Eight years. It is written (and more said) quickly, but it is enough time for a thousand and one stories to happen. At the risk of giving you an attack of chronophobia, how many things have happened since 2016? How many video games have been released? It has gone from a global pandemic to several historic peaches like Red Dead Redemption 2.
On this day, eight years ago, Battlefield 1 was released after several betas and early access. It was developed by EA Digital Illusions CE (DICE) with the Frosbite 3 engine for PC, PS4 and Xbox One, and is currently considered one of the best installments of the saga behind legends such as Battlefield 3. And although many of us did not know how to appreciate it then, let us admit that it has aged as well as good wine.
The great lesson of Battlefield 1
Battlefield 1 It is a very special video game for me. I was one of those who jumped out of my chair when I saw the presentation trailer on May 6, 2016. If you are a Battlefield fan, you surely haven’t forgotten it. It had the great song Seven Nation Army by The White Stripes in the background and lasted one minute and nineteen seconds. I remember it was amazing, especially because of the Zeppelin L30 at the end.
And if that trailer didn’t bring enough excitement to the table, three more joined in to make us do somersaults in our chairs: gameplay presentation with No Limit by Wiz Khalifa, Gamescom trailer with God’s Gonna Cut You Down by Johnny Cash in the background and finally the trailer focused on the story with the beautiful song Suns and Stars by Cesc Vilà (Really Slow Motion). EA played The White Stripes card again during the launch trailer, obviously.
Battlefield 1 had an exceptional reception and currently has a 88 en Metacritic. It is true that it had its problems: from technical irregularities, to a weapons system that did not convince, to a considerable imbalance in the Behemoths and some maps that were never corrected. I don’t want to go into your entire history. I put together a plot here that every fan remembers perfectly.
I remember being very contradictory with Battlefield 1. I loved it to stratospheric levels, but at the same time I spent a lot of time (too much) looking for any reason to criticize it to death. And the sad thing is that I don’t even remember most of my rants, but I do remember one that makes me especially ashamed… so to speak.
One of my most repeated and (partially) erroneous criticisms was about the design of the maps. He always found an excuse to complain. It was a bloody broken record with Suez and Fortaleza of FAO. He was adamant that there was too much open field with little cover and that it favored snipers. And it’s true that there are esplanades, but maybe I should have spent more time looking at the map and less time ranting. If I could travel back in time, I’m sure I would give myself a good slap, the kind that stings for hours.
I don’t recognize myself as my past self. I have returned several times to Battlefield 1 over the years (most recently relatively recently) and I have become less and less understanding of most of my criticisms. Most maps are absurdly great, the setting is very successful and the gameplay feels very good even today. There is nothing to be ashamed of graphically in 2024.
I look back and fondly remember many games of Assault, The Front and Operations on early maps such as Monte Grappa, The Wound of Saint Quentin, Amiens, The Argone Forest… The battles in the corridors of the Ballroom were a wonderful chaos (I once put a tank in and it was not unusual to see people on horses) and war never looked as beautiful as in Gap, a map covered in red poppies.
I also remember with great affection and terror the Nivelle Night map, a night map in which fire, explosions and the path of bullets were the protagonists of a light show that I have etched in my memory. I have never enjoyed a night scene so much again. And the best thing is that later more great maps like Colinas de Verdú arrived. Advance on Russian maps In The Name of The Tsar It was true hell on earth.
I enjoyed quite a few weapons: M1903 Springfield, M1911, Model 10-A, Mondragón, MP 18, Lewis machine gun, the Gewehr family… And yes, I also used the damn nose gas. They even had no qualms about using the infamous Martini-Henry. I am sure it was one of the most loved and hated weapons by all players. It suffered several swings because it was excessively strong: it compensated for its lack of a charger with insane damage. It hit very hard. It was the definition of risk-reward.
How can we forget the Behemoths! There are three: Zeppelin L30, HMS Iron Duke (battleship) and the Armored Train. And we must add the special classes, ranging from the heavy ones with machine guns and flamethrowers to a sniper with a marksman rifle who was the tank destroyer personified. Not even airplanes were safe from that barbarity.
And finally, its campaign mode. Five great untold stories with a prologue and epilogue: Mud and Blood, High-Flying Friends, Avanti Savoia, The Messenger and Nothing Is Written. I will always remember these stories with great affection because three of them (1st, 3rd and 4th) made me cry during my first game… and occasionally during the times I have played it again.
Battlefield 1 It was, is and always will be a great game, despite my attitude in the past. I will never be able to get rid of the thorn of not having enjoyed it more. I’m sorry I spent so much time looking for excuses to be unhappy with the experience. If I could travel back in time and relive its release, I’m sure I would enjoy it infinitely more…even seeing many of the seams I see today.
But it goes beyond nostalgia and my current discontent with the Battlefield franchise. Battlefield 1 It represents a lesson learned that I keep in mind in every release that I am passionate about. It boils down to one word: enjoy. If you like something, don’t be stupid and enjoy it as much as you can. You can be critical and enjoy at the same time. Bugs are fixed with updates, but in the MMORPG of life there are no rollbacks. How an assault on Argonne pressed me right now!
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