The release of Battlefield 2042 has received mixed responses across the board during its Early Access period, with many players expressing their displeasure about the final product. The prospect of Battlefield 2042 shifting back to more modern warfare was exciting for fans upon reveal, bringing back the nostalgia of Battlefield 3 and 4 combined with next-gen advancements to hopefully create an amazing Battlefield experience, but the game hasn't quite hit the high levels many were expecting.
Graphics don’t seem to be as polished as they should be, with the city landscapes and desert environments looking less crisp than the maps of previous games. Fans aren’t particularly impressed by Battlefield 2042’s sound design either, with many complaining about a low volume mix that sounds muffled and doesn’t help immerse them in the multiplayer experience properly. The general consensus seems to be that Battlefield 2042 takes a hefty step back in of quality compared to past entries like Battlefield 1 and Battlefield V.
More grievances about Battlefield 2042 stem from the lack of destructible environments that the Battlefield series is known for, with DICE seemingly lessening the amount of structures that can be destroyed by vehicles and explosions alike. This decision is questionable at best and negligent towards the fanbase at worst, especially when looking at advancements with the Unreal Engine since Battlefield V was released that should allow for more destruction than ever. Battlefield V and even Battlefield 1 feel ahead of Battlefield 2042 by allowing players the ability to run tanks and planes completely through buildings in a way that 2042 doesn't at this point. That's not to mention the cluttered UI, lack of in-game voice chat/scoreboard, weapon bloom issues, and a litany of bugs spearheaded by Battlefield 2042's wall-riding hovercrafts. Looking at all of these elements, fans of the series have every right to be disappointed in DICE and Battlefield 2042.
Battlefield 2042's Launch Is Badly Similar To Battlefield 4
The state of Battlefield 2042 and fan reactions is very reminiscent of Battlefield 4’s release back in 2013, which had a rocky start following the highly popular Battlefield 3. Fans trying to play Battlefield 4 were greeted with constant server issues, a large variety of bugs and the inability to even launch the game at some points. Things were so bad for Battlefield 4 during launch that DICE had to delay any expansions for the game and future projects the developers were working on to have as many people as possible trying to fix the mess.
With Battlefield 2042 being a buggy mess at launch, it’s it's easy to draw comparisons between it and Battlefield 4 and how they both let players down initially. Battlefield 2042 seems to have a slight leg up by running generally better than Battlefield 4 did, but that doesn’t excuse DICE from providing such a suboptimal experience in the long run. It’s a valid position for Battlefield fans to expect a developer to learn from its mistakes and work towards growing a franchise in a positive direction.
That’s not to say that the issues plaguing Battlefield 2042 can’t be remedied, as DICE proved with Battlefield 4 that it could take a bad beginning and fix things to make each title enjoyable for fans in the end. The issue is that fans expect much better from the franchise after the relatively good launches of Battlefield 1 and V (even though Battlefield V still had its issues), and seeing Battlefield 2042 in its current state makes it feel like the developers weren’t trying to deliver the best possible experience in the final product. Here’s to hoping that DICE can turn things around with Battlefield 2042 and subvert the overall disappointment of fans that seems to be the norm for now.
