So Battlefield 3 is getting a lot of shiny sounding love - but at what cost, and why is DICE doing this?
We PC gamers used to be the first thought of the gaming world, dammit. We once laughed together as consolers tried to argue that they were a respectable form of gamer, while we kicked back in our computer chairs and played games with headphone support, all the while enjoying the accuracy of the mouse and the extended control possibilities of the keyboard.
But then we did something stupid. We let them take one of our wholly undisputable gaming genres, the first-person shooter, and revolutionise it with locational damage, a minimalist HUD and hierarchical mission objectives based on difficulty level in GoldenEye 007. And while, at the time, we weren't to know the gravity of consoles winning something, it has led to today.
Nowadays, it seems that PC gamers are an afterthought, with many developers praising the benefits of forging titles for once-casual platforms that have a larger installation base, less pirates and consumers that are more open-minded to crappy gaming tricks and charged DLC.
The word rolled in late last week that DICE has officially pulled the plug on Battlefield 1943 and Onslaught mode for Bad Company 2 on the PC. For those unaware, Battlefield 1943 was a Frostbite-engine-powered partial remake of the multiplayer portion of Battlefield 1942 that was released on Xbox LIVE and the PlayStation Network in July 2009; yup, almost two years ago. The PC release was initially slated for September 2009, which then became first quarter 2010, that was then followed by the dreaded Duke Nukem Forever-ian ‘coming soon' banner. It came as no surprise (to us, at least) that it was finally officially cancelled.
Onslaught mode, on the other hand, was an interesting prospect for fans of the Battlefield spinoff, Bad Company 2, as it offered cooperative play whereby players fought off waves of AI-controlled enemies. While technically this mode was never officially announced for the PC, it was safe to assume that it was, at the very least, considered for our beloved platform as we got every other map pack, the Vietnam expansion and other assorted updates that the consolers got too. Onslaught mode was released for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in June 2010.
Both of these Battlefield-related downloads were premium items on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, so it's safe to assume that PC-owning fans of the franchise would have to pay for the privilege of calling them their own. But it's still hard to not feel gypped by not having the option of accessing such gaming items. Battlefield 1943 and Onslaught mode were both well received on consoles; and both were held back by the frustrating process of trying to move your digital head with a thumb-controlled joystick. Beyond this universal gripe of any console-based FPS, this was another glaring example of PC gamers being overlooked. And to add insult to injury, we were snubbed on a franchise that had its humble beginnings on the PC!
Interestingly, though, the main driving reason for the official announcement of the cancellation of these two Battlefield items for the PC was to focus resources on creating Battlefield 3. And there was hardly a coincidence with the announcement of cancellation news one day, and the revelation the next day of some very PC-centric features for Battlefield 3. Namely, the return of fighter jets, the reintroduction of prone and the PC-only glorious revival of 64-player brouhahas.
It's hard to stay pissed at DICE for cancelling two products that feel like ancient history when faced with the prospect of a Battlefield 3 that sounds as though it is paying the appropriate amount of respect to its PC roots and PC gaming in general. Particularly when this implicitly suggests dedicated server support and larger maps; something that we're willing to bet our console brethren will not be enjoying.
Issue: 137 | June, 2012