Battlefield 1943

Battlefield 1943

WWII first-person shooting for those of you familiar with the harsh realities of online multiplayer battles (i.e. you blink you lose).

Seriously, if you prefer taking your World War II escapades at your own pace – stopping to admire the wooden gate or bright blue sky every once in a while – forget about enjoying Battlefield 1943. You simply don’t have time. If a bullet misses you the first time you can count yourself lucky because the next one will end your life.

EA’s magnificent online-only opus for Xbox 360 (via Xbox LIVE) and PlayStation 3 (via PlayStation Network) takes you to the battlefields of the Pacific Theatre where Japanese and US troops fought… and died in frightening numbers.

Committing to this insane scenario for kicks and giggles to pass the time of an evening or lazy Weekend afternoon is the polar opposite of relaxation. So far more than a million gamers worldwide have volunteered to have their adrenaline levels shoot through the roof. You mad, mad people!

Battlefield 1943 is astonishing because of the freedom you have, and truly need, to perfect squad strategies. You cannot be the lone hero on the three debut maps of “Iwo-Jima”, “Wake Island” and “Guadalcanal” (a fourth “Coral Sea” has just this week been awarded to Xbox LIVE players who have registered more than 43 million kills).

Everybody will hop in a fighter-bomber aircraft to begin with and bat around in a tank or jeep. Against the calibre of player populating Battlefield 1943 you’ll last maybe two minutes before running into anti-aircraft fire or exploding under a barrage of rockets!

Your best bet is to think carefully about your role as Scout, Rifleman or Infantry and agree with your buddies how best to approach almost every square foot of territory. In other words have somebody watch your back while you’ve got theirs. We have never felt this need as keenly as when playing Battlefield 1943. Alternatively accept that you’re going to get killed while pretending that you’re one of Kelly’s Heroes.

Hand on heart (phew it’s still beating) Battlefield 1943 cannot be faulted; from the initial rush of finding yourself onboard an aircraft carrier, jumping into a landing craft and manning the machine gun, to holding camouflaged position on a nearby knoll to snipe at enemies who might stumble across your pal laying explosive charges. You feel totally immersed in every situation and never, ever blame the game for any misfortunes. Knowing that inside every aircraft, friend or foe, is another player, and that the guys inside the enemy tanks or manning the machine gun turrets are not encumbered by silly artificial intelligence is a special thrill.

If you think you can handle it, we urge you to download Battlefield 1943 for the insane bargain price of 1200 Microsoft Points or £9.99.

5 out of 5