Review: Battlefield 4

G'day there guys and gals!

For years, the competition of top dog game has been fought between the Battlefield and Call of Duty series, each year having mass amounts of promotion, advertisements and endorsements. Let it be known that I have played Battlefield 4 on both current and Next Gen consoles and although Next Gen have gorgeous scenery, it doesn't retract from the bug filled gameplay. In short;  an apple can be shiny on the outside but that doesn't mean the core isn't rotten.

Even on the previous generation of games, Battlefield 4's graphics look great, sleek and clean even with the overhaul of lens flairs. The sound effects and music score add a lot of drama and needed tension in gameplay, however this is where the issues begin. On both Xbox 360 and Xbox One, I experienced similar or exact same glitches, bugs and issues, although in fairness they were mainly in the Campaign. Such bugs as destroyed helicopters leaving burning black smoke in a ball in the sky, vehicles/items floating, open doorway blocking players, mission specific events stalling, never ending missions, cutscenes missing or broken and so on. 

Multiplayer holds some great parts to escape these issues but until the patch is released for the multiplayer, they still exist, especially issues with vehicles, doorways, elevators and even map changing timed events (to which they simply don't work or boot players that cannot update with the change). What is truly disappointing is the voice acting. Featuring a cast of well known to completely unknown actors in the gaming community, for people who play for the storyline, prepare to have your nostalgia mixed with a ton of melodrama: including yelling, lines blurted or simply flat vocal work. I'm not one to be too harsh, and even though Battlefield isn't known for its campaign, it's still such a letdown to get into a well written storyline but with poor execution. Sound effects and musical score isn't much to look at either, as many of the music is taken directly from the predecessor, Battlefield 4. Sound effects are well done and rounded but can seem almost blurred in a sense.

There isn't much more to say about Battlefield 4 that hasn't already been said. While I understand EA's rush to put out a game for the holidays, it seems a waste if the game needs constant updates and still isn't fixed, even after the Next Gen consoles have come out and for this, it earns one of my lowest scores to date. Often referred as a "buggy mess", as of the time of writing this review, the game has been banned for sale in China, despite their recent release of allowing video game consoles to be sold and distributed in the country.
For any gamers over there, don't worry my friend. You're not missing out on much. 

Out of 10, I give Battlefield 4 a 3.5/10

+Intriguing storyline
+fun multiplayer...
-...when it works
-too many issues for an $90 game
-bug/glitch overload
-voice acting = total mood kill

-campaign as equally flawed

-THREE months after Next Gen release, still not fixed