
So are you hooked on Battlefield 1943 like I am? Like the other games in the series, this one is seriously addictive and well worth the $15 it costs to download from Xbox Live or the Playstation Network. But by now, even the novice players are getting the hang of it. So if you’re late to the party, here’s a few useful tips to help you survive.
- My favorite class? The Rifleman. The M1 Garand (available in both the Marine and Japanese kits) is by far the most balanced weapon in the game offering the perfect balance of power, range, and rate of fire. It only holds eight rounds, so be sure to reload after each engagement. For best results, crouch and peer through the iron sight view before squeezing the trigger. Also, let the rifle settle after each shot to combat the effects of recoil.
- Learn to Defend! Too many players simply race from one control point to the next, never leaving anyone behind to defend captured territory. As a result, the match resembles a game of whack-a-mole, with players wandering all over the map. Remember, your team only needs to hold three out of the five flags to bleed the enemy ticket count. So capture three control points and defend them!
- Tanks are absolute beasts, if deployed correctly. Don’t drive headlong into a swarm of enemy infantry; you’ll quickly get picked apart by explosive charges and anti-tank rounds. Instead, use tanks as standoff weapons during assaults. Hold back and shell a position, providing support while infantry move in for the capture.
- A tank’s front armor is the strongest, so keep it facing toward your enemy at all times. Likewise, look for opportunities to flank enemy tanks, targeting the weaker side or rear armor. The rear armor is the weakest, making it the most effective spot to hit a tank with rifle grenades and anti-tank rounds.
- Flak canons are great for taking out fighters and bombers…just be sure to lead them. But they inflict no damage against tanks. So if you see an enemy tank rolling toward your position, jump out of the flak canon and seek more suitable cover.
- Air raid bombers can be shot down by fighters and flak canons. So don’t let those enemy bombers reach their target. Shoot them down before they can drop their bombs.
- Always use the bomb sight view when controlling the bombers during an air raid. Steer the bombers toward the largest concentration of enemy units, as noted by the red icons on the HUD. Enemy held control points make decent targets too, as they’re constantly spawning fresh units. If targeting a control point, hit one near the frontlines, as most players spawn closest to the action.
- When strafing with a fighter, use the rudder to line-up your target. The rudder is mapped to the left analog stick and controls the plane’s yaw. Applying rudder during tight turns is also effective, sometimes allowing you to out turn a pesky bandit on your tail.
- Is your plane damaged? No need to land and repair it with a wrench. Simply fly over a friendly airfield or aircraft carrier. If you’re low enough, your plane will be repaired. For best results, cut the throttle and glide over the runway to maximize your flight time, ensuring your plane’s health is completely restored with one pass. However, you’re extremely vulnerable when performing a low speed fly over so make sure the airspace is clear of threats.
- The Japanese Zero is much more agile and maneuverable than the Marine Corsair so take this into account before charging into a dogfight. The Corsair tends to stall, so stay on the throttle while climbing and keep up your airspeed during tight turns.
- Use Squads! If you join (or start) a squad, you can spawn on your squad members’ positions. This is useful when launching an assault against a well defended control point. Have on squad member hold back and serve as the spawn point while the rest of the squad attacks. You can have up to four players in a squad.
Categories: Gaming Tips
Tags: Battlefield 1943, DICE, EA, gaming, prima games, tips
Related Posts: Battlefield 1943
Another Battlefield game is heading our way this week! Battlefield 1943 is a download-only title set to release Wednesday (7/8) on Xbox Live and Thursday (7/9) on the Playstation Network. For only $15, the game promises tons of gameplay, all on WWII Pacific Theater maps. In fact, some of the maps may look familiar. They include Wake Island, Iwo Jima, and Guadalcanal. A fourth map, Coral Sea, is unlocked once 43 million cumulative kills have been achieved. So it will be interesting to see whether Xbox 360 or Playstation 3 gamers hit that milestone first. My money is on the 360 crowd. But this isn’t just a rehash of Battlefield 1942. Everything has been recreated with the Frostbite engine, used in Bad Company. So this time we get to play WWII with fully destructible environments. Not to mention the awesome sound effects. I don’t know about you, but I can’t wait to get back to Wake Island. Hope to see you online this week!
Categories: Gaming Industry News
Tags: Battlefield 1943, DICE, gaming, prima games
Related Posts: Battlefield 1943 Tips
I’ve been a Battlefield fanatic since the first demo dropped back in August of 2002. In fact, the Wake Island map showcased in the Battlefield 1942 demo is still an all-time favorite of mine. I can remember so many cool moments from that map alone, perhaps because I played it endlessly while impatiently awaiting the release of the full game. In particular, I remember playing as a scout and scoring an ultra-long range kill from the opposite side of the horseshoe-shaped island; my target little more than a faint silhouette in my rifle’s scope. Then there was the time I was the lone survivor on my team and secured a control point (and subsequent spawn point) by bailing out of my shot-up Zero (which I stole) and parachuting down to an enemy flag. But what stuck out most about the game were the endless possibilities for the future of team-oriented shooters. While team-based games were hardly new (think Counter Strike & Team Fortress), the Battlefield series was one of the first to successfully incorporate vehicles, infantry, and massive environments into a deep yet accessible gameplay experience. And DICE never disappointed with subsequent releases, fine-tuning their addictive formula with Battlefield 2 and Battlefield 2142 by putting a greater emphasis on team/squad play.
I’m glad to see DICE has maintained the same focus with Bad Company, because that’s exactly what console gaming needs right now. I booted up the newly released demo yesterday and jumped online for the first time since the beta ended. To my surprise, everyone was catching on. My squadmates weren’t afraid to talk and we quickly setup a nearly flawless defensive perimeter around a gold stash, ruthlessly punishing all opponents that dared to approach. When it was time to attack, we held back and provided sniper support for teammates making a move on the enemy gold stashes. Oh and here’s a quick tip when sniping: stay in the low-lying areas and place yourself in front of a backdrop that breaks-up your silhouette; snipers on hills and rooftops are easy to spot and never last long. On Oasis, the river running along the side of the map is a great sniping area with plenty of trees and vegetation to hide among.
Of course, there were some classic Battlefield moments too. At one point I took cover in a small building only to watch the outer walls crumble as an enemy gunship pounded the exterior with rockets. Yes, the destructible environment takes some getting used to. Somehow I barely survived the barrage, but my ears were ringing for a few seconds afterward; just one of the many impressive sound effects. Later, I spotted three opponents crossing an open field and quickly opened fire with my support kit’s light machinegun. While I tried to score some lethal hits, my main objective was to test the weapon’s suppressive capability. And it worked like a charm. All three opponents scattered in different directions, clearly startled by the salvo of bullets whizzing past their heads. I couldn’t help but laugh as I ducked behind a rock and loaded a fresh box of ammo.
Anyway, the Battlefield: Bad Company demo is up on Xbox Live Marketplace and the Playstation Store. It’s well worth checking out and should hold you over until the game releases on June 23rd. Oh, and if you have any Battlefield moments you’d like to share I’d love to hear them.
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Tags: Battlefield 1942, Battlefield: Bad Company, demo, DICE