Detective Nicholas "Nick" Mendoza is a main character and playable character in Battlefield Hardline. He is a young Cuban immigrant who works as a detective for the Miami police. He was betrayed by his friend and boss, because of them he could have gone to prison. He travels around the country trying to imprison Stoddard and kill his boss, Dawes. He hates money, which has always gotten him into trouble with his work colleagues.
Nickname: "Nick"
Age: 28
Character Traits: Hot-tempered, unfriendly.
Title: Detective.
Carl Stoddard
Sergeant Carl Stoddard is the central character and second antagonist of Battlefield Hardline. He was a corrupt Miami cop, Captain Dawes's right-hand man, and he was trusted. He was Nick's former partner. Betrayed him for money.
Call sign: none
Age: 36
Rank: Sergeant
Hao Min Dao
Hao Min Dao is a detective. Her passport is Vietnamese-American. Originally from Orange County, California. Hai showed herself to criminals as a cold-blooded and intelligent female detective. She collaborated with Captain Dawes, but began to hate him because of her betrayal of Nick. Until the very end, he works with Nicholas to take revenge on everyone.
Nickname: none
Age: 27
Title: Detective
Julian Dawes
Julian Dawes is the main antagonist of Battlefield Hardline's single-player campaign. He is the head of the Vice Division of the Miami, Florida Police Department. Former boss of Nick and Hai.
Nickname: none
Age: 47
Rank: Leader
Character Traits: Corrupt cop.
Tyson Letchford
Tyson Letchford is a character from Battlefield Hardline. A seller of cocaine, he has been snorting cocaine since childhood, together with “Tap” Milstein. He immediately realized that going out and shining was not his thing. His is to command, to control others in order to carry out crimes without even getting his hands dirty. Was first mentioned in the first episode. He began to help Nick. He saved Nick from prison with a bomb, it was not only his plan, but also Hai's. He was wounded by a bomb, but died because he was wearing a bulletproof vest.
Nickname: none
Age: 26
Personality Traits: Friendly, funny and shy.
Apparently, at one point the employees of the Visceral Games studio decided that they definitely needed to make their own Battlefield with police officers, shootouts and chases. No more war, soldiers, special operations behind enemy lines and other features inherent in the games of the popular series. A sort of spin-off with its own rules. An experimental project in which everything will be completely different. And indeed, the game Battlefield Hardline is trying to do everything in order to differ from its predecessors. But let's talk about everything in order.
The Visceral Games studio is known to gamers primarily for its trilogy of fantasy horror games Dead Space. It’s unlikely that anyone will remember that they are the authors of several shooters about James Bond or the game duology The Godfather. That EA trusted them to develop such a risky, experimental project as Battlefield Hardline demonstrates the producers' deep trust in the studio's management. After all, completely changing the setting of one of the world's most popular military first-person shooters is no joke.
Games in the Battlefield series have always been famous for their thoughtful and exciting multiplayer, where each player could find a role that suited them. But first, I would like to tell you specifically about the game’s story campaign, since it made me incredibly happy. Many modern players, when purchasing discs with games from the Battlefield series, most often ignore the single player, immediately joining online fights. If you skip the story mode in Battlefield Hardline, you'll be making a huge mistake.
The game's plot tells the story of officer Nick Mendoza, who works for the Miami police. Nick has just received a promotion to detective, and he has been assigned a partner in the person of an experienced Asian woman, Kai Ming Dao. Together they must investigate a large drug distribution network. But during his investigation, Detective Mendoza encounters the shadowy side of the law in the guise of corrupt high-ranking officials and corrupt police officers. The game was not without unexpected plot twists. But to reveal them in this review would be completely tactless on my part.
Of course, the plot of the game does not shine with originality, although it is not without its charm in the style of numerous American television series about police officers. If you turn off the game and pick it up again a day later, you'll even be shown a typically serialized "Previously on Battlefield Hardline" clip. The authors of the game very carefully borrowed elements from everywhere, and they turned out to be a good hodgepodge. It is interesting to watch the development of the story, despite all its stereotypes, and there is no desire to interrupt the game in the process of passing. And for me this is the main indicator of the quality of any gaming product.
The characters in Battlefield Hardline are very well written. They are played by famous Hollywood actors. The role of police chief Julian Dawes was played by actor Benito Martinez (“Million Dollar Baby,” “Outbreak,” the TV series “Firefly” and “The X-Files”). The role of the main character was confidently played by Nicholas Gosales (TV series “Grey’s Anatomy”, “The O.C. - Lonely Hearts”). And the roles of the main character’s partners went to Adam Harrington (TV series “Dexter”, “Supernatural”) and Kelly Hu (“X-Men 2”, “Harley Davidson and the Marlboro Man”). The actors not only voiced their characters, but also gave them their appearance using 3D scanning of their faces and facial expressions. Speaking of facial expressions, they are done very well in the game and you begin to believe the actors from the first minutes.
Personally, I was very pleased with the developers’ departure from the theme of military operations. Today there are so many games about soldiers and war that the list of titles alone could take several pages. But there are not so many decent games about police officers. It's safe to say that this change of scenery has benefited Battlefield Hardline. I was pleasantly surprised by the constant shootouts with bandits, chases in police cars through explosions, the search for a drug dealer's base among endless swamps infested with crocodiles, an escape from an abandoned missile silo and other situations unusual for the Battlefield series.
What you immediately notice about the game is how lovingly the developers approached its development. There are so many small details in Battlefield Hardline that create the game's atmosphere that it's simply amazing. For example, you can easily use a police scanner to eavesdrop on what bandits are talking about in their free time from breaking the law. Each bandit is a unique personality with his own fears, desires and problems. After you’ve heard enough of their stories about family, children and emotional experiences, you somehow don’t even want to shoot at them.
And you have an alternative: you can simply get close enough to the enemy, point your service weapon at him, show your badge and, taking advantage of the moment, handcuff him. Of course, if you are thirsty for blood, you can solve the issue with a precise shot to the head, but this is not at all necessary. In addition, you will receive more experience for arrests.
The game has stealth mechanics that allow you to sneak up on enemies, distract them by throwing empty shell casings on the asphalt, suddenly stun them, and so on. Another thing that immediately caught my eye was the fact that the game developers from Visceral are very fond of the popular Far Cry game series, since the new Battlefield has a system for turning on an alarm as soon as enemies notice you. You, like the heroes of the popular series published by Ubisoft, will have to quietly turn off this alarm, and only then get rid of the enemies. In general, the influence of Far Cry is noticeable not only in this. I think that you yourself will feel the similarities between these games as you play through them.
Any weapon in the game can be customized to suit you, giving it numerous upgrades such as a more comfortable grip, a sniper scope or a silencer. You have five slots for ammunition: two for firearms, two for special gadgets and one for a baton. Yes, you won't see any knives in the single-player game. Just police batons of all shapes and sizes. Special gadgets include a stun gun, a grappling gun for climbing to high places, as well as other devices such as a winch for descent, a bulletproof shield or regular body armor.
In each of the ten story chapters, the game asks you to complete several special tasks, such as arresting certain bandits or searching for additional evidence in the case using your scanner. Collecting absolutely all the evidence and catching wanted criminals will not be so easy, but these tasks will definitely appeal to those players who like to squeeze every achievement out of games without exception. In addition, the evidence you find will further reveal the plot of the game and clarify the current situation.
I would also really like to note the unusual soundtrack of the game. Here you will find tracks from artists such as Judas Priest, DJ Shadow, Public Enemy and even The Stooges. When I heard the words “Woop! Woop! That’s the sound of da police” from the song by rapper KRS-One, I was even a little taken aback. Although, what else could I hear if, according to the plot, I found myself in an African-American ghetto? This takes some getting used to, as the game's soundtrack is completely different from previous Battlefield installments.
But with the Russian voice acting of the game it turned out to be an embarrassment. It would be better if the localizers did not touch the sound at all, but instead translated only the subtitles. The voices of domestic actors are emotionless, cause rejection and only distract from the exciting gameplay. Since some English phrases are shorter than Russian ones, the actors had to chatter at high speed to fit within the fixed length of sound samples. Imagine a situation where a hero slowly talks about something, and then suddenly breaks down almost into a squeal in order to have time to utter a long Russian phrase in the short time period allotted to him. It sounds, to put it mildly, terrible.
Well, the single-player part of the game is more or less dealt with. Now we can talk about the multiplayer part of Battlefield Hardline. But here there are not many changes. Yes, the game has new online modes. And yes, they're a lot of fun, but Battlefield's polished mechanics have remained largely untouched for years. Except that the speed of fights has increased noticeably. Those players who, year after year, devote their free time to the multiplayer component of all games in the series without exception, will certainly be satisfied. After you create your character, setting up the necessary classes and choosing a patch with the flag of your country (Russia is represented in the game along with other countries), the game will offer you as many as eight online modes.
The first mode worthy of mention is Heist. Players are divided into two teams: police and bandits. The bandits need to be able to get into a vault guarded by cops, grab bags of valuables and then manage to run to the evacuation point, from where a helicopter will pick them up. Quite a spectacular and interesting mode, because it will not be so easy to break into the vault, and ahead of the bandits lies an exciting battle with the safe door. And the police are not asleep at this time, and they will definitely ambush the bandits on the helipad.
The second and most striking game mode is “Theft”. This is the most profitable mode for those who want to quickly accumulate a large amount of in-game money in order to buy themselves weapons and other useful gadgets. The goal of “Theft” is to search for cars hidden on the game map that need to be captured, and then drive them as hard as you can, trying not to come under enemy fire. The driving speed should be extremely fast: slow down and you will stop getting points. The more cars your team owns at high speed at the current time, the more points and money you get. And the opposite team loses these points. As soon as one of the teams loses all points, it loses. Very fast, fun and exciting mode.
The third interesting mode is “Blood Money”. There is a large pile of money marked on the map. Bandits and cops must take the maximum amount of money and transfer it to their vaults. The police take the money as evidence, and the bandits simply fill their bottomless pockets with it. At the same time, both teams are preventing their rivals from maintaining the lead in this financial race. In general, traditionally for games in the Battlefield series, the cohesive work of a team of players communicating using headsets is valued above all else. Several team members guard their vault, a few more prevent the enemy from stealing money from the general pile, and the rest are engaged in dragging cash from place to place. If people who are in no way connected with each other play in the squad, most often this ends in their inglorious defeat.
Hostage mode puts police officers in a dangerous position. The bandits have captured two hostages, and the cops must save at least one of them within the allotted time. However, you can close your eyes to the hostages and simply shoot all the bandits, because in this mode there is no respawn, when a killed enemy is reborn on the game map after a few seconds.
“Stalking” is another mode for a while, when the cops must lead an important informant from point “A” to point “B”, and the bandits throw all their efforts into eliminating the informer and avoiding undesirable consequences for themselves. You cannot make a mistake here in any case, because there is no respawn, as in the previous mode.
The classic Capture mode will allow fans of the Battlefield series to feel like a fish out of water. Seize control of points marked on the map, hold them for as long as possible and earn valuable points. This mode comes in two different versions: on large and small maps. It all depends on where you feel most comfortable. By the way, do not forget to mark enemy players on the map using a special key (in the case of PlayStation 4, this is the R1 key), because this not only helps your brothers in arms, but also gives you additional experience points.
The "Team Deathmatch" mode is also a classic and challenges players to compete against each other as teams. Just remember that now in each mode, players are necessarily divided into bandits and cops, each of which has its own unique arsenal of weapons, inaccessible to the opposing team. Upon completion of the match in any of the above modes, the player increases the overall level and levels of various skills, and is also presented with a variety of rewards in the form of decals, various commemorative coins, and so on.
Shooter developers have long come up with the ideal formula for keeping users inside their projects for as long as possible. You just need to give them the opportunity to endlessly improve their performance and dominate other players. This kind of ego game really works like a charm, and millions of gamers around the world spend weeks and months on end studying maps, unlocking the perfect weapon for themselves and choosing the optimal combination of perks. And all just to show others “who’s boss in the house.”
It's time to take stock. Battlefield Hardline is a very interesting game that will give you many hours of fun. You can hone your skills in numerous battles between cops and criminals, learn how to shoot fast cars on the fly, learn what it's like to be a corrupt cop, and even meet a bandit who plays the horror game Dead Space on his gaming console.
Pros:
- For the first time in years, Battlefield's single-player mode is fun to play.
- The unusual setting of the game gives completely new emotions.
- A cool production with an impressive love of detail from the developers.
- In the game you can spar with a crocodile. I'm serious.
- Good acting and memorable characters.
- An original soundtrack, which, however, takes some getting used to.
- As many as eight great multiplayer modes, including five new ones.
Minuses:
- The graphics look frankly outdated.
- Copying some ideas from the Far Cry series.
- The presence of funny bugs, such as bandits falling underground.
- Terrible Russian voice acting that encourages you to buy earplugs.
Battlefield Hardline contains two completely different games, and it's just wonderful. Those who have not paid attention to this series before should definitely go through its plot part. She deserves your attention. And those who value exclusively the online component in Battlefield will be pleased with the new multiplayer modes, which will last them until the release of the next numbered game in the series. I bet the game 8 points out of 10. If only we could add a little polish and tighten up the graphics, then the project would probably receive the maximum rating.
I would like to thank EA for providing me with a copy of the game for review. The game was completed on the PlayStation 4 game console.
A police car is racing behind an orange van at top speed. Sand and dust swirl in the air like a tornado, and a siren howls loudly. The van is already close, the officer fearlessly leans out of the window and fires at the wheels. According to all the laws of the genre, good must win, but the driver of the orange car has a different opinion. He pulls the handbrake with all his might and sharply turns the car 180 degrees, after which the back door opens and an accomplice with a grenade launcher appears in the opening. The siren finally stops, and the police car remains a burning shell. Now the main thing is not to slow down so as not to lose bonus points. The orange van speeds away, disappearing around the bend.
This is an ordinary sketch from "Theft", the best of the multiplayer modes, in which two sides need to capture and hold cars, rather than the usual flags and control points.
Hardline is one of those games that looks much better in screenshots than it actually is. We hope that by the next part EA will abandon the versions for the previous generation consoles.
Police U-turn
Throughout the entire development process, employees Visceral(the authors of the trilogy) constantly emphasized: we are making our own, unique, Battlefield. We love the series, we respect the series, but this will be our game. As a result, Hardline stands out from the rest Battlefield no less than a duology Bad Company.
Visceral rolled out the series like that orange van. Sedate battles in multiplayer, involving an arsenal of heavy equipment and long positional firefights, gave way to fast, furious chases on unsafe city streets - there can be an ambush inside every building.
The campaign, on the contrary, has slowed down as much as possible. Here, as if in some kind of game, it is customary to first take a look at the entire location, mark enemies and active objects on the radar, select the appropriate equipment - and only then go “to the field.”
At first, throwing bullets around to distract enemies feels really stupid. But then you get involved and stop paying attention to the absurdity of what is happening.
This is not to say that everything turned out well for the studio - both the multiplayer and single-player modes have enough problems. But the accusations are that Electronic Arts under the guise of a new game, they released another DLC, which is absolutely groundless - the dynamics in Hardline are not at all the same as in earlier parts of the series.
Let's answer the main question: yes, it is Battlefield. The game cannot be confused with anything, and if you are familiar with the series, you will quickly get used to it. The feeling of firing a weapon is the same, the destructibility and technology are the same, the classes have not changed. The changes are rather spotty. There are no tanks, just heavy armored vans with machine guns on the roof. Players run much faster. Among the cars there are sports sedans and muscle cars, nimble motorcycles. First aid kits and ammo no longer need to beg from your partners, jumping in front of their noses and throwing a tantrum in the general chat - you can simply take everything you need yourself.
But the most important thing is that with Hardline the rules of the game in multiplayer have changed. There will be the usual entertainment like “Team Deathmatch” or “Capture”, but we are more interested in the five new modes.
The third episode, despite its promising setting, is the most boring in the game. You are sailing on a motor boat through the swamps, you kill someone - why? And why is it so tedious?
Everyone, don't be stupid, this is a robbery!
In "The Heist," criminals break into a bank vault and carry out bags of cash, while the cops do their best to stop it. The match takes place in several stages. The robbers first need to make their way to the vault using one of the available routes, and then get out of the bank with the bags. Then it’s just a matter of small things: drag the money to one of the evacuation points and, holding the line, wait for the helicopter.
From such a description, scenes from famous heist films immediately come to mind, starting with “Heat” and ending with “The Dark Knight” - impressive staging, spectacular moments. It doesn't always work out that way at Hardline. The feel of the mode depends greatly on the team.
It is not difficult to arrest one criminal. But keeping three people at gunpoint at once is a bit of a challenge.
The Heist requires a well-working team. Someone needs to cover you while you place the charge on the vault door. Then you will need help to keep the cops away from the bomb, otherwise they will defuse it. If a player with money is killed, you need to quickly grab the bag and run on. Evacuation points without proper protection turn into a branch of hell: let a grenade launcher approach the helicopter and you will get hot fireworks with several casualties.
When the team works together and all these points are observed, playing is a pleasure. The gameplay is tactical, the wealth of gadgets, partly introduced by Visceral, allows you to implement a bunch of different combinations. Among dozens of melee weapons there are a variety of clubs, knives and golf clubs, players of the enemy team can be interrogated by revealing the location of opponents on the radar, among throwing weapons there are Molotov cocktails and gas grenades, you can take shields into battle, etc. and so on.
At some moments, the single-player mode, it’s scary to say, resembles Uncharted 2(externally). It's a shame that the developers couldn't turn the entire game into an adventure.
Let's describe a typical match. A small squad takes the elevator up to the multi-level parking lot and from there organizes a cable car to the roof of the bank. Another squad of criminals, having avoided a head-on collision with the police, blows up the floor of the vault. The clueless cops, just in case, throw gas grenades inside the safe, after putting on respirators, and keep exits from the building. Then the bandits break into the vault and quickly suffocate, but one of them manages to set a respawn point (the “Satellite Phone” perk for the “mechanic” class), and within a few seconds a squad of evil bandits finds themselves in the room with the money. The meat grinder continues.
Gevorg Hakobyan's video opinion about multiplayer.
If you come across inept partners, then even the most elegant plan quickly turns into a farce. The robbery turns into chaos - it's every man for himself, and it's impossible to act competently. After all, history simply does not know of cases where one person was able to successfully rob a huge bank using sheer force. It’s the same here: it’s difficult to pull off a large-scale crime when one is aimlessly camping in a parking lot in the corner of the map, another smart guy is rushing past with a shotgun, wasting frags (traditionally, very few points are given for simple murders), the third is for some reason studying the textures on the wall .
Someone tell me a year ago that this is a screenshot from the next Battlefield...
Bloody sport
Fortunately, there are modes in Hardline that you can enjoy even with a less-than-good team. For example, "Blood Money". In it, cops and bandits need to sneak as much money into their vault as possible. The first need them as evidence, the second - for luxury cars, yachts and slutty women.
Stealing money alone is much slower than in a group (similar to capturing control points), and it’s always better if someone is covering you.
Nevertheless, it is still possible to work without support. We take money not only on neutral territory, but we can also steal from the enemy team’s vault - this wonderful nuance makes the mode exciting.
 |  |
| The car episodes came out quite well, even better than those that can be seen in Medal of Honor: Warfighter. | |
You can shift the balance of power in your team's favor in a matter of minutes by jumping on a motorcycle and racing along an unpopular route to the enemy base. But who will protect you while you stuff bills into your bag? Environment and gadgets! Raise the security poles at the entrance to the parking lot, close the doors, set mines around and finally mine your own motorcycle; if someone suddenly gets the idea to steal it, it will immediately fly into the air (the “Sabotage” ability for the “mechanic” class).
By the way, about the environment: there are a little more active objects on the maps, the same cartridges and first aid kits can now be found on the levels, there are more doors, gates, and elevators. Visceral Games attribute these little things to Levolution, which, of course, is not entirely true. Fortunately, large-scale events that change the gameplay of levels are still here. The best example is the Everglades map, where you can blow up three fracking towers, thereby blocking enemy vehicles from accessing a control point. The fall of a tower crane on a skyscraper and the collapse of a tunnel support on the Business Center map gives rise to two new routes. A sandstorm on the map of the same name temporarily disables snipers from the game. All this greatly enlivens the gameplay.
 |  |
| The developers quietly remind you that it was they who created the series Dead Space. Frame from multiplayer and single-player mode, respectively. | |
Counter Strike
The two modes we were most excited to take a look at were somewhat disappointing.
“Salvation” is a typical “counter-strike”: no equipment, no revivals, two teams of five people fight. Some are holding hostages in the building, others are trying to rescue them. To win, the police only need to save at least one of the two hostages. It's moderately interesting to play (after all, the concept Counter-Strike it’s hard to spoil), but you won’t see anything remarkable here.
The other competitive mode, "Stalk", is more interesting. There are not ten players here, but eleven - on the side of the cops there is a witness who must be escorted safely to the evacuation point. The eleventh player is armed with a powerful Bald Eagle pistol and a syringe that allows him to get back to his feet after an explosion (the “Survival Kit” ability), but a bullet wound is lethal for him. You cannot be revived; with the death of the witness, the match ends. Agree, introductions to interesting situations are not bad; for example, snipers on the part of criminals suddenly become relevant.
In Hardline, the faces of the secondary characters are very well developed, but the problem is that there are few of them. You constantly, throughout the game, arrest the same people, with the same hairstyles and tattoos. Appalling negligence.
Alas, as in the case of “The Heist,” the mode often turns into a farce. Playing as a witness, we managed to finish the round in seven seconds several times in a row - to do this we had to rush along the flank to the control point, while for some reason the enemies were climbing in the center. And vice versa: “our” witnesses often walked in the center, exposing their chests to bullets. The interest in the match largely depends on how smart the team is against you - in case of failure, the game is interrupted before it has even begun. Let us remind you that because of this, she was seriously injured.
Fast and Furious
We've reached the key point Battlefield Hardline- “I’ll steal it.” Remember how Attrition seriously changed the rules of team deathmatch. The same situation is with “Theft”, but only in the context of different modes with the retention of strategically important points, because they have become mobile: we hold the cars. The enemy, accordingly, does the same, not forgetting to destroy your cars. Whoever keeps the car under control longer than others wins.
The concept itself is very promising, but Visceral pushes the mode forward with a few important details.
Firstly, it is not enough to capture the vehicle, you need to constantly drive. Slow down - the glasses will stop dripping. Because of this, players do not give themselves a second to rest, confidently directing the car towards any fences and jumps, just so as not to stop.
Continuing the theme of minor improvements: previously in Battlefield It was impossible to lean your entire body out of the car window to get a 360-degree view. After Hardline, it’s hard to imagine a game without this feature.
Secondly, cars can be upgraded with money earned between matches. And we’re not just talking about repainting (although, let’s face it, the predatory yellow color suits police muscle cars very well); It turns out, for example, to put a rocket launcher in the trunk. By default, heavy weapons are not available to any class, and in Hijacking, generally speaking, you often have to destroy cars and helicopters.
Thirdly, the “Aggressive Driver” ability, with which you can turn on nitro in cars and motorcycles. The skill at first seems decorative, but in practice it greatly changes the gameplay. With a nitro accelerator, even a modest sedan loaded with passengers has a chance to break away from its pursuer, and the fuel tanker begins to drive at least at a decent speed.
What Ugon lacks right now is cards. There are only nine of them in the game, and “Theft” is available on only four. It is clear that the cards will be added to the DLC, the game has a long life ahead, but I want to get them now and for free, and not buy them separately.
The locations are picturesque, both in multiplayer and in single player mode. But neither there nor there was a worthy use for alligators. I feel sorry for the poor things.
This mode is most captivating in its fleeting moments and random scenes. Here you often notice spectacular things - the matches are reminiscent of a Hollywood movie about cops in which you play the main role. The van crashes into a patrol car straight into a gas station, and everything around is engulfed in flames. A cop fearlessly jumps out of a helicopter onto the roof of a tractor-trailer to set up an explosive package; Motorcyclists chase a van into a multi-level car park, causing it to crash into a guardrail and fall twenty meters onto the road. You can continue endlessly.
Visceral works competently with various audiovisual techniques. Each multiplayer match is prefaced by "on-the-ground coverage," and we see the news alarmingly report that "thugs are trying to rob a bank in downtown Los Angeles." The characters constantly throw characteristic insults (cannot be compared with the restrained phrases from), and the right music plays in the cars to suit the mood. When you go into battle to the beat of Sound of da Police, you involuntarily become charged with drive.
Among the compositions there are classics like songs by The Clash, Public Enemy and The Stooges, but there are also plenty of modern hits and very angry rap like Oh My Darling Don't Cry from the duo Run the Jewels and Assassin from Amanda Blank and Spank Rock.
 |  |
| Bank Robbery Card. | |
Cop Wars 7
There are even more changes in the campaign. If you like old-fashioned military shooters, then... you've come to the wrong place. Hardline doesn't look like your average war action movie in the vein of Battlefield 3-4 and the latest Call of Duty. There's more from Hardline, and Far Cry 3. From the first - boring shootouts, from the second - pretty good car stages, from the third - stealth and the need to plan every shootout.
As in the last Far Cry, here you shouldn’t immediately engage in battle: there are always a lot of enemies, they shoot accurately already at the average difficulty level, and you won’t be able to restore your health miraculously - there are first aid kits even in single-player mode.
Therefore, every conflict begins with the fact that we take out a miracle scanner and mark all enemies and active objects (explosive barrels, alarms, evidence) on the radar. It is recommended to act quietly if possible. Opponents can be thrown into the corners by throwing cartridges (which for some reason fall to the ground with such a ringing sound, as if they were cast-iron frying pans), in order to then stun or arrest them. An arrest is always preferable because, firstly, it gives more bonus points, which we use to unlock new guns and gadgets, and secondly, it looks amazing - not every game allows you to hold up a police badge and yell: “DON’T MOVE!”
 |  |
| To advance in a level, you need to collect a certain minimum of evidence. On normal difficulty this is not difficult - the location of plot-important clues is marked on the radar. | |
You can arrest no more than three people at the same time, but it’s better not to risk it and take on the bandits one or two at a time: keeping three at gunpoint is another test if they are not on the same line as you.
Sometimes developers push you to use certain devices - in particular, you shouldn’t go into a methamphetamine laboratory without a gas mask, and it’s better to get around the hangar complex with a hook and a rope without getting into a fight. Sometimes we are forced to shoot, turning off stealth and setting off many enemies.
The cars in the game are not licensed, but the models are unmistakably recognizable.
Frankly, it would be better if they didn’t do this - all the action episodes turned out to be frankly boring. Let's say at one level you need to withstand a wave of enemies in a dark room. Your partners are trying to build tension, they advise you to take a cannon with an infrared sight and set mines while there is time, but in reality here you can just stand at the exit to the stairs and, without forgetting to yawn and reload, shoot down the arriving enemies.
But the driving stages were more fun. The chases are heavily scripted, but well staged: the passenger and the driver change places right on the move (“Shoot, come on!” - “Shoot yourself, if you’re so smart!” - “Come on!”), a massive gate is blown to hell, your car barely avoids a collision with a train, car duels occur - and all this makes you remember that a police drama is actually happening on the screen.
 |  |
| Alexandra Daddario made a cameo appearance in Hardline, as she did in True Detective. She played well. But her role is so-so. | |
Unfortunately, it is absolutely dead: all the acts are overwhelmed, the character development is catastrophic, the characters themselves are walking clichés. If she’s Asian, then she’s definitely a nasty woman; if he is dark-skinned, then he is a clown and a klutz; if a criminal, then a nasty southerner in a cowboy hat - with a characteristic accent and banal threats.
There is no darkness and horror in this part of Battlefield, but there is an accentuated storyline. This is a story about bandits and police, some of whom hunt others, identifying drug dealers and trying to catch them.
In this part, as in the previous ones, there is a well-thought-out multiplayer, where everyone can choose a character to their liking. There will be investigations and cool chases, so if you don’t have enough experience, the Otradnoe driving school can help, or you have a great desire to find out what the plot will be like next. Now in more detail about the plot of the game and its characters.
Story line
The story of Battlefield Hardline will unfold around detective Nick Mendoza and his charming assistant, Asian Kai Ming Dao, who will have to identify major drug dealers and fight their own colleagues who are immersed in corruption. Every time you open the game, you will be able to see a short cut in the style of cop series - “previously on Battlefield Hardline”.
Modes and character classes
Battlefield Hardline has 5 modes: Hijack, Blood Money, Heist, Rescue and Track.
The Operator is a good character class for those who have never played Battlefield Hardline. You can use weapons that are accessible and easy to use, and as accessories you can use items necessary for emergency medical care.
An enforcer is a character who has a shotgun in his arsenal and provides ammunition to his allies. But since the activity of an enforcer is narrowly focused, it can only be used in some episodes of game modes.
A specialist is a sniper. But if you're playing Battlefield Hardline for the first time, you won't be able to get used to this character quickly. The role of the sniper is important, but it makes sense where there is no need to arrange chases.
The Battlefield Hardline multiplayer arsenal is quite rich; here you can choose about 50 weapon models. The graphics and sound have been significantly improved, there are detailed maps with a choice, and a successful tandem of shooting and racing make Battlefield Hardline one of the most successful games of 2015. All you have to do is improve your driving skills, for this the Medvedkovo driving school is waiting for you, and you can safely drive.
A historical moment, because the Battlefield series of games changed its developers, and as a result, the pace of the game, its scale, speed and of course dynamics! From what was once a military drama, the game has turned into a police drama. Now we will tell you about what finally came out of the new one.
The reviews always described only single companies first, and only then network ones, but this time, an exception can be made, because if you remember, in the Battlefield series of games, multiplayer played a primary role, and the company was just some kind of pleasant bonus. In general, let's go straight to the most important thing, leaving police intrigues aside.
Let's remember the beta tests, which were able to show themselves very well, especially the second beta test of the game. Let's start with the fact that upon entering the game, it turns out that you could already see all the content in the beta test and nothing has changed in the game since then. The only thing is that it has become easier to earn money, the balance has been reworked and some destructibility has appeared. Otherwise, it’s the same as in the beta test: driving, crazy and exciting.
Pain below the back
The first and perhaps the main feature of Battlefield: Hardline is that the game is divided into two warring factions, and the division is total. Each player will have to prepare for the fact that when playing for each side, they need to learn new skills, since each side has its own weapons, which are noticeably different from the enemy’s weapons. The only thing these factions have in common is their bonus and starting weapons. The bottom line is that, as in Counter-Strike 1.6, there will be no direct analogues of weapons, so the game will force you to constantly choose between cops or bandits.
Weapons have to be purchased separately and this is another “highlight” of the game Battlefield: Hardline, because you have to spend money on each gun, and there is always not enough of it. To be more specific: instead of the usual experience, there will now be green bucks in the game. And you know, this puts a certain imprint on the game. Having money, you can buy everything here: weapons, devices, various camouflages, equipment and much more! In general, everything that makes up the Battlefield series of games.
Another interesting detail of the game is that at the start you get a weapon with which you are unlikely to shoot someone. At the beginning, the operator (the owner of the most effective guns and first aid kits) has only one decrepit rifle with him, which will have incredible recoil, and the technician is generally helpless with his submachine gun; an attack aircraft (which has cool shotguns, shields and even explosives!) has a pump-action shotgun with which it is incapable of killing almost anyone, a sniper generally has a sniper rifle of very low power. And even when buying a new gun, something will still remain from the old arsenal, so you need to earn twice as much money! In addition, you even have to buy seemingly unimportant things like a defibrillator and even C4.
What happened? The newcomer who enters this meat grinder turns out to be so helpless and pathetic that he dies much faster than he can understand who shot him this time. What can prevent you from quitting playing the game is most likely its high price, even for a simple edition. The constant lack of money forces you to choose every time.
What further adds to the suffering of the unfortunate newcomer is the huge amount of time it will take to kill the enemy. Have you decided to save a comrade who died in the middle of this battle? Then you'll probably go to respawn. If some craftsman sits down with a stinger in some bushes near the turntable, then he has every chance of destroying it, and even heat traps will not save the turntable! And the most interesting thing is that an armored car, which is considered the most protected in the game, can be destroyed with one RPG shell. In general, you are simply not allowed to react to the threat - die or die. Battlefield: Hardline is very unfriendly to newcomers, and even to veterans, who will die just like newcomers.
All the familiar modes like “Capture” will not open up for you on every map, because they are designed for something else. Just know that playing by inertia in Capture mode is not worth it. The most interesting mode turned out to be “Chase”. In this mode, you will have to steal cars that will be marked on the radar, and then drive them across the entire map. The more cars your team controls, the faster you will score points. In general, the mode represents typical and crazy chases along with shootouts on the move. It was this kind of drive that the previous Battlefield series lacked.
By the way, the mode that replaced the standard “Bomb” has taken root quite well. In the "Rescue" mode, the cops have to save a witness, or rather an informer, who becomes a random player. In general, you will need to take this “body” to the point where he must give his testimony. At the same moment, the bandits will try to intercept him. The game is quite fun and even more fun than the usual “clearing explosives at point A or B.” There is another interesting mode, “Robbery,” where the trick is to crack safes through the walls, and then take the money to the helicopter. And the mode where you have to carry money from one safe to another, in the “Blood Money” mode, has become quite exciting.
Among the advantages we can probably also include a bunch of small worthy improvements that made the game not only better, but also more diverse. For example, a cat, with which you can climb walls, or a gas grenade, which, together with a gas mask, can do incredible things, and a trap, which makes it possible to mine doors or gates, is generally a “Fairy Tale”. I must admit that all these details and innovations work extremely well. Even little things like controlling the time until a new vehicle appears or noting when an enemy is wounded do simply incredible things in the game. Only one thing is not clear - why didn’t DICE do all this a little earlier?
Maps in the game now load much faster and even faster than, but it looks natural and not the same as there. Surprisingly, Battlefield: Hardline looks more like the old Battlefield 3, and there are no bugs or crashes in the game. The only thing that can create DRM problems is protection, which may prevent you from playing the game if you run it frequently on certain types of hardware.
As for destructibility, it is still present in the game, although not on a large scale. The game couldn’t do without the Levolution familiar to all veterans, for example, a train crash on one of the bridges - it looks not just epic, but great.
In general, the online game is not the usual Battlefield multiplayer, so it should be treated differently, perhaps more like an exciting spin-off that can give you a huge amount of adrenaline-pumping shootouts and even quite good graphics, and as for capital, don’t despair , just save up.
Knight with a gun and handcuffs
After a thorough analysis of the network game, it’s time to start analyzing the single player company. So, Detective Nick Mendoza is an honest cop. His father was still a beast, and his mother, as expected, experienced a lot in her native Cuba, from where the family moved to sunny and warm Miami. Having suffered in his youth, Nick grows up with one idea - to make this world a better place, which is why he joins the ranks of the cops. In his dreams, every criminal gets what he deserves, and all corrupt cops go to jail. But unfortunately, as it happens, real life (in Nick's case, Miami) plays by different rules, which Nick soon encounters.
The entire plot of the game revolves around this not too tricky story. There are also police chases, surprise raids, saving friends and partners, as well as the fight against corrupt cops. And specially selected humorous police jokes, cool houses, pathetic statements of heroes, dramas and much more, only emphasize the seriousness of what is happening. And you know, the similarity of the game with some TV series is really plausible, but Nick will not encounter any moral dilemmas in the game. The game will be absolutely linear: no deviations, no side decisions, no forks in the scenario.
A large number of questions arise about the plot, characters and the gameplay in general, but they usually don’t last too long in the game, since the next driving chase makes you forget about it. Surprisingly, many of the scenes in the game were interesting. Just prepare yourself for the fact that you will encounter and feel a new and unusual gameplay.
The most interesting thing is that Battlefield: Hardline has an extremely unusual stealth mode. It's strange, but every time it seemed to us that Nick Mendoza imagined himself as Ajay Gayle or Jaysan. You know, this comparison didn’t just appear, because sometimes the game is just painfully reminiscent of the last two parts of Fra Cry. All enemies are strong and fast, constantly outnumbered. You are given some territory with enemies that need to be removed, there is a button that, if you are defeated, calls in a whole squad of reinforcements, there is noise and much more. In fact, even some tasks look like outposts in Far Cry, which, as you remember, could be captured.
“Unusual stealth mode” - it’s called that for a reason, since there is some police detail here. Sneaking Nick has a taser, along with handcuffs and a police badge. If he unexpectedly shows up to his enemies, then Nick will simply tie them up and they will probably go to jail, but when tying up the “bad guys,” it is necessary to keep them at gunpoint so that they don’t do anything. In addition, you can stun someone with a teaser or with your baton. If you look from the outside, everything looks very absurd: the detective quietly sneaks up to a pack of smoking bandits and pokes his badge in their faces, methodically tying them all up, and they, in turn, obediently obey him and obey him to lie on the damp ground.
