After controversial experiments with , which did not please everyone, the decision to make a shooter with an unusual theme is a challenge to DICE itself. Will the studio be able to pull off a game about war that competitors have bypassed?

Or maybe it's just the opposite, and in the web of dirty trenches lurks an uncut diamond? Indeed, the setting for a video game, although rare, is quite logical for a shooter: there are firearms, a wide theater of operations is available, even equipment for any occasion is available.

Isn't it interesting to see how they fought 100 years ago, how they died for the dying empires of the past, how they won battles that are now legendary?

Battlefield 1 Single Player Campaign

In their new creation, the developers simply had to create a single player mode, because it is through it that the easiest way is to introduce the player into the game world. Multiplayer, with its insane dynamics and youthful voices in voice chat, is not at all suitable for this purpose, because war is something that needs to be talked about calmly, without unnecessary fuss.

And so it happened: the campaign is divided into six parts, each of which is an independent, complete fictional story. Perhaps this is the most elegant solution that DICE could take. They do not need to build a strict linear narrative, artificially stir up interest in a limited circle of characters and attract by the ears another nondescript story about the fight against terrorism or the Russians.

Each story has its own issues, it is a relatively short story about a specific combat mission. Here is the tank team, which endows its own tank with a feminine principle, so as not to go crazy in the war, and an enthusiastic pilot, rushing into the sky for exploits, and even a free retelling of one of the exploits of Lawrence of Arabia.

In its brevity, Battlefield 1 is reminiscent of the excellent Saving Private Ryan film and the good old one, which showed the path of a small but very valiant squad of fighters to a fatal height.

The war in the game is shown very honestly, but at the same time without "trash", as it was sometimes in and often in Mikhalkov's films. Battlefield 1 is blood, dirt, death, explosions, but at the same time it is a struggle for your homeland, for loved ones, for friends. Each story is touching and unique in its own way.

Perhaps some will consider the fact that all the stories are told on behalf of the participants of the winning side to be a disadvantage, that is, it will not work to play for the Germans or Austro-Hungarians.

On the one hand, this is a big miscalculation, because they also fought, even though they lost, without a look at the war from their side, the picture seems incomplete. On the other hand, the motivation of the developers is understandable: the “small” victories of different people formed into a common victory for the allies.

Summing up, it can and should be noted that for the first time in many years, a multiplayer shooter has appeared that gives a single experience, which in itself pays for the purchase.

Battlefield 1 Multiplayer

This is the second and main component of the game and takes place over 9 maps. As in the single player campaign, you will have to fight all over the world, and thanks to this variety, online battles are very fresh.

The main mechanics of the game, the same for all games in the series, has been preserved: all fighters are divided into two teams, and each player can choose one of the four classes - attack aircraft, scout, medic and support. On each map, depending on the mode, certain goals are involved, the implementation of which is rewarded with victory points.

Whether the war in Battlefield 1 will be different from what people usually see in online shooters from DICE was the main intrigue until the very release. And the developers did not disappoint.

First, the specifics of hostilities have changed. You constantly have to make a choice between fast-firing, but inaccurate machine guns and rifles that hit accurately, but require longer reloading, or even manipulation of the shutter after each shot. Assault rifles, which advantageously combine the qualities of different types of weapons, did not exist 100 years ago.

Secondly, battles involving vehicles are played differently. Missile systems have not yet been invented, and helicopters and "jets" are not yet in the projects, so a tank and even a seedy tankette are a serious problem for the soldiers of that time.

Paragliding is somewhat different from air fights in. The speed is lower, the arsenal is weaker, but you can get into a bomber and drop bombs directly on the heads of opponents. But it’s better not to lower the height: automatic bursts can easily turn half of the wing into a mess.

It is impossible not to touch on the topic of realism, as well as historical authenticity. There were some controversies here, because the developers wanted to please everyone - both lovers of history and lovers of good action.

So, the multiplayer of Battlefield 1 cannot be recommended as a reconstruction of the battles of the First World War. All cards follow the postulates of the series: the cards are made in such a way that it would be interesting for all classes to play them.

There are no many hours of trench shooting, no large-scale chemical attacks. The game has many aspects of the fighting of the time, but they are done in a modern way for the sake of dynamics. Roughly speaking, the game is very similar to Battlefield 4, if you do not focus on some features.

What was removed and what was added

Battlefield 1 has inherited most of the game mechanics from its predecessor, but there are also plenty of changes, both big and small. It is about them that will be discussed in this section.

A new game format has emerged called "Operations", which is essentially a playlist of two to three pre-determined maps.

The idea is extremely simple: two teams start the battle on the same map, each receives a task to defend or attack. After that, the battle begins, divided into three waves.

After they pass, there is a pause, but then the battle continues on another map, while the result of the previous battle is taken into account in the final result. It is interesting that on one of the steps an airship or an armored train enters the battle, and then the main goal of the team is to destroy it as soon as possible or protect it from encroachment.

Another new mode is War Pigeons. In it, players rush around the map in search of birds, which are the only connection to the headquarters. Those who can get the “birds of the world” first will be able to unleash an artillery strike on the enemies.

Online battles are finally available without the cumbersome Battlelog setup. Now you can enter the server directly from the game, which saves a lot of time.

But fans of the so-called “gunporn” will be somewhat disappointed not to see a large variety of weapon additions in Battlefield 1. We'll have to forget about all these collimators, laser sights, sights with dynamic magnification and handles - 100 years ago they fought without them.

Along with the thinned out customization options, the player account development system has also changed, now it is more similar to the one that can be seen in Battlefront. Weapons no longer accumulate experience, although they collect statistics, and the discovery of new types of weapons is tied to a special currency - bonds.

You can get them for active participation in battles. Combat sets have also been revised: in addition to experience boosters, they contain unique “skins” for weapons.

Classes have also been changed. For example, the engineer has been abolished, and support has taken over his anti-technical functions. Thus, this class constantly chooses between the ability to supply fellow soldiers with cartridges and the availability of funds to fight tanks and armored vehicles.

These are just the highlights of DICE's new title, and there's a lot more to discover as the game progresses that wasn't in Battlefield 4.

Graphics and technical execution

Battlefield 1 runs on a new version of the Frostbite engine, and even before the release, it was clear to everyone that the game was in perfect order with graphics. And now, after the release, it should be noted that the picture of the game is almost photorealistic.

Let's do a little test. Below are two images:

Which one is a screenshot from the game, and which one is a photo? Write your opinion in the comments!

But to make a nice picture is one thing, and to provide it with a high-quality technical implementation is quite another. And here DICE also did not lose face: the game is superbly optimized. So much so that the system requirements are almost the same as those of Battlefield 4.

Yes, that's right: on a system that pulls the last part of the series, as they say, on "ultra", Battlefield 1 works very well, slowing down the frame rate only in very intense scenes.

This is phenomenal, because the developers were able to significantly rework the graphic part, while maintaining the old system requirements. And in multiplayer performance is even higher!

There are no problems with the network code either, in any case, such an opinion develops after ten hours in multiplayer. This is a good result, if we recall the problematic launch of Battlefield 4.

Sound and music

Like all other components, the sound of the game is made with high quality. This also applies to music that is created using orchestral arrangements, and so to the sounds of shooting, voices and all sorts of noises. Fights in the game sound very natural!

Of course, you should not expect revelations with two small speakers from Genius or cheap "droplets" on the table.

A miracle will not happen, and for a truly cool sound, you will have to get a fancy headset, an expensive sound card, or even an entire audio system. The game supports all this, so the only question is the thickness of the wallet.

Great game about a terrible war

DICE is not in vain considered one of the best teams that make shooters: Battlefield 1 once again demonstrates its skill.

An unexpectedly strong single-player campaign, cool multiplayer, which at least does not shine with realism, but is very interesting in itself, mind-blowing graphics that are available not only to those who paid a lot of money for another Titan - all this makes the game a great purchase.

Greetings, dear readers, with you site site and review on Battlefield 1! By the way, you can see the preview. So, what is the first thing I want to say about the new brainchild of DICE? Impressive. Indeed, from the very first minutes of the game you can see the level.

The graphics are just amazing. The detailing is amazing. Dirt on weapons, raindrops, great special effects... You can list it for a long time and then you can’t say everything, but one thing is clear - the graphic component is magnificent. In my opinion, there are no games with such graphics in 2016, and they will not be released before the end of the year. Destructibility, as stated, is present. And what else. Everything can be smashed. And it looks incredibly juicy and realistic.

Gameplay. Naturally, there are differences between a single company and a network mode, so first things first.

Single player campaign. Once again, DICE is trying to make a fit and mature loner, but, once again, falls short. The game takes place during the First World War, and the whole plot revolves around the theme of an ordinary person on the battlefield. War, like a disease, comes and declares itself, and you have to live with it. There is no specific main character in Battlefield 1. We now and then have to play for a variety of people, from different countries, with different motives and characters. The topic is actually quite mature and heavy. The game honestly tries to touch us and bring us to a mean male tear, when one or another character suddenly dies stupidly, along with his dreams and hopes, or vice versa, in an incredible way, escapes from a seemingly inevitable death. But it's not very good, to be honest.

In Battlefield 1, the developers decided to move away from the classic, for singles in this series, level linearity. They gave us more freedom. We tried to show some semblance of a sandbox. In general, this is quite interesting, because we ourselves decide how to perform this or that task. But to think about what we actually do there, to entertain the player somehow, the developers forgot a little. That is, in fact, we have a location and a task to be solved, and a horde of enemies. Everything. Do what you want and how you want. It sounds cool, but without certain staging moments it looks boring. Although, in general, everything is fine, and I don’t count it as a minus, since we all love Battlefield not for the single player campaign. The single here is more like a tutorial that prepares us for real battles, with real people.

As for the main thing, the battles themselves and the combat system, here the developers from DICE showed us aerobatics. It is felt that the First World War is in the yard. And you have to get used to it. There are quite a few cartridges, so you often have to go to hand-to-hand combat. In addition, the battle distance is now much closer. The ballistics has also changed, and the bullets go downhill earlier than we are used to. Skirmishes are now conducted almost point-blank at each other. Each weapon, be it a rifle, a pistol, or something else, also has its own characteristics. Each weapon must be studied, get along with it and find your own approach to its use. It's the same with technology. There will be quite a lot of species here, as I already wrote in. With all this you need to get acquainted, understand and feel, learn how to handle it normally. For this, in fact, there is a single company in Battlefield 1.

As for our enemies and artificial intelligence in single player, it's like 50 to 50. Sometimes they act really logically and smoothly, and sometimes they are frankly stupid. Also, in a single company there are no stealth missions. When playing on a difficult level, you will sometimes have to replay them several times.

Separately, I would like to note the great sound. Thanks to the sound effects, you really get the feeling that you are in a real battle. The whistle and ricochets of bullets, the roar of explosions, even the negotiations in technology, like real ones! In general, set the maximum level of difficulty and go ahead, into a single player campaign, deal with weapons, equipment and feel like sad meat that fell into the millstones of the First World War.

In the end, I will say this - do not spare money for this amazing game, it's worth it. Battlefield 1 is one of the few games this year that not only met, but even exceeded our expectations.

I will talk about multiplayer in a separate article, since the topic is, well, very extensive and all this information cannot be contained in the format of one review. You can read it!

Grade Dma Game According to the administration

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According to a historical anecdote, on April 1, 1915, a funny thing happened. The fighting was in full swing when a French plane flew over the German position, dropping an impressive projectile. Of course, people were frightened and rushed to their heels, but instead of an explosion they saw ... a huge ball, on which there was an inscription "From the first of April!".

This is probably one of the best examples of the fact that even during the war, life goes on. That they shoot, explode and die real people with their dreams, feelings, characters ... and relatives that are waiting for them at home. Battlefield 1 announced from the very first story trailer that the game would be dedicated to them, small but important stories of ordinary people whose sacrifices led to victory. AT DICE honestly tried to show them, but failed.

But there are colorful explosions, destructibility, great sound and great multiplayer. As always.

The story trailer gave hope that at least this time DICE would do everything right. Alas.

Lost generation

From the first frame, one gets the impression that the idea to transfer the action of Battlefield 1 during the First World War arose after the release of Valiant Hearts. These games are very similar in mood, and the topics are trying to reveal identical ones. So, the local plot is a few stories about the heroes and events of that war.

Here there was a place for a variety of sketches: about the crew of the Mk-V tank, and about the pilots of the British Air Force, and about the victims made by the Italian arditi, and about the Australian heroes who fought with the Ottomans on the banks of Gallipoli. Even the legend of Lawrence of Arabia was touched upon.

Each story is dedicated to a mission lasting one and a half to two hours, and the storytellers honestly try to touch and impress us. They share real facts about the First World War, the characters depict the drama in every possible way, and in the background, as expected, majestic, slightly sad music plays. And at first it really seems that DICE succeeded.

Sometimes the campaign brings back memories of Medal of Honor: Allied Assault and Call of Duty 2. This is not the best way to say about the plot, but the feeling is still pleasant.

But over time, this impression dissipates - for such a serious topic, the developers simply did not have enough timing and the talent of screenwriters. There are few videos here, during the gameplay, the characters discuss almost nothing interesting, and events unfold very rapidly. The character has just appeared on the screen, and now they are already killing him, trying for some reason to escalate the situation.

It all looks strange, because in an hour you won’t learn anything entertaining about the heroes and you simply don’t have time to become attached to them. Here the character dies, tragic music plays in the background, and the only thought that comes to mind in those seconds is: “But what is the name of the guy who just blew himself up?”

Sometimes it is difficult to believe what is happening also because the events seem illogical, simulated. Some heroes now and then fall into unjustified tantrums, others try to behave like a hero where it is out of place. And sometimes, very unrealistic things in the spirit of B-movies happen on the screen: with miraculous rescues, stupid suicide attacks and inexplicable miracles (we can do without examples - these are all spoilers).

The faces and character models in the cutscenes are excellent. Too bad they don't show up very often.

Each mission offers something different: one is tank battles...	The other is trench battles...	The third is something like capturing outposts in the style Far Cry 3. And while it's not always fun to do all of this, variety definitely benefits the campaign.

As a result, the scripts seem chaotic, naive, like fairy tales written by children and for children. Only the story of Australian officer Frederick Bishop leaves a positive impression: he is trying to help a young and inexperienced compatriot survive the battle. Yes, it is simple, but the motives of the hero are clear, he does not do stupid things and from the very beginning causes sympathy. It's not hard to believe in him.

But after a lot of books about the war, after a lot of good films, after the same Valiant Hearts, which brought together and brilliantly told the lines of several heroes at once, all this does not look the best.

Winds of freedom

The gameplay of Battlefield 1 is also ambiguous: sometimes it gives a very interesting experience and surprises, sometimes it makes you sleepy. The fact is that DICE decided to move away from the formula call of duty with its corridor linearity and create a sandbox effect. Almost every level is an open area with its own tasks and ways to solve them (even in the tank stages). And, it would seem, all this is very cool. There are almost always several ways to attack enemies from the rear or even slip in unnoticed, and sometimes this gives pleasant moments.

Sandbox stages sometimes suffer from stupid opponents and not always successful level design, but the chosen direction cannot but rejoice. There are very few good sandboxes right now, and who knows, maybe in the next DICE game everything will turn out to be an order of magnitude better.

Eliminate snipers at vantage points and take out targets from afar with a silenced rifle. Place explosives under enemy vehicles and sabotage. Go to the rear and shoot the opponents with their own machine guns. Or just sneak into the camp unnoticed with a knife in your hands. There are many options for the development of events, and among them there are really interesting ones.

Only here it often happens and vice versa: there seems to be space, but there is nothing to do. You just crawl forward and, yawning, either bypass the enemy side, or pour fire on them non-stop. The Swedes went in the right direction: they tried to give more freedom, make the gameplay smarter, but forgot that even in the sandbox you need at least some setting and interesting situations. Instead, they give area, set tasks, fall asleep with enemies - well, you have some fun yourself. And nothing in the spirit of a sniper stage in a thunderstorm from bad company 2 here is not in sight.

Flying in the form of a dove over the battlefield is perhaps the most powerful scene in the game. It is a pity that the developers have not come up with anything really original.

At the same time, at times, all this is aggravated by bad stealth. Enemies do not always behave adequately, and sometimes they notice heroes when it seems impossible, and vice versa. And in general, the local artificial intelligence is another problem of the game. Sometimes opponents can surprise: they come from behind, surround and suppress with fire. And sometimes they get lost and start behaving like a fool: they stick into snags, move in circles, go somewhere or go on the rampage. Once they even took turns running through the doorway to die immediately.

Pyrotechnics dream

But everyone is saved by the classic features of the Battlefield series: amazing work with sound and picture, as well as destructibility. When you drive a tank across a huge battlefield, infantry runs nearby, caterpillars realistically knead the mud, and buildings with a characteristic roar scatter into small pieces ... you want to scream with happiness. Sometimes there are situations that no other game is able to generate yet.

Battlefield 1 has a rare quality: it knows how to wake up the inner child. It is worth driving a tank into a brick house, sending an enemy airplane into a free fall, or blowing up the fuel tank of a flamethrower (and with it the buildings in the neighborhood), and you experience genuine delight.

Here you, driving a tank, accidentally fired at the building where the Germans stored artillery shells, and the explosion immediately destroyed several houses. Or he decided to try himself as a sniper, sitting on the balcony of the mill, and the Germans smashed him with anti-tank weapons right under the feet of the hero. If you hide from the enemy, the enemy can literally blow up the wall or bring down the ceiling.

And all this with a signature, voluminous, juicy sound, when it seems that the war has come right to your home. The bullets seem to fly right over the ear, and during the explosions one involuntarily wants to look back to check whether everything is exploding in the game or outside the window.

Fans of modern aerial combat may well be disappointed, but the flying and spectacular duels with German aces are definitely some of the best scenes in the single player campaign.

Air combat is a completely different story. The local airplanes are controlled very easily, but here, unlike any World of Warplanes, you feel the weight of the aircraft, manipulation with thrust, it is much faster and more maneuverable, thanks to which you experience completely different sensations during flights. It is especially pleasant when you rush along the cliff, make a dead loop or closely follow the enemy, smashing his wings from machine guns to pieces. When the enemy with a characteristic sound “leaves” down to the ground, engulfed in flames, unique emotions rage inside.

More fun together

And this is where multiplayer comes into play. In Battlefield, the multiplayer component has always been in the first place, and the new part is no exception. All the charms described above - and destructibility, and loud explosions, and air battles, and scale - in the network game are revealed to their fullest. At the same time, no one is trying to portray a strained drama in it, instead of stupid bots, real players enter the stage, and thanks to this, all of the above pluses play with new colors.

In terms of mood, the maps in the game are strikingly different from everything that was in the series before.

During the time that we had to prepare the review, we managed to test only the "Operations" mode. But after a few hours, it became clear that the opinion about the network game is unlikely to change based on the results. Years go by, the rules and setting change, but the Battlefield experience remains the same as before. Crowds of soldiers still rush across the field, bullets whistle in the narrow streets, enemy tanks smash buildings overhead. Even the ubiquitous campers are in place. As before, there is a feeling of a chaotic, but almost real battle.

And it's wonderful!

About modes

The "Operations" mode itself is very much reminiscent of Rush from the "classic" Battlefield (despite the fact that Rush itself has not disappeared either). So, one side will have to consistently capture enemy points, moving forward, and the other - to defend them. The attackers have a limited number of available fighters, and the main difference of the new mode is the "plot" introductions, when each battle has its own backstory, and before the battle, the narrator shares historical data about it.

Each operation is divided into several interconnected maps, and gradually the battles move from one area to another. This creates an even more vivid sense of the scale of what is happening (despite the fact that there are up to 64 players here), when not one small card opens up in front of you, but a whole front of six “sectors” at once. What is nice, on some maps, an airship hangs over the battlefield, which at a certain moment can be shot down, making the battle more spectacular.

The game features both the already mentioned Rush mode (“Storm”), and the classic Conquest (“Capture”) with Team Deathmatch (“Team Clash”), and familiar from the previous parts of Domination (“Superiority”), as well as a completely new War Pigeon ("War pigeons").

In the latter, two teams of a dozen people fight for ... pigeons. The task, as soon as the location of the feathered one becomes known, is to get to it first, fight off and hold out for a certain time. At the same time, for all opponents, the player with the bird becomes almost the number one enemy: literally everyone wants to kill him. The fights are tight, fun and much faster than in the same "Operations". Nothing revolutionary, but it is very interesting to participate in such competitions.

In the end, the setting itself plays into the hands of the project. The First World War gives fresh sensations that someone may miss. Trying to get used to the changes dictated by the new time period is a separate pleasure. The local weapons do not shoot at all like modern models: somewhere they are surprised by the recoil and rate of fire, somewhere - unusual ballistics, when the bullet goes down already at a small distance. Each rifle takes some getting used to, and sometimes you just forget to use the bayonet.

The influence of the new aviation, represented by slow and fragile airplanes, as well as clumsy tanks and "live" horses, also needs to get used to. They manage to change their established habits and techniques, because, sitting in a trench, you don’t expect that a horseman can jump in there, cutting everyone with a saber. And being in the air, you forget that now even an infantryman who shoots accurately from a rifle can shoot you down.

There are all the relevant attributes of the first world here: sometimes giant airships fall from the sky, you can get under a gas attack. Even new maps have benefited: fighting in dirty trenches or in the narrow streets of a sunny French city is at least unusual.

Steel pioneers

Battlefield 1 has a lot of different vehicles and vehicles. You can use warships, airplanes and bombers, tanks, motorcycles, horses, armored vehicles, airships and even trains in battles. And here they are especially important, because for the first time in the series even separate classes appeared - tankers and pilots. Mastering the technique of the First World War is very entertaining, and now we will talk about especially interesting specimens.

Take, for example, the British Mark V tanks. Large, heavy, clumsy, but possessing incredible combat power, the monsters from this line were invented right before the First World War. The military equipment of those times was far from ideal, and these tanks were extremely unreliable. But they fulfilled their task and became true legends.

In Battlefield 1 Mk V and its crew, an entire mission is dedicated to driving a tank, and sometimes repairing it, looking for spare parts and protecting it from opponents. These units are shown as clumsy, bogged down in the mud, but very powerful iron "monsters". Believe me, to meet such a colossus in multiplayer is far from the ultimate dream.

Air equipment also underwent a baptism of fire in the First World War. These were light, but insanely powerful and maneuverable devices, and air battles were associated almost with knightly duels, when aces immensely respected each other. And here, airplanes are represented by several types at once. We liked two models the most: the German triplane Fokker Dr. I and British biplane Bristol F.2 Fighter.

It is on the Fokker Dr. I Manfred von Richthofen, aka the "Red Baron", won his most spectacular victories. This instance was incredibly maneuverable, albeit leisurely. Although some of the shortcomings of the first flying machines more than once became fatal for pilots: due to oil problems, the engines regularly failed, the pilots lacked visibility, and sometimes the wings simply fell apart right in the sky. Fortunately, this does not happen in the game, but all the advantages - in particular, maneuverability - are preserved. Well, the triplanes themselves, although they appeared in a variety of colors during the war, are painted bright red here. Apparently, in honor of the "Red Baron".

The double biplane Bristol F.2 Fighter was used by the British forces. Although it was designed for reconnaissance, the device turned out to be so successful that in the First World War they began to use it as a fighter. It is on the "Bristol" that most of the single mission dedicated to the pilots will take place. In the game, these airplanes are light, but you can literally feel their thrust and weight, they are very maneuverable, and it is a pleasure to control them.

When it comes to the First World War, it's hard not to think about airships. In the game, they are represented by the L32 Zeppelin model - the so-called "rigid airship". The bottom line is that the carrier gas was distributed over separate compartments. All this stuff was in a metal frame covered with fabric. Such giants reached a length of almost 250 meters, and their mere appearance on the battlefield could terrify the enemy.

The L32 was one of one hundred and nineteen Zeppelins built in Germany by Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin's company. To fire from his onboard guns is something! And when the colossus, on fire, falls to the ground ... This must be seen!

The British battleship HMS Iron Duke, named after the Duke of Wellington, who was known as an outstanding commander, also deserves attention. This ship of the line participated in almost all the main battles of the British naval forces of the First World War and more than once showed itself from the best side. In the game, you can fire from it, and from a very decent distance, attacking targets on land as well.

At the beginning of summer, representatives of Electronic Arts announced that the Eastern Front of the First World War would be completely absent in Battlefield 1. This indicated that the Russian Imperial Army would not be represented in the game. In multiplayer mode, players would also not be able to try on a Russian overcoat. From the first days of the release of the project on sale, it will be possible to fight in the ranks of Britain, Germany, Ottoman Empire, Austria-Hungary, Italy or America.

Later it became known that France, which was one of the key countries in that war, will be added to Battlefield 1. They are going to include it in the project with the first update of They Shall Not Pass. After this announcement, many began to assume that the Russian Empire would be added in the same way.

Then it was just guesswork, but now the creators of Battlefield 1 themselves have confirmed everything. The addition of the Russian Empire will become a season pass and will appear in one of four downloadable add-ons.

As a reminder, Premium Pass holders will be able to download Battlefield 1 updates two weeks earlier. Players are also given a huge selection of sides for which you can fight. Already now in Battlefield 1 there are more types of armies than in previous parts.

Screenshots of the game Battlefield 1:

They crawled through mud and darkness, dodging bullets, saving others, and shedding their own blood in the name of victory. Dedicated to the participants of the First World War - an expensive and pompous shooter based on one of the largest conflicts in history. A gentle ode to heroism or a cynical dance on the bones? Life shares his thoughts on Battlefield 1.

Every autumn, the industry reminds - a dead horse can be kicked as much as you like, as long as it brings money. "Thank you" Call of Duty: Modern Warfare - for the past decade, almost all the action movies on one silly bravura face. Collimator sights, plots a la "Tom Clancy never dreamed of", terrorists and evil Russians among the villains - how many times have we seen such consumer goods. Of course, they disguise it with dogs, robots and space, but the very essence of the modern (or near-modern) black-and-white conflict has become boring. Even Call of Duty fans do not hide the fact that the series is becoming obsolete, dangling in circles, like an Olympic runner. But what to do: give - take, duty calls.

And then a zeppelin falls from the sky. Suddenly, dirt and a greenish fog appear on the screen, and gloomy figures in gas masks pierce each other's skulls with sapper shovels. No gloss, no emasculation - the First World War in all its unsightly glory. A topic that game developers for some reason prefer not to raise too much.

The move is truly brilliant: instead of embarking on a stupid race with Activision, the Swedes from DICE decided to return to the roots and tell the young about the incredible exploits of their great-grandfathers. The result leaves no one indifferent.

Caravan of stories

Battlefield never got along with single-player campaigns - the witty Bad Company dilogy was a ray of light in the impenetrable darkness of the jingoistic dregs. However, no one led with a mustache: gamers have always treated the plot as a collection of training missions before multiplayer battles. But if you take them seriously, it's hard to do without a stream of criticism against the slob writers.

And in a way, Battlefield 1 doesn't deviate much from the old formula - nominally War Stories consists of a series of local missions, each of which trains new recruits before going out into the field. Riding a tank with a wrench at the ready, shooting down a couple of airships from an airplane at sunset, quietly slaughtering a couple of unsuspecting patrolmen with a shovel - the entertainment program is obvious, expected and not to say good. Yes, adequate. But the approach redeems the flaws: before us is the case when "how" is much more important than "what".

Each episode is a capacious, bright story. The story of a little man who is sucked into the maelstrom of a merciless war, and he has no choice but to fight for his life. So simple and so ingenious - for the first time ever, Battlefield's storyline is truly compelling! Albeit not in its essence (the short films came out in Hollywood clichéd and even sugary), but sometimes the love and care with which the authors treat the participants of the Great War are enough to immerse. Finally, the focus is not on superheroes, not on the front line of elite warriors, but on ordinary men and women who digest the horror that is happening around them in different ways. Words cannot express how effective such an artistic technique is.

Unconditional success? Almost. Not all ballads are equal: like any anthology collection, Battlefield 1 has both good shorts ("Through mud and blood", "Friends in high circles"), and outsiders who no longer want to return to ("Nothing is destined" ). It was not without brazen manipulations and common stereotypes, and the lack of a look from the other side of the conflict (on behalf of the Germans and the Ottomans, for example) seems either an unfortunate omission or a hint of DLC. In any case, it is a flaw that cannot be ignored.

But even in such a slightly truncated form, "Military Stories" is unexpectedly pleasing. The campaign is relatively short and episodic in a good way, dispensed with the nastiness and vileness inherent in historical thrillers, and ends with a cutscene so sentimental that it can be safely cut out of the game and shown in history museums. Not bad for a glorified tutorial. But, oddly enough, the monument to the soldiers was erected not only in the single.

Together we will stand

Paradoxically, despite all the soulfulness of "Stories", in Battlefield 1, multiplayer tells about the exploits of soldiers best of all. There is no script, and the authors make no attempt to tell a touching tale about life at the front. A real, merciless war is going on there, about which so many songs have been composed.

Dozens of soldiers defend their positions shoulder to shoulder against the endless onslaught of the enemy. They do not know the real names of their colleagues, their communication is reduced to loud cries, pleas for help and orders that cannot be discussed. However, the fighters do not spit on each other. The battle unites, and together the brothers in arms begin to think and work like a well-oiled machine. Medics rush to the wounded and sacrifice their skins for the sake of dying soldiers, support jumps at the right moment with ammunition in their hands. Snipers cover their own, literally risking their heads. Grenades explode, comrades fall dead one by one, but they fall not just like that, but in the name of something more. Their deaths will not be in vain.

Suddenly - victory, the enemy retreats ... and returns, but already under the guise of a giant zeppelin, one of its kind that drives the soul into the heels. The fight continues, and hands sweaty from exertion again take up the gamepad. War knows no breaks.

No doubt that was not the case in reality, but the multiplayer of Battlefield 1 conveys not facts, but sensations, the spirit of hectic and chaotic confrontation, like no other game in the world. Spending hours in the mind-blowingly tense "Operations" mode, you begin to treat with even greater respect the people who survived such a meat grinder. We were lucky - we are already familiar with tanks, and automatic weapons do not scare us. But what was it like for ordinary guys of those times? What horror did they experience, looking at the iron monsters, to which the bullets at least henna? DICE (whether by accident or consciously) groped for the very essence of the First World War and conveyed it in such a way that the effect of presence is achieved even without the help of newfangled virtual reality glasses. You just need to sit down, pick up the controller and select a match, then everything will go by itself.

Formally, of course, Battlefield 1 didn’t really offer anything new - animations, death squeals and mechanics have not changed for many years. Other ideas are taken from last year's Star Wars Battlefront - with improvements, of course. Truly - why break an already serviceable bike? In addition, the formula works great in a dark and dirty setting - we have to admit, he sits on the series like a glove. For once, the action does not seem toy and childish, because there is no place for funny coloring pages for machine guns, gas corrodes eyes and skin, and putting a frightened enemy on a bayonet causes a surge of some unfamiliar, eerie emotions.

Scary? And how. But at the same time, the historical thriller, without any Hollywood snot, with the help of polished gameplay, sings of all the good things that could be found at the front: mutual assistance, self-sacrifice and readiness to defend the homeland to the last drop of blood. And he does it brilliantly.

In memory of the fallen

After a lot of creative tossing and mistakes, DICE is finally back on its throne. You can forget about the colorful dummy Star Wars Battlefront and the stupid Mirror's Edge reboot (which, however, is quite easy). Finally, the true heir to Battlefield: Bad Company 2 appeared on the shelves - a damn beautiful, incredibly spectacular, unusually soulful and working like a clock shooter that you immediately want to take to your collection.

Even if not everything is perfect, but the story campaign is only good and nothing more, Battlefield 1 is a masterpiece of a multiplayer action movie and one of the best releases of the series.

Advantages:

• peppy single-player campaign with a variety of missions and locations;
• all the same time-tested gameplay, but with many nice improvements;
• brilliant multiplayer mode "Operations";
• flawless graphics and mind-blowing special effects;
• believable sound effects and a suitable soundtrack;
• exemplary optimization and excellent netcode.

Disadvantages:

• the scripts for each of the episodes are banal in Hollywood, and some stories are sorely lacking in plot "meat";
• stupid artificial intelligence in the campaign;
• cheaters in the PC version;
• by and large, there is nothing absolutely new and unprecedented in the game.