There’s no doubt that the explosion in first person shooter games has done more to increase firearms ownership among younger people than just about anything else. It’s the reason that we have the current “tactical chic” going on with clothing and bags, and one of the reasons that the AR-15 and other rifles are as popular as they are. Everyone seems to want to look like the cool guys from the video games. Which is how I justify to El Jefe that I’m posting this 17 minute long trailer for Battlefield 4. The graphics look amazing, and they appear to be following on their Battlefield 3 success in including a single player campaign (instead of only multiplayer, like the first half of the series). Despite the complete failure that was Sim City, this might actually get me to spend money on an EA game again.

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55 COMMENTS

  1. I was seriously blown away by the graphics. Too bad you probably have to be running a pair of $500 cards in SLI to run it on max.

    And come on Nick, FIFA and NHL have still been great all these years! Unless you count EA Sports separately.

    • Yeah, i would play more PC games, but it’s just too damned expensive. Even if i could afford it, there’s no way i could justify spending thousands of dollars every two years or so to stay anything resembling current with the hardware when i could have something passable on a console without having to worry about upgrading it.

      • It really isn’t that expensive anymore. Just a few months ago I built a new machine for the first time in nearly six years. It took that long before the machine I built six years ago started having any trouble playing newly released games.

        The main reason for that has been that most game developers design for consoles first, and the PC market second. The current console generation dragged on for much longer than usual, so you really only needed a PC that could beat the specs on an XBox 360 from 2005.

        Only in the past year or two have devs started focusing more on the PC, to take advantage of the superior capabilities. Plus this will let them get a head-start on when the next console generation finally is released.

  2. I didn’t play it, but I was tempted to pick up Battlefield 3 for one reason: Sound.

    The sounds in that game are amazing. There had never been a video game that sounded that much like what I had experienced in the Marine Corps. The crack of bullets flying by from rifles too distant to hear clearly. The deep “thunk” of rounds impacting armor. The sound of the M16 as it fires in semi-auto mode. (That sound brought the smell back too, and I could remember that distinct odor of gunpowder and burning CLP.) Many of the sounds are nearly indistinguishable from the real thing. It sounded awesome.

    Anyway. I figured if they could do that well with the sound, they paid good attention to detail and probably made a pretty good game. The most realistic ever. It was really tempting … Then I remembered how long and tedious a real battle is, and I decided I didn’t want realism. So I went out and picked up “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3” instead. Battles are best experienced in 10 minute non-stop-action doses.

    I’m sure Battlefield 4 will be great. I’m also sure I still won’t be buying it.

      • Eh, i picked up the Battlefield 1942 for free during the tenth anniversary thing and don’t really have any complaints, but that’s the only thing i’ve gotten from them.

  4. I can honestly say that I played BF3’s multiplayer more than any other FPS since Operation: Flashpoint. FPS games tend to suffer from similar multiplayer styles and I find myself purchasing them mostly for the single-player campaign (or Zombies, in the COD:BO series), but BF3 was truly different. In many ways, it reminded me of the epic integrated-battlefield feel that Flashpoint had.

    I’m really looking forward to BF4.

  5. While the visuals in this game do indeed look stunning, the actual game itself looked to be a rehash of the classic “Call of Dudebro Honor 7” gameplay that Medal of Honor 4 popularized. It looks like a very excellent game don’t get me wrong and you can call me a fudd if you want to, but military shooters do not really appeal to me any more. (And yes, I am one of those individuals who became involved with firearms due to video games…..)

    In related news, EA returns for another appearance in The Consumerist’s The Worst Company In America bracket!

  7. Looks great, but also looks like a DLC and texture pack upgrade that could have been applied to BF3. I’ll still buy it.

    Part of me wishes they would take that engine and level of detail (sound etc.) and revisit WW2. No, not just part of me, all of me.

    • You’re not alone in that sentiment, a return to WWII would be great or even in the future like 2142. Even more important to me, bring back modding, having ~10 full games at the price of one with professional-level modding was amazing and really multiplied the lifespan of a game. That’s the problem, though, the blockbuster shooter industry is a one-release-every-year deal now.

      I probably won’t be buying BF4 since I didn’t like the hamster wheel of BF3, spending $100 or more per year to keep up isn’t my bag. EA’s shoddy security is also a problem. My Origin account was compromised through a beta registration for a game I never even installed. Word of advice, write down your game keys, with EA you’ll probably need it to get your account back. On top of that Origin opens a door for hackers to gain remote access to your computer that you can’t close as you can with Steam.

      At least ArmA3 still has that modding culture (check out Armaholic.com), a full mission editor, and a level of depth and realism that is rarely even attempted. So far my alpha experience in ArmA3 has been amazing.

      • agreed, lack of dedicated servers and mods has killed CoD for myself and my gaming community

        Been getting into ARMA with the DayZ mod and ARMA3 looks to bring some awesome upgrades.

      • Arma 3’s alpha is gorgeous, but their control scheme is abysmally overcomplicated and unintuitive. I really hope they smooth it out with a more intuitive and less cluttered layout. As it stands right now it feels amost like the military shooter equivalent of QWOP.

        • I re-assigned some keys to make ARMA2 play more like CoD, helped a lot… that and a little practice and I think it plays pretty well.

  8. I’m still Iffy on EA after the Mass Effect 3 fiasco, plus I don’t have a Gaming PC or Xbox Live to take full advantage of Battlefield.

    • You should probably know something about the “excessively violent videogames” even the NRA blames for “gun violence”.

      • I dont read TTAG for game reviews either but there is a big crossover here, most younger gun guys are gamers too. And gun heavy games like BF4 especially. I appreciate a little variety especially video game stuff, how can it hurt?

      • I think the NRA is partly right for calling out hypocrites in the entertainment industry for both profiting from depictions of violence and condemning gun rights, but when they condemn all graphic entertainment as something they think should be banned or regulated it detracts from their own civil rights stance. If we support gun rights based on the constitution, we should be equally supportive of the first amendment.

      • Agreed. I’ve witnessed how some young men react to playing these. Intense immersion addiction is not too strong a phrase to describe it. Others can play it like any other video game, and leave it at that. I don’t know how exactly this affects some people, but the anecdotal evidence is piling up, and its generally not postive. So, this is good (maybe only) exposure for some people to get a better understanding of these games.

    • Calm down. There’s lots of other content on the site to browse through if this isn’t your thing. They’re absolutely right that video games have brought more young shooters to our world than anything else, so it’s got a valid place here, along with other types of entertainment that feature firearms (movies, TV, etc.).

      And this looks awesome.

  11. Amazing graphics, but yeah… think of the PC you’d have to put together to run that in all of its hi-res, multi-monitor glory.

    My favorite Battlefield of all time was Battlefield 2142. Nothing like the sheer thrill of guns blazing on your 3-story high mech as you help your squad assault a fortified flag.

    The current generation of games, from BF3 to CoD:BO2 are best enjoyed with friends, and in short doses. I can’t take playing online by myself without a party… too many whiny, foul-mouth kids. Gah.

  12. It didnt occur to anyone else that Battlefield 4 is being released this year at the same time as the new xbox and ps4? Odds are they will look very similar to this preview on the next gen consoles. Cant wait.

  13. FPS games have always been around, I actually think they come out with fewer FPS titles now than they did 5-10 years ago. I must disagree with your claim that there has been an explosion of them.

  17. Has anyone played BF3 on both PC & console? Is it significantly different? I currently play BF3 on PS3, BLOPS2 on XBox (because that’s what my son has) and Arma2 on PC. If BF4 is going to be better on PC than console, I may have to buy my son a gaming computer. 🙂
    BTW – I *love* MW3 multiplayer – was playing that exclusively for months before I traded in COD:BO2 on PS3 (which literally crashed my PS3) in for the XBox360 version because I got sick of waiting for the PS3 version to get fixed. I just can’t fathom a game manufacturer putting a game out that literally damages your system, and not figuring out and fixing the issue for months. With that said, I like FPSs too much to stop buying them!

    • BF3 on the 360/PS3 is a shadow of the game on PC.

      Setting aside the increase in visual fidelity (PC isn’t limited to 720p/30fps and has much higher resolution textures and models) and the increased control precision from a mouse and keyboard, the PC version allows for 64 players on any map (including the ones not designed for it). This change the game completely from just 12v12.

      • hehe, yeah, I think playing (especially shooters) on console compared to PC is about the same as comparing airsoft to real firearms… but hey I’m biased and not ashamed to admit it 😀

  18. I still play B2 2.0 single-player rarely when I have so much freetime I actually get around and become bored enough to playing a game on a pc. I haven’t played B3 and I won’t be playing B4 but I’m sure they are great. I will instead be actually shooting real guns with most of my freetime.
    Most of you must be console kids because no pc person would ever be buying or supporting EA. Screw EA.

  19. “You are a Combat Lifesaver, you should know this!”

    “It was like a 3 hour course!”

  20. No love for BF: Vietnam? Anybody?

    I finally got ArmA 2, now I just need to figure out how to control the stupid thing. Tutorial and controls are… lacking.

  21. The game looks great but the fact that its being co-developed on current gen consoles does give me great concern. I’m sure there is more to see but for it to really sell it needs to up PC multiplayer from 64 to 128 or more and include VOIP.

    Still, I think BF4’s greatest competition is BF3 as its still a great game. I spend at least two hours a day playing BF3 on various maps and different game play modes.

  22. The Steering wheel is on the wrong side, just about every truck and SUV that side of the world is Right Hand Drive.

  23. I know this is ridiculously nitpicky, but am I the only one bothered by the trend of revolvers appearing the the hands of armed forces in most modern fps games? Battlefield, CoD, Ghost Recon and others all have tacticool .44 magnums, Taurus Judge-like revolvers, and the seemingly ever present MP-412 Rex.

    I know that the developers do to give a wider variety of firearms and that it looks cool, and I’m aware that revolvers were occasionally used by special operations within the last 2 decades, but it still irks me…

  24. I’m waiting for an honest video game in which the story pits resistance fighters against a tyrannical US government. Far more realistic than any foreign enemy.

    Instead, we get leftist propaganda like Bioshock Infinite and the next Rainbow 6 game.

  25. I’ll buy this if thy ditch the retarded suppression mechanic. HAving played BF3 competitively, i can say that suppression damn near killed the competitive community at numerous instances, and robs the game of a lot of skill, making competition more tactically focused than skill focused, which is fine for the casual side of the game, but ruins the main reason gamers like us compete, that is, to test our skills against one another.

    Also, the suppression too often sends matches into stalemates where no one makes a move because we know we can suppress and stop all combat effectiveness. Realistic, perhaps? sure. but it isnt fun, and when the rest of your game is Arcadey as hell (infinite sprint, drag scoping, instant vehicle entry, health regen, the defib paddles, infinite ammo boxes, so on) it just really doesnt fit with the nature of the game. having played BF3 through various patches, the pacing and general enjoyment of the game, as well as the dynamic nature of fights, all change for the better the lower suppression is dialed into the game.

  26. EA has a long history of releasing buggy games….I should know, I’m a victim.
    BF3 quit working for me after a DICE “patch” last April. Wasted hours and tried dozens of solutions but to no avail.

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