Battlefield Heroes (PC) Preview
Posted by Alexandra Pusateri on 04.17.2009
Hands-On: If The Sims and Team Fortress 2 had a baby, Battlefield Heroes would be the result.
Battlefield Heroes is DICE's attempt to bring the Battlefield franchise full circle, opening it up to a wider audience and hardcore gamers alike. Heroes is free-to-download and free-to-play, which is a nice change, with revenue only being generated from micropayments and advertising. This is EA's new model, Play 4 Free, which should have some other franchises following suit soon if Heroes does well. The game is at first embedded in your browser, launching the game from the Heroes website, but it is not a browser-based game in the traditional sense.
You do create your Hero from the website, which adds it to your account in the actual game that pops up. The developers plan to have advertising on the website and on the Create a Hero page, guaranteeing page hits. There's also space in the actual game's load-up screens and menu.
In the menu area, you can buy items for your character. With items ranging from weapons to experience boosters, you can buy items to alter your in-game experience (or just your appearance). You can purchase items like this with Battlefunds, the in-game currency, obtained by paying $5 to $20. Only some items are available with Valor Points, which are earned by completing missions. Clothes, for the most part, are bought with Battlefunds, with the exception of bland military outfits. Items only last for a certain amount of time, though, measured in days (or a month, if it's an expensive item).
Not only are the graphics cartoon-style, reminiscent of Team Fortress 2, the game is also class-based with two factions. Unfortunately, there are only three classes: Gunner, who is the tank; Soldier, who is a bit more run-of-the-mill and can heal others; and Commando, who can become invisible. The two factions, the Royal Army and the National Army, aren't given any faction-based benefits, but the two seem to be more designed after Americans and Germans, being the Royal Army and National Army respectively.
You can also level up your character in Heroes and earn Hero Points, which level up your abilities. Hero Points are obtained by gaining levels with your character. Currently, the level cap is 30, but getting experience is incredibly easy. I got to level five after about an hour of playing. You get XP from just hitting your target continually until they die and from capturing a point, pulling from the emphasis on less strategy and skill to bring in younger audiences.
Heroes' concept is just like the past Battlefields. Capture the point, shoot anybody that's not on your team, and do it all over again. There are only two maps right now: Seaside Skirmish and Victory Village. On the maps, vehicles – three types: tanks, jeeps, and planes – are easily found in different places.
There is a tutorial mode to help you get acquainted with this new style of Battlefield, but they recommend using the mode to learn how to fly the plane efficiently. I found that I learned quicker in the actual game, though, because I had two people sitting on my wings and I didn't want to kill them.
Matchmaking is also greatly improved from most shooters. You're matched with others with your same skill, so you aren't just being owned constantly by someone that's been playing for 80 hours more than you. Time to complete a match depends on your skill. It take anywhere from two minutes to an hour to beat the other team, depending on how good you and your teammates are.
My biggest complaint is the lack of voice chat, which the developers don't plan on implementing into Heroes anytime soon. I think it has something to do with the younger demographic. Then again, it's really pointless to have to plan anything, since this really is just a run-and-gun shooter with no strategy involved. Players usually just do their own thing. Social features, like creating a clan or profile, will be added in the future.
Battlefield Heroes is still a little rough around the edges, but should definitely be a hit for younger teens and/or hardcore Battlefield fans. Hopefully, the developers will fix what's broken and add some standard features, but until that release date, it's still pretty up the air.
Battlefield Heroes is rated "T" for Teen and is set to release this summer.
Heroes' concept is just like the past Battlefields. Capture the point, shoot anybody that's not on your team, and do it all over again. There are only two maps right now: Seaside Skirmish and Victory Village. On the maps, vehicles – three types: tanks, jeeps, and planes – are easily found in different places.
