First impressions: Battlefield 1 goes for 'realism rather than headshots'

When playing as a sniper, you want to get to high ground quickly in the game Battlefield 1. Photo / EA

I'm a huge fan of First Person Shooters setting during WWI or WWII, so getting an early-access code to Battlefield 1 was quite exciting.

That excitement turned sour when, after downloading the beta, I couldn't log into the server. Turns out the hacking group "PoodleC0rp" had taken down the servers. Why a hacking group would target video game servers, I don't know. Some people just want to see the world burn, I guess.

By the time I got to play, the beta was open to the public. No matter, the more the merrier with a game which sees 64 players battle over a huge map featuring planes, tanks, horses and trucks.

During the Battlefield 1 beta, you could play on the side of the British or Turks in a war for control of the Sinai desert.

During the beta, you could play on the side of the British or Turks in a war for control of the Sinai desert.

Playing primarily as a medic, I ran to the aid of hurt and fallen comrades while chasing around enemies. It was close, tense, combat, running in between broken buildings and debris and watching overhead for passing bombers while avoiding open spaces where snipers make quick prey.

On the other spectrum, when playing as a sniper, you want to get to high ground quickly, where contested control points are visible, to provide suppressing fire for your team mates and pick off incoming enemies.

And there's the vehicles which, in the past, have put me off Battlefield games. This time round, they seem more balanced; strong, but not game essential. You want to take to the skies and rain terror from above? Good luck.

Those old planes are hard to pilot. Think you can roll by in a tank demolishing anything in your way? Better hope your teams jump get in, otherwise you're a sitting duck in a big steel target.

The Battlefield franchise has never impressed me until now so the beta came as a pleasant surprise, emphasizing teamwork and realism rather than no-scope headshots and multi-kills.

Battlefield 1 is an authentic shooter which invokes the first title in the series, Battlefield 1942. Old fans of the 2002 game will feel at home in this warzone.

Rating: M
Platforms: PS4, PC, Xbox One