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Battlefield 5: World War II shooter already looking fantastic, despite a few flaws
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Battlefield V – Battle Royale First Look
A trailer released on August 16 has given us our first look at Battlefield V's Battle Royale mode.
The trailer – which is mainly focused on the narrative missions set around the fall of Rotterdam – includes a little stinger at the end which shows off how Battlefield will be managing the Battle Royale portion of the games.
It looks like a big firey ring will destroy shelter and push players towards the centre of the map as the timer runs down – taking the now classic Battle Royale trope and reimagining it with Battlefield's famed destructibility.
"See new maps and gameplay in the official Battlefield V Gamescom Trailer," reads the trailer description.
"From the shattered streets of Rotterdam to the burning sands of North Africa, Battlefield will never be the same. Follow the Battlefield 5 channels for all the latest news from Gamescom."
Battlefield V Alpha Review
The Alpha provided access to one map only, Norvik, which is set on an Arctic Fjord. Two game modes are provided, one being Conquest, the 64 player match most similar to fans of the Battlefield series.
However, DICE also included Grand Operations, a narrative-based war vignette that lets players fight over days of battle, with your performance carrying over, for better or for worse.
Playing as a sniper is a struggle, and I found it to be more fun to use SMG's and Assault Rifles as you got stuck into the action more. However, the Medic's semi-auto rifle was a great middle ground for those who still want to play with precision.
Ammo is truly scarce, which I found to be one of the most radical changes from previous Battlefield games. You will be hunting for ammo if you don't kill anyone to take theirs, and this makes the more close-quarters focused ground combat interesting.
I found myself preserving ammo and aiming for the head, attempting to flank the enemy more than I usually would. This lead to more kills that felt hard-won and less deaths that felt unfair. Gone are the days of spray-and-pray in Battlefield.
It also means that the game is more focused around the squad's system, which is awesome for team and solo players. You will fall as a unit if you don't use your specialties to help each other, and this feels impactful on the overall game that you're in. If you were a solo player in previous Battlefield games, get prepared to actually use those abilities in your class way more often.
Cover is also so crucial in Battlefield V, and I was incredibly appreciative of the level design, map creation that forces you down narrow alleyways and into trenches instead of just letting you fool around in an open space and die for no reason all the time.
Battlefield V: Official Screenshots
Battlefield V will be available worldwide October 19th on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Origin for PC. 
The gunplay takes a leaf out of the Call of Duty book and makes shooting more crunchy and rewarding. Guns don't feel like they're weighing you down anymore. Therefore, the pace of battle is increased but because the stakes are higher, lives are drawn out longer.
This isn't helped by the 'Bleeding Out' system which I find to just be a means to slow everything down. Dumb deaths in the open battlefield aren't gone entirely, so being plonked on your backside when clearly no-one is coming to help you isn't much fun.
This is helped by the Northern Lights in the sky on this truly beautiful map. On different days at different times, the map shines, and it is honestly one of the more gorgeous multiplayer maps I've ever seen, whether you're fighting through the guts of a ship or storming a residential area.
One of the coolest things about Grand Operations is the way it starts. A short cutscene plays inside of a plane, and you have to hop out when you're ready to invade the township below and plant bombs.
Seeing the chaos from above is amazing, and it feels like a gamified version of the ever-brilliant Band of Brothers, especially when you're in a squad.
Chaos is probably the best way to describe this game. It captures the rampant chaos of war and strips back a number of systems to do just that. You don't have enemy spotting anymore, which makes communication even more essential and adds to the idea that Battlefield V is very much about team play.
You can lose an enemy and sit worrying in your sandbag fort only for them to catch you peeking or lob a grenade in the hole. It definitely feels like there is some sort of narrative focus ingrained in the DNA of Battlefield V. The developers want to tell stories within the gameplay, anecdotes in multiplayer that you can share with friends.
This is crucial to the evolution of the Battlefield series, and definitely something that will pull me in. Personally, I dropped it like a sack of potatoes after Bad Company 2, revisiting the rebooted series periodically and Battlefield I for the excellent campaign.
Battlefield V appears to build on these problems that I saw in their multiplayer formula, and the beauty of the game alone has me excited for the variety of multiplayer maps we should be getting. If it keeps up the standard set here, this could be a truly compelling war game that doesn't feel hollow and full of waiting.
Alpha Preview Words: Jordan Oloman
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Battlefield V – Overview
Developer: DICE
Publisher: EA
Platforms: PS4, Xbox One, PC
Genre: FPS
Battlefield V – What is it?
Battlefield V is an upcoming first-person shooter video game developed by EA DICE and published by Electronic Arts.
Battlefield V will be the sixteenth installment in the long-running Battlefield series.
The game will be set during World War II, and will build on many of the elements first introduced back with Battlefield 1.
Battlefield 5 will tackle conflicts new to the series, introducing levels and stories inspired by the Norwegian resistance movement, and traveling to places such as France and Holland.
The game will scrap DLC plans in favour of a free live service that will be instead funded by cosmetic microtransactions.
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Battlefield V – Release Date
Battlefield V will release on 19 October 2018
But depending on what version of the game you get, you may be able to access the game before then.
The first community play trial for the game, for example, is going live on 11 October 2018.
Then, on 16 October, anyone who purchased the Deluxe edition of the game will get access.
General access to the title will then start on 19 October – for all platforms.
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Battlefield V – Hands-on Preview
Battlefield V will be a full package at launch. Not to be outdone by the likes of Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII, the folks at DICE have opted to include a Battle Royale mode in the game, retread familiar ground with the phenomenal single-player vignettes that we saw in Battlefield 1 and double down on creating a robust multiplayer suite, too.
The most interesting part of this multiplayer focus is Grand Operations – campaigns that see players engage in skirmishes over multiple maps on multiple days.
Unlike Operations from Battlefield 1, you cant get ground into a stalemate in this mode – instead, your performance on one day affects the resources you have to play with on the next. That means you never get pulled into a ceaseless tug-of-war in the middle of a campaign: theres always progress, always consequence.
DICE has also doubled down on character animations and movesets. When youre lying down, you can now move backwards.
You can now fluidly jump through windows. As you move through the world, the world reacts to you: grass moves when you sneak through it, muddy puddles deform if you slide into them. These are small additions, but they all add to the immersion of the game.
It also means you move quicker and better, that you feel like a more fluid character when youre bombing from zone to zone. It also helps when you look at other players: you can see them move clearly, telegraph where theyre facing, who theyre shooting at and what theyre looking at.
Theyre all small little upgrades, but all play into a larger overall improvement.
Youll also notice that your gunfire is more predictable in this entry, too. Thats because DICE has removed random bullet deviation from previous games, and now where youre aiming is where youll shoot. This may not be the most realistic thing in the world, but hey – from a gameplay perspective, its far less irritating.
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Battlefield V – Self-Learning AI
EA and DICE might be using some pretty cutting edge technology in Battlefield 5.
In a new video, the publisher and developer show off some technology that explains how self-learning bots can add to the multiplayer experience, and how the self-learning process has been used in Battlefield 1.
These bots can move and shoot independently, whilst learning from the behaviours of real-world players. The bots will make a b-line for ammo packs of health packs when necessary, too, prioritizing them when necessary.
The bots use trial and error to improve their odds at winning matches in-game.
Though the bots still have some way to go before being fully competent, DICE and EA are clearly keen to use them to round out the experience in multiplayer skirmishes in upcoming games.
Can we expect to see these bots in Battlefield 5? It's likely. Though in the video below, it's worth noting there are still obvious improvements to be made… we don't want to be shooting enemies that just run in circles around each other after all.
Battlefield V – 8 MP Modes on release
Datamines from 2016's Battlefield 1 suggest that players will be able to take part in eight multiplayer modes at launch.
So far, confirmed modes for the game aer Conquest, Domination, Frontlines, Team Deathmatch, and Breakthrough. Three more remain unnamed but will be available at launch.
This information comes from an article found in the Battlefield 1 in-game home menu – an interesting place for something like this to surface!
We're still waiting to see more information about Battlefield V's announced Battle Royale mode – something that was announced at E3 but so far remains in the dark.
Hopefully, we'll get an update soon.
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