Battlefield Heroes Beta

I signed up for the Battlefield Heroes beta back when they were accepting emails, and to be truthful…I had forgotten I did, until a week ago when I finally received my beta key n_n. If I can be a bit more honest…I’ve never really enjoyed the Battlefield series. I was always the Call of Duty gamer ever since I played Call of Duty 2 on PC, but the introduction of this new cartoony, Team Fortress 2 style, has really peaked my interest…oh also it’s free.

EA Games: Oh sure~! You guys can play for free!
Gamers: REALLY?! NO WAI!
EA Games: *chuckles* Of course! You know papa EA loves you at heart!
Gamers: We always knew you had a warm spot in your heart..even after all that DLC crap on the 360..<3
EA Games: Yeah, those were good times. But this game is completely free, except for you know..the guns.
Gamers: What?..-_-
EA Games: Oh you know the guns?..The actual gameplay? Costumes? Level ups? We’re just going to charge you for that n_n. It’s a small fee.
Gamers: …
EA Games: What?…
Gamers: Fuck you.

Putting that aside…I’ll try to give as much detail about it and see if EA really is trying to screw over the cheap gamer. Maybe even get some gameplay footage.

Notes:

So far, I’ve used my beta key to sign into the locked website. This caused the download page to start and it’s been installing ever since. So while the installing goes on with it’s business I thought I would create my hero. Through the beta I’m allowed 4 characters, all with features that barely make them distinct (saving that for the paying customers.) Like any good war game (or obvious one) there must be two factions fighting, the good guys are in blue and yellow in the Royal Army, and the bad guys in red and black for the National Army. Both factions contain three types of soldiers. The basic Soldier who looks like the starter for an average fps gamer, the Gunner who seems to take heavier damage while using bigger guns (most likely for taking out vehicles) and finally the stealthy Commando who will most likely play out like the spy from TF2.

The two factions in this war is the Royal Army and the National Army. If it’s not obvious who the good or bad guys are…you’re an idiot.

The three classes for the game include, the Soldier, the Gunner, and the Commando. The soldier follows the middle road between the Gunner and Commando. Using a machine gun and a shotgun, the Soldier can play the midrange perfectly while staying as speedy as a Commando. They only really lack the ability to take out tanks. This is where the Gunner comes in. Gunner’s carry larger machine guns then the Soldier and can use a Rocket Launcher which makes them completely destructive forces. The Commandoes are left for those players who are just sneaky bastards. They have control over snipers and knives, making them the strongest when it comes to long distance or close combat. Commandoes also have the ability to cloak which helps their chances of sneaking up on their enemies.

Once the installer is finally finished you can start your game. Oddly enough the game opens up in the browser in a window only to full screen the game when you actually connect. Graphics are subpar for this stage in beta. They don’t look bad, but don’t follow the polish of TF2, but I’m sure EA was looking for completely playable vs. stylish. You control your soldier from a 3rd person, which seems odd coming from the Battlefield series, but you still have the same vehicles and that terrifically difficult plane/helicopter controls. I mean really EA, realism for those controls are just way too hard! How many people flipped over their helicopter in Battlefield 2 just trying to get it to lift off? x_x I know I did. I also just happened to do the same to the plane in this game. Though I have to say…the people who really have command of the planes have some real style. You’ll often seem them doing a flyby shooting at flag areas, and circling around in style. Even see a few dogfights. After the tutorial I’m allowed to buy some items from the store, EA thankfully gave beta players some start up cash to to explore the options. This is of course were the real customization comes in.

My guy looks like a nazi. n_n

Gameplay Footage:

Beta News:

Well it seems that the game is getting closer to it’s last stage. A new rolled out update closed the website for a day or two and reopened it with a few changes. All levels and character designs have been rolled back to stage 1, BUT, these new characters are the final designs. So when the game is finally out of beta, these will be the soldiers you use against the world. Sadly, all the free Battlefunds that EA was offering are gone, and in place a new “credit card friendly” store. This is what I was talking about people! EA has finally taken microtransactions to the next level! Ok…so other online games have been doing this for years…but they were never this addictive! Battlefunds come in three packages, 700 ($5 + tax), 1400 ($10 + tax), or the “beefy” 2800 BF ($20 + tax). Now that would be fine and dandy if the value for the items bought matched this price range…but they don’t!

That’s a fucking expensive bird. o_o

Let’s start with the clothing, a pirate hat that costs 420 BF. 420?! That’s already three fucking dollars! An eye patch that costs 420 as well?! Jackets costing around 280-340 BF?! Let’s not forget the promotional pets! Yes, for all those beta players out there, you have a chance to buy the Patton Parrot or Monty McMonkey pet item thing! These worthless items sit on your shoulder and likely crap on your hard earned virtual clothes for just 665 BF! Yes sir! For a cool five, you can have your own virtual pet that no one else will have besides every other beta player stupid enough to waste that much money! I mean really EA? At most the only items I see worth the money is the XP and Valor up, but even those cost an arm or a leg.

Now thankfully you can avoid all these payments, like most smart players will, and just opt with the default model for your team and since weapons and half of the emotes use Valor Points, you won’t be missing out on much. Oh, almost forgot to mention, the pretty upgraded weapons now only last a month. It evens up the gameplay for newcomers, but might also be annoying to switch between the average and the superior guns.

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Rating: 5/5 (for gameplay! I can’t stress that enough.)

Pros: The core gameplay is very simplistic and yet so completely enjoyable. Free to play. Call specific abilities. Great visuals.

Cons: Everything outside of actually playing the game. EA’s greed! Vehicles can sometimes be annoying. Plane controls take getting use to.