Battlefield 4 VGA graphics performance benchmark review - What's Battlefield 4 about

What's Battlefield 4 about

Battlefield 4 features several changes compared to its predecessor. The game's heads-up display is much the same, composed of two compact rectangles. The lower left-hand corner features a mini-map and compass for navigation, and a simplified objective notice above it; the lower right includes a compact ammo counter and health meter. The mini-map, as well as the main game screen, shows symbols marking three kinds of entities: blue for allies, green for squadmates, and red/orange for enemies. 

Players can now use dual-scoped weapons, including weapons with different firing modes (e.g. single shots, automatic fire). They can now "spot" targets—marking their positions to the player's squad— in the single player campaign (a first in the Battlefield franchise) as well as in multiplayer, allowing teammates to either suppress or eliminate them. In addition, players will have more survival capabilities, such as countering melee attacks from the front while standing or crouching, shooting with their sidearm while swimming, and diving underwater to avoid enemy detection. The single-player campaign will see the player using vehicles to quickly traverse mini-sandbox-style levels. 

Battlefield's multiplayer has been confirmed to contain 3 playable factions; U.S., China and Russia and up to 64 players on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. Also confirmed is the return of the "Commander Mode" last seen in Battlefield 2142, which gives select players an RTS-like view of the entire map and the ability to give orders to teammates. Also, the Commander can observe the battle through the eyes of the players on the battlefield, deploying vehicle and weapon drops to "keep the war machinery going", and ordering in missile strikes and such on hostile targets (as long as at least one friendly player can see the target). A spectator mode has also been confirmed, enabling players to spectate each other in first or third person, as well as the use of a free camera to pan around the map from any angle. 

New vehicles have also been introduced. With the addition of the Chinese faction, new vehicles include the Type 99 MBT, the ZFB-05 Armored Car, and the Z-10W Attack Helicopter. Jets have also been re-balanced and put into two classes, "Attack" and "Stealth". The Attack jets focus is mainly air to ground capabilities, while the Stealth jets focusing mainly on air to air combat. Customization has also been heavily improved in Battlefield 4, with all new camos available for every gun. A new "adaptive" camo is also being introduced that can adapt the camo to the map being played without the player having to change camos every game. Camos can now be applied to Jets, Helicopters, and Tanks. 

The Plot

Battlefield 4's single-player campaign takes place in 2020, six years after its predecessor. Tensions between Russia and the United States are running at a record high, due to a conflict that has been running for the past six years. On top of all this, China is also on the brink of war as Admiral Cheng, plans to overthrow China's current government; and, if successful, the Russians will have full support from the Chinese, bringing China into a war with the United States. The player controls Sgt. Daniel Recker, a member of a US special operations squad callsigned "Tombstone". His teammates include squad leader SSgt. Dunn, second-in-command SSgt. Kimble "Irish" Graves, and Marine Combat Lifesaver Clayton "Pac" Pakowski. Later in the Campaign, a CIA field operative named Laszlo W. Kovic joins Tombstone. The player will also meet Huang "Hannah" Shuyi, a Chinese Secret Service agent who joins Tombstone Squad, much to Irish's chagrin. The Battlefield 4 gameplay reveal trailer features footage from the prologue mission "Fishing in Baku", where Tombstone Squad, carrying intelligence from a defecting Russian general, escapes from Baku, Azerbaijan with Russian special forces in hot pursuit. Afterwards, Tombstone squad is sent on a covert mission to Shanghai, to rescue a group of VIP´s, Kovic among them. Another revealed mission, "Angry Sea", shows Recker, Irish, Pac, and Kovic trying to escape from a sinking aircraft carrier en route to Singapore with more intel, while fighting off Chinese forces. The campaign's main plot involves American implication in the assassination of China's future leader and "voice of peace", Jin Jié, and the threat of a third world war between the United States, China, and Russia.