Battlefield 1943: Waiting for Modern Warfare 2 & Loving It! - The UpStream

Let's face it, this absurd term called "waiting" for Modern Warfare 2 is enough to drive even the most casual FPS fan up the wall. What's that you say? You've got tenth prestige on Modern Warfare AND World at War, and more kills than the populations of some third world countries? Well rejoice FPS enthusiasts! Dice and EA team up to bring you something both cheap and easy to feed your addiction. No, not heroin, it's Battlefield 1943.

For this installment, you're thrown for another tour through the Pacific. Sprawling across three ground maps, Wake Island, Iwo Jima, and Guadalcanal, as well as one aerial map, Coral Sea, you and your team of eleven others fight in true Battlefield style. It's called Conquest Mode, an everything goes version of Capture the Flag, where the object is to capture and hold five strategic points on the map, known as bases. Holding a majority of these bases causes the opposing team's 'tickets' to decrease. The team whose tickets run out first loses the match. Add to that three job classes, tanks, jeeps, airplanes and nine different weapons and you've got the most cost effective multiplayer experience on the market. Running you 1200 Microsoft Points, or roughly 15 bucks if you're using the PlayStation Network, this is the perfect game to hold you over for the gunfest that is Modern Warfare 2.

Controls

The game controls well enough overall, with the air controls being the only thing that really took a little getting used to. Driving feels easy and natural and can be done in either first or third person. Combat moves smooth with firefights that are slower paced than the trigger-happy fragfests of Modern Warfare, but much quicker paced than Halo or Resistance 2. Battlefield leaves you satisfied with combat and maneuverability.

Sound

Sound is crisp and accurate, from the shell-shock you get after surviving a close bomb blast, to a plane flying overhead, to the "banzai" being yelled by your Japanese soldier right before impaling your enemy with a Katana (a truly satisfying act indeed). The sounds of combat fill the atmosphere from air raid sirens, tank shells, small arms fire and the agonizing screams of the death-consumed front lines.

Graphics

Graphically, the game loses points. There is nothing mundane about the textures but nothing jaw-dropping either. At times there can be almost game breaking screentearing - picture looking off into the distance and feeling like you're staring into black sun rays - which is very irritating. But it's not game-breaking, as occurrences are rare, but it happens often enough to cause complaint. A visual plus however are the entirely destructible environments. Leveling a village is some great eye candy!

Story

As for the story, well, we all know the story. Pearl Harbor aftermath leads to war in in the Pacific, which in turn leads to atomic bombs, destruction of one of our now strong allies, sushi rolls, and in the end America wins - the story's not important. The lack of a real campaign does leave something to be desired in the game though.

Pros

Great multiplayer

Pick up and play mechanics

Leaderboards and stat tracking

Ability to form squads with your friends

Great price: 1200 MS points cant be beat

Cons

Screentearing

Lack of maps (there is talk of an expensive DLC coming soon)

No real campaign

Difficult flying controls

Final Score

8.1/10 - This game is great for what it is: the best Arcade game while you're waiting for the holiday season.