Highlights
- Battlefield 2042 initially faced criticism for its large maps, poor Specialist system, and graphical issues. However, DICE has not given up and has made significant improvements post-launch.
- Despite the game's reputation, Battlefield 2042 is worth playing now with seasonal content and major fixes. DICE has a history of addressing issues post-launch, as seen with Battlefield 4 and Star Wars Battlefront.
- Players can trust that DICE's games will eventually live up to their potential, though hopefully DICE's next game can avoid another lackluster launch.
When Battlefield 2042 launched, it was impossible to ignore the negativity around the game. Maps felt too large and unfocused, while the Specialist system felt like a poor attempt to mimic Call of Duty that removed some of Battlefield’s most distinct traits. The game was lacking a bit graphically as well, with several expected features like a singleplayer campaign, traditional scoreboard, and server browser nowhere to be found either. And, of course, there was the painful amount of bugs and glitches dragging down the experience. However, DICE did not abandon the game.
It would have been easy for DICE to call it quits on the game after seeing the poor Battlefield 2042 review scores and overwhelming player outrage. However, it instead decided to stick with the title and address player complaints, with Battlefield 2042 now being a genuinely enjoyable first-person shooter. Intriguingly, this is far from the first time that DICE has dealt with a controversial release only to fix things post-launch, and it indicates a trend that the developer and fans may want to make note of.
Battlefield 2042 Has Improved Drastically, Like Other DICE Games
When looking at Battlefield 2042 in its current form and how it was at launch, the difference is night and day. While the community-focused Battlefield Portal was the title’s saving grace at launch, and its one positively received feature, that is no longer the case. Battlefield 2042 now offers a more traditional class system, restoring the classic Battlefield identity, with a better scoreboard integrated as well. The many bugs dragging down the game have been patched out, while DICE has taken its efforts to improve the game to the next level with map reworks. By painstakingly re-examining the game’s maps one by one, DICE has managed to eliminate most of the issues players had with their size and overall flow.
With these major fixes, alongside seasonal content that brings new cosmetics, maps, and LTMs to Battlefield 2042, the game is truly worth playing in 2023. Unfortunately, its reputation has stopped many players from giving it a second chance, even if it deserves one based on how much DICE has done to address criticism. Some players have gone back to older Battlefield titles, resulting in higher player counts for the more dated entries in the series, while others have moved on to other franchises entirely. Sadly, this is a familiar trend for DICE.
While Battlefield has had some smooth launches, like Battlefield 3 and Battlefield 1, Battlefield 4 was similarly messy. Like Battlefield 2042, there were far too many bugs for most fans’ liking, with painfully bad netcode on top of that. However, as DICE tends to do, Battlefield 4 was cleaned up and eventually became a strong entry in the series. The netcode issues were addressed, bugs were fixed, and the game became more memorable for its Megalodon Easter egg and Levelution than anything bad.
Perhaps the most comparable situation is outside the Battlefield franchise, though, as DICE’s Star Wars Battlefront 2 suffered a very similar fate. While the issues that angered players were different - those being a lack of content and pay-to-win microtransactions - the backlash was on par with that of Battlefield 2042’s. And, like Battlefield 2042, DICE put a lot of effort into fixing the issues. Not only were pay-to-win microtransactions removed, but an impressively generous amount of free content was released, with maps and modes making Star Wars Battlefront 2 a dream game for franchise fans. Sadly, support eventually came to an end, with the player count never fully recovering from the game’s rocky start.
Ultimately, DICE has proven that it should not be counted out whenever its games launch in a disappointing state. The developer clearly cares about its projects and its community, putting in the work to make up for its mistakes whenever they do happen. While it would obviously be better if every game launched without problems, and having multiple rough launches in the last decade has been hugely frustrating, players can at least rest assured that DICE’s games will eventually live up to their potential. Hopefully, the next DICE game is excellent from the start, but until it releases, fans may want to try out the vastly improved Battlefield 2042.
Battlefield 2042 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
