Battlefield 1943

Sometimes, cheaper actually does mean better. I realise that more often than not, it doesn’t. The “Tinkerbell” washing up liquid and “Pluto” chocolate bars that certain bottom-end supermarkets sell would be proof of this point. However, when it comes to Xbox Live Arcade, you can find some real top-notch entertainment for a relatively petite price. There’s a lot of dross to wade through, but when you find a gem, it really is a sparkly one.

Battlefield 1943 is one such shiny prize. Followers of the series will already be aware that titles such as Bad Company contain more high spots than low, and whilst developers DICE have admittedly shaved back on the options of the full titles, the high quality of the series remains intact.

When I say that the options have been cut back, I mean that they have been cut to the core. Set in 1943 (well, duh!) you’re given the option of fighting for the US Marine Corp. or the Japanese Imperial Army. Upon selecting your side, you’re thrown headlong into as much territorial Capture the Flag goodness as you can stand as your choice of Rifleman, Scout or Infantry. All you need to know here is that the Scout class can pull off monstrously distant kills with the sniper rifle; the Infantry class roll with machine guns that are better for close combat, whilst the Rifleman is your middle–distance guy. Each class carries two firing weapons and a melee instrument at all times, and ammo regenerates in the chamber if you wait for a few seconds after your weapon is empty. Each class is capable of driving tanks, jeeps, planes, gunboats and landing craft, and certain vehicles allow two or more players to wander along together – generally with one person driving and the others manning the offensive weaponry.

And that – with the exception of the awesomely fun (and devastatingly powerful) air raids – is that. Only three maps are available – although an extra one will be released when the game’s worldwide player base reaches the cumulative 43 million kills mark. Indeed, if you’re looking for customisation and the ability to spend hours tweaking things before you actually start to play, then you’ve come to the wrong place.

However, if you’re looking for a game that is a multiplayer blast that will challenge you to think tactically, as well as providing massive explosion after massive explosion, then Battlefield 1943 is where it’s at. As far as FPS titles go, you have many, many options available to you right now but unless you find something preowned or in a sale somewhere, you’re unlikely to find one that provides as much high-quality multiplayer action as this for as little money. Everything seems to be balanced just right in terms of team power, although one concern is that either team’s sniper units can pretty much own the entire game, due to the range available to their primary weapon. It can be incredibly frustrating to play against someone who’s genuinely good at spotting things via the scope, as however you try to get to that key base in order to capture it, they’ll take you out from what seems like a mile away. That isn’t really a big issue per say, since one of your team can always just barge in there with a tank and let off a few shells – but when you’re on foot, it can be most frustrating.

There are a few other problems to contend with, it has to be said. The vehicles handly pretty poorly for the most part, with the wheel-based transport being more than prone to getting stuck if you’re lacking in the skill department. When you’re dealing with terrain such as that on offer, getting your front wheels stuck over a rock with no way out other than to abandon your vehicle is relatively commonplace. The air-based machinery can be cumbersome and finicky to control too, although a competent player intent on mastering the nuances of the control system will probably become a proficient flyer in an hour or so. In addition, the accuracy required by Battlefield 1943 is going to be absolutely alien to some console players, who will – like me – be instantly out of their depth as their first-match kill to death ratio ends up with a goose egg in one column and a double figure count in the other. If you’ve never played a PC FPS – or aren’t particularly good at them (again, like me) – then you’ll be in this boat. With a few hours of practice though, you’ll start to get your eye in and that kill rate will start to climb. Even if it doesn’t, the challenge of finding other ways to off your opponents is great fun, with the good old air raid being one of my favourites.

The player-base may cause problems for the longevity of the game, it has to be said, with some players forgetting the team-based aspect of play and pretty much just hanging out at the various vehicle respawn points, waiting for another tank to replace the one that they just rolled into a ravine. This is all well and good, but when members of your own team are laying charges around the door to the air-raid control room, setting them off if anyone even thinks of going in there before them, it can be quite annoying.

With the complaints to one side, Battlefield 1943 is great fun at a throwaway price. The lack of options – whilst being initially refreshing – means that you probably won’t be playing in a few months time, and that could cause problems in even being able to get a match started, given the inflexibility of the front end. DICE will undoubtedly try to stop this from happening though, with map packs and other DLC allegedly already in the works. Whether or not the cost of the game-extending downloadables mean that the outlay outweighs the amount of fun you get from the game is another story, but for now – even with the now traditional EA server problems at launch (it took me a good half hour to be able to get into a match although I was able to play for hours once I was in) – there’s more than enough gameplay to be going on with. Justify it however you want – my favourite is the old “two cinema tickets will get you three hours of enjoyment for a tenner, whereas Battlefield 1943 will give you at least five hours of fun for a couple of pounds less than that” – but just make sure that you do.