I've been ruminating on my time with Battlefield: Hardline, trying to parse my experience along with some of the thoughts and articles that are floating around the interweb. We talked a bit about the game on the podcast but there's more to it.
I will maintain my initial feeling that, while the game is a solid entry into the Battlefield caboodle, I do not believe it's worth the standard $60 price point. Based upon the beta, every piece of the game just feels like a glorified expansion pack for Battlefield 4. Visceral has done a pretty good job of getting the game to run, arguably, better than the previously mentioned BF4 (which I'm sure many of you remember as having a terrible launch and on-going issues for months, if not longer). So, that's a plus, but everything else? The maps don't feel all that new, the weapons and gunplay feel pretty recycled and the overall gameplay is exactly what you'd expect from a Battlefield title.
The concept of "Cops & Robbers" is nothing new, it's been around since what seems like forever. It permeates all forms of entertainment, from Spongebob to CSI, it's in the news, it's everywhere. With Battlefield: Hardline, Cops & Robbers is THE core gameplay element. There has been plenty of scuttlebutt surrounding this choice, particularly in light of the current socio-political climate involving civilians and law enforcement. I think the concerns are fairly self-evident and there can easily be lengthy discussions on the topic but I personally do not share the concern. I completely see the validity in having the concern and I'm going to be looking out for articles talking explicitly about what impacts this may have, not only in gaming but in how gaming and those that enjoy it are viewed.
In other violent news, Telltale's Game of Thrones, Episode 1: Iron From Ice was shocking and fantastic in the most Game of Thrones way. Episode 2: The Lost Lords released this past Wednesday and, unfortunately, appears to have some download issues and a few save bugs. I'm holding off on continuing my adventure until those are sorted but I have to tell you, I'm really looking forward to seeing how this all plays out. I've not read the books and I've only seen about 2 seasons of the show, which I enjoyed. This has it's upsides and downsides, though. The upside is I don't come into this game with a bunch of baggage or the burden of knowledge about what is going on in tandem during the time the game takes place. The flip to that though is the obvious lack of knowledge regarding various characters and motivations. 1 episode in and I'm not hampered by this in any way but I can tell you that this game, more than the tv show, is definitely pushing me to read the novels.
Since I purchased the Telltale pack, I still have a few games left to play on it and I'm struggling to decide which one. So, help me out here people. Do I start Tales from the Borderlands, The Walking Dead Season 1 (which I've already played BUT not on this console and I'd like to have those choices follow me to season 2), OR The Wolf Among Us again?
So? What's it gonna be?