Battlefield 1943 (Xbox 360-Arcade)
One the newest arcade hits of the summer rivals last years Castle Crashers as the number 1 arcade game of the year. Battlefield 1943 is a WWII FPS game based off the online experience that players from the Battlefield games have come to enjoy. A simple, pick-me-up game allows players to go head-to-head against others whether in dogfights or ground assault. With 4 maps to play from, this open-world game gives players unlimited strategy in which to win the match. Plus, it is 12 vs 12 multi-player with each team divided into 3 squads.
Like other Battlefield games, each team has a set number of tickets or lives in which to bank off of. The first team to deplete the other of their tickets, wins the match. Territory positions are located on the map that allow the players to respond right back in the battle. These positions, though have no effect on the total tickets, can limited advancement of the opposing team and can make kills easier. Players receive points for kills or territory captures that allow them move through the army ranks to reach General status.
Players have the start of 3 different unit classes to choose from at the start of every spawn. They are Rifleman, Gunner, and Sniper. Each class is equipped with weapons to defeat enemies in their classes. Riflemen are best against all infantry and small vehicles. Gunners are set for tanks and suppressive fire. Snipers, of course, can kill infantry from long range or a lucky TNT blast on a tank. While players unlimited ammo, certain ammo does require a 10 second wait between reloads. Players also have the ability to drive or fly their way to victory by using 4 different vehicles set the game. The fighter plane is equipped with dual fixed cannons for strafing their targets and two free-fall bombs to take out tanks or enclosed encampments. The tank allows the driver and top machine gunner to traverse most Terran. The driver has control of the tank cannon and a forward attached machine gun, while the gunner can use his machine gun to shoot in every direction. The jeep is best used to transport 3 players either into combat or to capture a territory. While the only defense is a back mounted machine gun, players are vulnerable to small arms fire since the jeep is not enclosed. Finally, two of the maps start the players from an aircraft carrier which have four boats for beach landings. The boats are equipped with two machine guns on either side and can hold a total of five soldiers. Located on three of the four maps, is a bomber wing formation capable of carpet bombing a wide area. When this power-up becomes available for use, both sides are notified with a text in their screen. The opposing team can shoot down the bombers either with fighters or stationary flak guns located around the islands. Control of the territory which houses the bomber wing can make battle quickly turn in your favor.
For an arcade game, this is probably the best buy for all this game can offer. Whether you like to charge into battle or sit back and pick people off from a distance, players will enjoy this fast pace game. Clearly a bargain for only 1200 Microsoft points. Download the demo and try it for yourself. I have yet seen anyone not buy the game after playing the demo.
Nice Review Stoked. I agree completely that the demo really sells this title. The format for it is so simple, yet effective; give the player 1/2 hour to experience everything this game has to offer.