As we all know by now, Battlefield 2042 had a very rocky launch, to the dismay of fans all around the globe.
Millions of fans complained about the lackluster quality of the game and the myriad of bugs. To make matters worse, those bugs ranged from mildly upsetting to the truly game-breaking. Despite DICE’s best efforts to fix these issues, Seasons 1 and 2 came and went, with the game still feeling like an unfinished pile of issues.
Please note that I’m not trying to diss the game. I’ve been a longtime Battlefield fan, back to Battlefield 1942. But even the most staunch defender of Battlefield 2042 has to agree that it was rushed by executives to meet financial goals. Add the developmental hell of the Covid pandemic, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster.
After months of updates, the game is finally showing its true colors. People are returning to see if the game is in a better state, with plenty deciding to stay.
This week brought the release of Season 3, adding a huge new map, a new vehicle, and a new specialist. So let’s get to the meat of this Season and discuss all the new additions.
New Features for Season 3
Titled Spearhead, the new map is very similar to Stranded. It takes place in Sweden and features two main spaces centered around close-quarters combat. Surrounding these areas, we have plenty of wide-open spaces where snipers and vehicles can shine. This leads to enjoyable gameplay, no matter what your preferred playstyle is.
Rasheed Zain is the new Specialist, equipped with an air-bursting rifle. This new weapon can make short work of enemies hiding behind cover. The only downside to this gun is that you have to range it manually, with a maximum distance of 100 meters.
Embracing the pseudo-SciFi setting, Season 3 brings us an actual railgun to play with. In short to mid-range fights, it mostly behaves like a hitscan weapon. For longer engagements, you will still have to lead your target, but not by a lot when compared to the usual weapons. To balance things out, the railgun has a charge time between shots, so you won’t be able to spam the rail gun.
The new vehicle is the EMKV90-TOR, a dedicated anti-armor tank. You can drive it around with limited firepower, but to access its true potential, you must remain immobile. By lowering its suspension, your combat capabilities will be increased exponentially, with the caveat that you will pretty much be a sitting duck.
Is season 3 enough to redeem the game?
All of this sounds fine and dandy, but is it enough, given that an entire year has passed? On the surface level, I would say no, since most of this year was spent fixing issues that should never see the light of day in a triple-A title.
Even though players are slowly returning to this title, will this new content be enough to keep them engaged? In the coming months, we will get more information about Season 4, which might also be the last one for this game. This means EA has no regrets in simply taking the loss and is already working on the next Battlefield game. These practices are common in today’s video game industry, although they only lead to disasters like this.
