Readers of this site might not share my opinion, but I think Battlefield’s single player stories (with the possible exception of Bad Company 1) have been pretty shallow. The single player campaigns, whilst pretty, drive the player soullessly from set-piece to Michael Bay-explosion-obsessesed set-piece intermingled with a derivative “China/Russia r da bad guize” plot.
Nobody really expects Battlefield or Call of Duty to deliver the same kind of critical reception for story games like Bioshock Infinite or The Last of Us have inspired – but they needn’t. They are supremely beloved franchises for their multiplayer component.
Visceral Games are known for the tense darkness portrayed in Dead Space – perhaps the greatest horror franchise consoles had last gen, or at least the most prominent. It’s with that in mind that my curiosity for Battlefield: Hardline’s single player campaign was piqued – Visceral have delivered 12 minutes of single player in this latest trailer.
Crime thrillers are a staple of modern media. Visceral are able to draw on very contemporary examples for inspiration, from The Wire’s subtle realism to Breaking Bad’s excruciating intensity and ambiguous morality.
Besides the story, Battlefield: Hardline delivers mechanics not available in the multiplayer – allowing the campaign to take on a life of its own. Stealth mechanics, interrogations and hold ups are all in, as well as some surprises.
Check out the trailer above and let me know what you think in the comments below.
^Jez (@MSFTY)
Jez C (MSFTY) is a games journalist, Executive Editor at Windows Central. They contributed 39 articles to ICXM in 2015, focused on game reviews, Windows and PC, and Xbox news: now leads Xbox coverage at Future plc’s Windows Central as Executive Editor.