I’M not a team player – and that’s why I really suck at Battlefield 6.
It also makes me feel old. Really old.
I’ve failed to keep pace with multiplayer military shooters over the years and now BF6 has exposed me for the fraud I am.
Stuck in the middle of a frenetic battlefield, I barely get a shot off before being taken out by a sniper from a million miles away. I respawn, check my loadout, take a step and… phwhipp. Headshot. This never used to happen when I ruled the Dust map on Counter-Strike back in the day.
But that’s how good gamers are now. They are super quick, amazingly adept at traversing terrain and ridiculously accurate when nailing bullet-drops from insane distances in the blink of an eye.
And grandad here simply can’t keep up.
UP ALL NIGHT FOR GOOD FUN
Fortnite teams up with Daft Punk for brand new world & bundle
DEEP IMPACT
Charming 3D puzzle game Power Sink from Winterwire will take your breath away
Battlefield Studios have produced the perfect playground for Generation Thrill and should be applauded for it.
Indeed, I think an argument could be made that Call of Duty has finally found its match.
So why not five stars? Well let’s get that old man grumble over and done with.
This is not, and never will be, a game for single-player fans. And it shows here. It feels like campaign mode has been bunged on to Battlefield 6 reluctantly.
There are only nine levels, a pretty tepid storyline and an experience that feels like every other military shooter did a few years back. It simply doesn’t push the barriers.
Its multiplayer buddy however offers an experience so epic, so cleverly chaotic and so visually enthralling that it’s hard not to just sit back and admire it all.
Which I did. Numerous times. After being shot. Numerous times.
The cacophony of carnage is exhilarating. Jets roar overhead in explosive dogfights, soldiers snipe from the skies above while balancing on drones, buildings are razed to the ground in a tactical act of wiping out a tricky sniping team.
A special mention for the destructible environments too. It’s beyond eye-popping and a true hero of modern gaming.
All this is enhanced with glorious sound effects (headphones are a must). Amongst the headshot hubbub you’re treated to subtle touches which add to the experience – the tinny clink, clink, clink of metal ammo casings dropping to the floor, for example.
It’s everything these super gamers have been crying out for.
The classes are split into Assault (standard scoot and shoot), Medic (revive and hide), Recon (snipers) and Engineer (tank master).
Each holds a slight advantage but I found it just as easy to pop a decent sniper rifle on an Assault soldier as opposed to being a Recon.
Breakthrough and Conquest modes are the toast of BF6 and show off what this game can do. A bonkers 64-player arena of Battlefield bedlam seriously takes your breath away.
If you’re looking for something more zen, Team Deathmatch and Rush are slightly more chill with smaller groups.
All nine maps vary in tactical advantage and offer an ever-changing warzone.
As all good oldies do, I have one grumble regarding multiplayer. You need to play A LOT in order to unlock the really interesting and cool gear for your loadouts, which isn’t great for casual gamers (or rubbish ones like me).
And you need to have a seriously high skill set to master piloting choppers or using tanks to their full advantage.
Anyway, zip it Granddad.
Because me being slow on the trigger nowadays should not detract from the electrifying feeling you get when consumed by the epic nature of how a modern warfare game should be enjoyed.
HOLIDAY HUSTLE
All the Xmas jobs available which could pay YOU £6k over festive period
ENDER THE ROAD
EastEnders star leaving soap after controversial storyline
It’s mind-blowing ambition – a battleground beast.
Even if you can’t teach this old dog of war new tricks.
Battlefield 6
- FORMATS: PlayStation 5 (reviewed), Xbox, PC
- PRICE: £69.99
- PUBLISHER: Electronic Arts
- DEVELOPER: Battlefield Studios
- RELEASE DATE: Out now
- AGE RATING: 16+
- SCORE: 4/5
