red-headed stepchild of all the Battlefield games. Its cops and robbers theming made some queasy and its highly touted campaign was poorly received. While it had some neat game mode ideas, its multiplayer stuck to the Battlefield 3 formula. At least the music was great. -
Battlefield 1
Blasting back into the unmined territory of World War 1, Battlefield 1 really showed off what developers could do with a mature graphics engine. The game is gorgeous across the board whether you're riding on horseback or ducking inside a train car. It was a side story worth experiencing. -
Battlefield 5
After all the twists and turns, Battlefield 5 returns home to the war that started it all. The game has a lot of baggage, mechanics, and modes grafted on by previous entries. However, underneath it all, it's still the same Battlefield experience.
