Why Battlefield 2042's Reviews Are So Positive
After a long wait for hardcore fans, "Battlefield 2042" finally arrives on on November 19 for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PS4, PS5, and PC, complete with cross-play between the same console generations. Reviews began dropping for the latest entry in the "Battlefield" series more than a week before the game's official release date, and fans will be happy to hear that first reactions have been mostly positive.
The next chapter of "Battlefield" surprisingly left out a battle royale mode and a campaign mode, meaning the main modes in "Battlefield 2042" are online competitive modes. This may be a bit of a red flag for some gamers, many outlets might hold reviews until more of the general population are playing online, so they can have an experience as close to the consumers as possible. So although the Metacritic score for "Battlefield 2042" may fluctuate once the game is out in the wild, there's still reason for celebration. Here's what the critics are saying about "Battlefield 2042."
Battlefield 2042's scale and spectacle make it a phenomenal shooter
Digital Trends awarded "Battlefield 2042" a 4.5/5. Critic Otto Kratky praised the scale of the game, applauding the developers for "[going] above and beyond" in the design of its 128 player lobbies, maps, weapons, and vehicles. Kratky argued that the scale and variety present in "Battlefield 2042" more than makes up for the fact that the game is online-only.
For EGM, Michael Goroff gave "Battlefield 2042" a 5/5, pointing out the ways in which the game embraces the best parts of the series' sandbox elements, while also breathing new life into the gameplay loop with the new specialists' unique abilities. Goroff also greatly enjoyed the Battlefield Portal creative mode, which allows players to create special game modes using maps and items from previous "Battlefield" titles. Goroff felt that the remastered versions of the classic maps feel right at home in the modern version of the Frostbite engine while still retaining their classic feel.
One of the few negative reviews came from Stevivor, which gave "Battlefield 2042" a 4.5/10. Luke Lawrie disliked the combat and reuse of features from previous entries. Lawrie wrote, "Everywhere you look, you can find problems ... the uninspiring gameplay is a skeleton of the previous 'Battlefield' titles."
Fan service might not work for everyone, but it seems most critics feel that's what "Battlefield 2042" does best. As Attack of the Fanboy's Diego Perez said, "'2042' feels like a game specifically made for 'Battlefield' fans."