Apparently, at one point, the staff of the Visceral Games studio decided that they definitely needed to make their own Battlefield with cops, shootings and chases. No more war, soldiers, special operations behind enemy lines and other features inherent in the games of the popular series. A kind of spin-off according to its own rules. An experimental project in which everything will be completely different. And indeed, Battlefield Hardline is trying to do everything to differentiate itself from its predecessors. But let's talk about everything in order.

The Visceral Games studio is known to gamers primarily for its trilogy of fantastic horror games Dead Space. Hardly anyone will remember that they are the authors of several James Bond shooters or the game dilogy The Godfather. The fact that EA has entrusted them with the development of such a risky experimental project as Battlefield Hardline demonstrates the deep trust of producers in the studio management. After all, completely changing the setting of one of the world's most popular military first-person shooters is not a joke.

Battlefield games have always been renowned for their thoughtful and fun multiplayer, where every player could find the right role for them. But first, I would like to tell you exactly about the storyline campaign of the game, since I was incredibly pleased with it. Many modern players, purchasing discs with games of the Battlefield series, most often ignore the single player, immediately joining online battles. Missing Story Mode in Battlefield Hardline is making an unforgivable mistake.

The plot of the game tells the story of officer Nick Mendoza, who works in the Miami police. Nick has just been promoted to detective and has been assigned a partner in the face of experienced Asian Kai Ming Dao. Together they must investigate a major drug distribution network. But during the investigation, Detective Mendoza is confronted with the shadow side of the law under the guise of corrupt dignitaries and corrupt police officers. The game was not without unexpected plot twists. But disclosing them in this review would be completely tactless on my part.

Of course, the plot of the game does not shine with originality, although it is not devoid of its charm in the style of numerous American television series about police officers. If you turned off the game, and a day later sat down at it again, you will even be shown the typical serial cut "Earlier in Battlefield Hardline". The authors of the game very carefully borrowed elements from everywhere, and they got a good team hodgepodge. It is interesting to observe the development of history, despite all its stereotyped, and there is no desire to interrupt the game in the process of passing. And for me, this is the main indicator of the quality of any gaming product.

The characters in Battlefield Hardline are very well written. They are played by famous Hollywood actors. The role of Police Chief Julian Dawes is played by actor Benito Martinez (Million Dollar Baby, Epidemic, Firefly and The X-Files). The role of the protagonist was confidently played by Nicholas Gosales (series "Grey's Anatomy", "OS - Lonely Hearts"). And the roles of the main character's partners went to Adam Harrington (TV series "Dexter", "Supernatural") and Kelly Hu ("X-Men 2", "Harley Davidson and the Marlboro cowboy"). The actors not only voiced their characters, but also presented them with their appearance using 3D scanning of faces and facial expressions. Speaking of facial expressions, it is done very well in the game and you start to believe the actors from the first minutes.

Personally, I was very pleased with the deviation of the developers from the theme of military operations. There are so many soldier and war games out there today that a list of titles alone can take several pages. But there are not so many decent police games. It's safe to say that this change of scenery was good for Battlefield Hardline. I was pleasantly surprised by the constant gunfights with bandits, police car chases through explosions, the search for a drug dealer base among endless swamps teeming with crocodiles, escape from an abandoned missile silo, and other situations unusual for the Battlefield series.

What you immediately notice in the game is the love with which the developers approached its development. In Battlefield Hardline, there are so many small details that create a gaming atmosphere that it is simply amazing. For example, you can easily use a police scanner to eavesdrop on what the bandits are talking about in their free time from breaking the law. Each bandit is a unique person with their own fears, desires and problems. After listening to their stories about family, children and emotional experiences, I somehow do not even want to shoot at them.

And you have an alternative: you can just get close enough to the enemy, point a service weapon at him, show the badge and, seizing the moment, put handcuffs on him. Of course, if you are thirsty for blood, you can solve the issue with an accurate shot in the head, but this is not at all necessary. In addition, you will receive more experience for arrests.

The game has a stealth mechanic that allows you to sneak up on enemies, distract them by throwing empty cartridges on the asphalt, suddenly stun them, and so on. I was also immediately struck by the fact that the developers of the game at Visceral are very fond of the popular Far Cry series of games, since the new Battlefield has an alarm system as soon as enemies notice you. You, like the heroes of the popular Ubisoft publishing series, will have to quietly turn off this alarm, and only then get rid of the enemies. In general, the influence of Far Cry is noticeable not only in this. I think that you yourself will feel the similarities between these games as you play.

Any weapon in the game can be customized by adding numerous improvements like a more comfortable grip, sniper scope or silencer. You have five slots for ammunition: two for firearms, two for special gadgets and one for a baton. Yes, you won't find any knives in a single player game. Only police batons of all shapes and sizes. Special gadgets include a stun gun, a cannon with a hook to climb high ground, and other devices such as a descent winch, bulletproof shield, or regular body armor.

In each of the ten story chapters, the game invites you to complete several special tasks, such as arresting certain bandits or searching for additional evidence in the case using your scanner. Collecting absolutely all the evidence and catching the wanted criminals will not be so easy, but these tasks will definitely appeal to those players who like to squeeze all achievements from games without exception. In addition, the evidence you find will further reveal the plot of the game and clarify the current situation.

I would also like to point out the unusual soundtrack of the game. Here you will find tracks from artists such as Judas Priest, DJ Shadow, Public Enemy and even The Stooges. When I heard the words “Woop! Woop! That’s the sound of da police ”from the song by rapper KRS-One, I was even a little taken aback. Although, what else could I hear, according to the plot, being in the African American ghetto? This takes some getting used to, since the sound of the game is completely different from the previous parts of Battlefield.

But with the Russian voice acting of the game, it turned out to be an embarrassment. It would be better if the localizers did not touch the sound at all, but instead only translated the subtitles. The voices of domestic actors are emotionless, cause rejection and only distract from the exciting gameplay. Since some of the English phrases are shorter than the Russian ones, the actors had to chatter at high speed in order to keep within the fixed length of sound samples. Imagine a situation when the hero slowly talks about something, and then suddenly breaks down almost to screeching in order to have time to utter a long Russian phrase in the short time period allotted to him. It sounds, to put it mildly, awful.

Well, we have more or less sorted out with the single-player part of the game. Now you can chat about the multiplayer part of Battlefield Hardline. But there are not many changes here. Yes, there are new online modes in the game. And yes, they are very addicting, but Battlefield's fine-tuned mechanics have remained largely untouched over the years. Is that the speed of fights has increased markedly. Those players who from year to year devote their free time to the multiplayer component of all the games in the series, without exception, will certainly be satisfied. After you create your character, setting up the necessary classes and choosing a patch with the flag of your country (Russia is represented in the game along with other states), the game will offer you as many as eight online modes.

The first mode worthy of mention is Robbery. Players are divided into two teams: police officers and bandits. The bandits need to be able to get into the vault, guarded by the cops, grab bags of valuables and then manage to run to the evacuation point, from where they will be picked up by a helicopter. A rather entertaining and interesting mode, because it will not be so easy to break into the vault, and an exciting battle with the safe door awaits the bandits ahead. Yes, and the police are not asleep at this time, and they will definitely ambush the bandits on the helipad.

The second and brightest game mode is Hijacking. This is the most profitable mode for those who want to accumulate a large amount of game money as quickly as possible in order to buy weapons and other useful gadgets for themselves. The purpose of "Hijacking" is to search for cars hidden on the game map, which must be captured, and then drive on them as much as possible, trying not to fall under enemy fire. The driving speed should be extremely fast: slow down - you will stop getting points. The more cars your team currently owns at high speed, the more points and money you get. And the opposite team loses these points. As soon as one of the teams loses points completely, it loses. Very fast, fun and addicting mode.

The third curious mode is Blood Money. A large pile of money is marked on the map. Thugs and cops must take the maximum amount of money and transfer it to their vaults. The police take the money as evidence, and the bandits just fill their bottomless pockets with it. Along the way, both teams prevent rivals from keeping the lead in this financial race. In general, traditionally for the games of the Battlefield series, the close-knit work of a team of players communicating using headsets is appreciated above all else. Several team members guard their vault, a few more prevent the enemy from stealing money from the common heap, and the rest are busy dragging cash from place to place. If people who are not connected with each other play in the squad, most often it ends in their inglorious defeat.

The Hostage regime puts the police in a dangerous position. The bandits took two hostages, and the cops must save at least one of them in the allotted time. However, you can close your eyes to the hostages and just shoot all the bandits, because in this mode there is no respawn, when the killed enemy is reborn on the game map after a few seconds.

"Tracking" is another mode for a time, when the cops have to lead an important informant from point "A" to point "B", and the bandits throw all their strength into eliminating the informer and avoiding undesirable consequences for themselves. There is no way to make mistakes here, because there is no respawn, as in the previous mode.

Classic Capture mode lets Battlefield fans feel like a fish in water. Seize control over the points marked on the map, hold them for as long as possible and earn valuable points. This mode comes in two different flavors: large and small maps. It all depends on where you feel more comfortable. By the way, do not forget to mark enemy players on the map using a special key (in the case of PlayStation 4, this is the R1 key), because this not only helps your brothers in arms, but also gives you additional experience points.

The "Team Skirmish" mode is also classic and offers players to fight against each other team on team. You just need to remember that now in each mode, players are necessarily divided into bandits and cops, each of which has its own unique arsenal of weapons, inaccessible to the opposite team. Upon completion of the passage of the match in any of the modes listed above, the player is raised the general level and levels of various skills, as well as awarded a variety of awards in the form of decals, various commemorative coins, and so on.

Shooter developers have long come up with an ideal formula for keeping users within their projects for as long as possible. You just need to give them the opportunity to endlessly improve their performance and dominate the rest of the players. This game of self-esteem really works like a clock, and millions of gamers around the world spend weeks and months on end studying maps, unlocking the perfect weapon for themselves and choosing the optimal combination of perks. And all just to show the others "who is in charge in the house."

It's time to take stock. Battlefield Hardline is a very entertaining game that will give you hours of fun. You can hone your skills in numerous battles between cops and a criminal, learn to shoot from fast cars on the go, learn what it's like to be a corrupt cop, and even meet a bandit who plays Dead Space on his game console.

Pros:

• For the first time in years, Battlefield's single-player mode is fun to play.
• The unusual setting of the game gives completely new emotions.
• A cool production with an impressive love of detail.
• In the game, you can arrange sparring with a crocodile. I'm serious.
• Good acting and catchy characters.
• The original soundtrack, which, however, takes some getting used to.
• As many as eight great multiplayer modes, including five new ones.

Minuses:

• The graphics look frankly outdated.
• Copying some ideas from the Far Cry series.
• The presence of funny bugs, like bandits falling into the ground.
• Terrible Russian voice acting that encourages you to buy earplugs.

Battlefield Hardline contains two completely different games, and that's just great. Those who have not paid attention to this episode before should definitely go through its plot part. She deserves your attention. And those who value Battlefield exclusively for the online component will be pleased with the new multiplayer modes, which will be enough for them until the next numbered game in the series is released. I put the game 8 points out of 10... Here I would add a little polish and tighten the graphics well, then the project would surely have received the maximum rating.

Thanks to EA for providing us with a copy of the game for review. Completed the game on a PlayStation 4 game console.

Detective Nicholas "Nick" Mendoza is the main character and playable character in Battlefield Hardline. He is a young Cuban immigrant who works as a detective for the Miami police. He was betrayed by his friend and boss, because of them he could go to prison. He travels the country trying to send Stoddard to prison and kill his boss, Does. Hates money, which is why he always had problems with his colleagues at work.

Nickname: "Nick"
Age: 28
Character traits: Hot-tempered, unfriendly.
Title: Detective.

Karl Stoddard

Sergeant Carl Stoddard is the central character and second antagonist of Battlefield Hardline. He was a corrupt Miami cop, Captain Does' right-hand man and is trusted. Was a former partner of Nick. Betrayed him for money.

Call sign: absent
Age: 36
Rank: Sergeant

Hao min dao

Hao Ming Dao is a detective. She has a Vietnamese-American passport. Originally from Orange County, California. Huy showed herself to criminals as a cold-blooded and intelligent female detective. She collaborated with Captain Dawes, but began to hate him because of the betrayal of Nick. Until the very end, he works with Nicholas to get revenge on everyone.

Nickname: absent
Age: 27
Title: Detective

Julian Does

Julian Does is the main antagonist of the single player campaign Battlefield Hardline. He is the Vice Head of the Miami Florida Police Department. Nick and Huy's former boss.

Nickname: absent
Age: 47
Title: Leader
Character traits: Corrupt cop.

Tyson Letchford

Tyson Letchford is a character from Battlefield Hardline. Cocaine seller, since childhood "sniffed" for a pair with "Tap" Milstein. He immediately realized that going out and shining is not his. His is to command, control others in order to carry out crimes without even freezing his hands. Was first mentioned in the first episode. He began to help Nick. He saved Nick from prison with a bomb, it was not only his plan, but also Huy's. He was wounded by a bomb, but died as he was wearing a bulletproof vest.

Nickname: absent
Age: 26
Personality Traits: Friendly, funny and shy.

A police car at top speed rushes after the orange van. Sand and dust swirl in the air like a tornado, a siren howls loudly. The van is already close, the officer fearlessly leans out of the window and fires at the wheels. According to all the laws of the genre, good must win, but the driver of the orange car has a different opinion. He pulls on the handbrake with all his might and sharply turns the car 180 degrees, after which the back door opens, and an accomplice with a grenade launcher is shown in the opening. The siren finally stops, and a burning skeleton remains of the police car. Now the main thing is not to slow down so as not to lose bonus points. The orange van scurries away, hiding around the bend.

This is a casual sketch from Theft, the best of the multiplayer modes, in which two sides need to capture and hold vehicles, rather than the usual flags and checkpoints.

Hardline is one of those games that look much better on screenshots than in reality. Hopefully EA will ditch the legacy console versions by the next installment.

Police turn

Throughout the development process, employees Visceral(the authors of the trilogy) constantly emphasized: we make our own, unique, Battlefield... We love the series, we respect the series, but this will be our game. As a result, Hardline stands out from the rest. Battlefield no less than dilogy Bad company.

Visceral rolled out the series like that orange van. Powerful battles in multiplayer, with the participation of an arsenal of heavy equipment and long positional firefights, gave way to fast, furious pursuits on unsafe - inside every building there may be an ambush - city streets.

The campaign, on the other hand, slowed down as much as possible. Here, as if in some one, it is customary to first look around the entire location, mark enemies and active objects on the radar, choose the right equipment - and only then go “into the field”.

At first, throwing rounds to distract enemies feels very silly. But then you get involved and stop paying attention to the absurdity of what is happening.

This is not to say that everything turned out well for the studio - both the multiplayer and single modes have enough problems. But the accusations are that Electronic arts under the guise of a new game released another DLC, absolutely groundless - the dynamics in Hardline is not at all the same as in the earlier parts of the series.

Let's answer the main question: yes, it is Battlefield... The game is not to be confused with anything, and if you are familiar with the series, you will quickly get used to it. The feeling of firing a weapon is the same, destructibility and technique are in place, the classes have not changed. The changes are rather point-like. There are no tanks, except for heavy armored vans with machine guns on the roof. Players run significantly faster. Among the cars there are sports sedans and muscle cars, nimble motorcycles. First-aid kits and cartridges no longer need to beg from your partners, jumping in front of them and throwing a tantrum in the general chat - you can just take everything you need yourself.

But most importantly, the rules of the multiplayer game have changed with Hardline. Not without the usual entertainments like "Team Fight" or "Capture", but we are more interested in five new modes.

The third episode, despite the promising setting, is the most boring in the game. You are sailing in a motor boat through the swamps, you are killing someone - why? And why is it so tiresome?

Everyone is not stupid, this is a robbery!

In The Robbery, criminals break into a bank vault and take out sacks of cash, while the cops try their best to stop it. The match takes place in several stages. The robbers first need to make their way to the vault along one of the available routes, and then get out of the bank with bags. Then the matter is small: to drag the money to one of the evacuation points and, holding the defense, wait for the helicopter.

From such a description, scenes from the famous robbery films, from "Skirmish" to "The Dark Knight", immediately emerge in the imagination - an impressive production, spectacular moments. This is not always the case with Hardline. The feeling of the regime is highly dependent on the team.

It is not difficult to arrest one criminal. But keeping three people in sight at once is a small test.

For "Robbery" you need a well-coordinated team. Someone has to cover you while you place the charge on the vault door. Then you need help to keep the cops out of the bomb, otherwise they will defuse it. If the player with the money is killed, you need to quickly grab the bag and run on. Evacuation points without proper protection turn into a branch of hell: let the grenade launcher near the helicopter - get hot fireworks with several casualties.

In the case when the team works together and all these points are observed, it is a pleasure to play. The gameplay is tactful, the wealth of gadgets, partially introduced by Visceral, allows for a bunch of different combinations. Among dozens of melee weapons there are various clubs, knives and golf clubs, players of the enemy team can be interrogated by revealing the location of opponents on the radar, among throwing weapons there are Molotov cocktails and gas grenades, you can take shields into battle, etc. etc.

In some moments, single mode, it's scary to say, reminds Uncharted 2(externally). It is a pity that the developers did not manage to turn the whole game into an adventure.

Let's describe a typical match. A small detachment takes an elevator to the multi-level parking lot and from there organizes a cable car to the roof of the bank. Another squad of criminals, avoiding a head-on collision with the police, blows up the floor in the store. The cops who don't understand anything, just in case, throw gas grenades inside the safe, after putting on respirators, and keep the exits from the building. Then the bandits burst into the vault and quickly suffocate, but one of them manages to establish a respawn point (perk "Satellite Phone" in the "Mechanic" class), and after a few seconds a squad of evil bandits appears in the room with the money. The meat grinder continues.

Gevorg Hakobyan's video opinion about multiplayer.

If you come across inept partners, then even the most elegant plan quickly turns into a farce. The robbery turns into chaos - every man for himself, and it is impossible to act competently. In the end, history simply does not know of any cases where one person was able to successfully rob a huge bank with the help of sheer force. So it is here: it is difficult to carry out a large-scale crime, when one campers aimlessly in the parking lot in the corner of the map, another smart guy rushes past with a shotgun, wasting frags (traditionally, very few points are given for simple murders), the third generally studies the textures on the wall for some reason ...

Tell who a year ago that this is a screenshot from the next Battlefield ...

Bloody sport

Fortunately, there are modes in Hardline that you can enjoy even with a poor team. For example, "Blood Money". In it, cops and gangsters need to train as much money as possible into their vault. The first need them as evidence, the second - for luxury cars, yachts and dissolute women.

Alone, money is stolen much more slowly than in a group (by analogy with capturing control points), moreover, it is always better if someone is covering you.

Nevertheless, it is still possible to work without support. We take money not only in neutral territory, but we can also steal from the vault of the enemy team - this wonderful nuance makes the mode exciting.

The car episodes came out pretty good, even better than those that can be seen in Medal of Honor: Warfighter.

In a matter of minutes, you can shift the balance of power in your team's favor by jumping on a motorcycle and rushing along an unpopular route to the enemy base. But who will protect you while you stuff the bills in your bag? Environment and gadgets! Raise the protective posts at the entrance to the parking lot, close the doors, place mines around and finally mine your own motorcycle; if it suddenly occurs to someone to steal it, it will immediately fly up into the air (the "Sabotage" ability of the "mechanic" class).

By the way, about the environment: there are a little more active objects on the maps, the same cartridges and first-aid kits can now be found at levels, more doors, gates, and elevators have appeared. Visceral Games refers to these little things as Levolution, which, of course, is not entirely true. Fortunately, the large-scale events that change the gameplay at the levels have not gone anywhere. The best example is the Everglades map, on which you can blow up three fracking towers, thereby blocking access to the control point for enemy vehicles. The fall of a tower crane on a skyscraper and the collapse of the tunnel support on the "Business Center" map gives rise to two new routes. A sandstorm on the map of the same name temporarily disables snipers from the game. All this makes the gameplay really lively.

The developers discreetly remind that they created the series Dead space... A frame from multiplayer and from a single mode, respectively.

Counter Strike

The two modes we most wanted to take a look at were somewhat disappointing.

"Rescue" is a typical "counter-strike": no technique, no rebirths, two teams of five are fighting. Some are holding hostages in the building, others are trying to rescue them. For the police to win, it is enough to save at least one of the two hostages. It is interesting to play moderately (after all, the concept Counter-strike difficult to spoil), but you will not see anything remarkable here.

Another competitive mode, "Tracking", is more interesting. There are not ten players, but eleven - on the side of the cops there is a witness who must be escorted to the point of evacuation in one piece. The eleventh player is armed with a powerful Bald Eagle pistol and a syringe that allows him to get back on his feet after being blown up (“Survival Kit” ability), but a bullet wound is lethal for him. It is impossible to revive, with the death of the witness the match ends. Agree, introductory for interesting situations are not bad; for example, snipers by criminals are becoming increasingly relevant.

In Hardline, the faces of the secondary characters are very well developed, but bad luck - there are few of them. You are constantly, throughout the game, arresting the same people, with the same hairstyles and tattoos. Terrible negligence.

Alas, as in the case of the "Robbery", the regime often turns into a farce. Playing as a witness, we managed to finish the round several times in a row in seven seconds - for this we had to rush along the flank to the control point, while the enemies for some reason climbed in the center. And vice versa: “our” witnesses often walked in the center, exposing their breasts to the bullets. The interest in a match largely depends on how smart the team is against you - in case of failure, the game is interrupted before it can start. As a reminder, she was seriously injured because of this.

The fast and the furious

We got to the key mode Battlefield hardline- "I will hijack". Remember how Attrition seriously changed the rules of team deathmatch. The situation is the same with "Theft", but only in the context of different regimes with the retention of strategically important points, because they have become mobile: we are holding cars. The enemy, accordingly, does the same, not forgetting to destroy your machines. Whoever keeps the car under control longer than others won.

The concept itself is very promising, but the Visceral overclocks the mode with a few important details.

First, it is not enough to grab the vehicle, you need to drive constantly. Slow down - glasses will stop dripping. Because of this, the players do not give themselves a second to rest, confidently directing the car to any fences and jumps, just not to stop.

Continuing the topic of minor improvements: first in Battlefield it was impossible to lean out of the car window with the whole body in order to get a 360-degree view. After Hardline, it's hard to imagine a game without this opportunity.

Secondly, cars can be upgraded for the money earned between matches. And it's not just about repainting (although, we admit, the predatory yellow color is very suitable for police muscle cars); it turns out, for example, to shove a rocket launcher into the trunk. By default, heavy weapons are inaccessible to any of the classes, and in "Theft", generally speaking, you often have to destroy cars and helicopters.

Thirdly, the ability "Aggressive driver", with which you can turn on nitro on cars and motorcycles. The skill seems decorative at first, but in practice it changes the gameplay a lot. With a nitro accelerator, even a modest sedan loaded with passengers has a chance to break away from the pursuer, and the fuel truck starts to drive at least at a decent speed.

What The Hijacking is missing right now is the cards. There are only nine of them in the game, and "Theft" is available only on four. It is clear that the cards will still be added to the DLC, the game will have a long life, but you want to get them now and for free, and not buy them separately.

The locations are picturesque, both in multiplayer and in single player mode. But neither there nor there was a worthy use for alligators. Sorry for the poor things.

Most of all, this mode clings to fleeting moments and random scenes. Here you often notice spectacular things - the matches are reminiscent of a Hollywood movie about cops, in which you play the main role. The van drives the patrol car right into the gas station, and everything is engulfed in flames. The cop fearlessly jumps out of the helicopter onto the roof of the tractor to set up the bomb; motorcyclists chase the van in a multi-level parking lot, forcing it to crash into a fence and crash onto the road from a height of twenty meters. You can continue indefinitely.

Visceral is adept at handling a variety of audiovisual techniques. Each multiplayer match is preceded by "on-the-spot coverage," and we see alarming news reports that "in downtown Los Angeles, attackers are trying to rob a bank." The heroes are constantly thrown around with characteristic insults (cannot be compared with restrained phrases from), and the right music is played in the cars, corresponding to the mood. When you go into battle to the beat of Sound of da Police, you involuntarily charge yourself with drive.

Among the compositions there are classics like The Clash, Public Enemy and The Stooges, but there are enough modern hits and very evil rap like Oh My Darling Don "t Cry from the duo Run the Jewels and Assassin from Amanda Blank and Spank Rock.

Bank Robbery card.

Cop wars 7

There are even more changes in the campaign. If you're into old-fashioned military shooters, then ... you've come to the wrong place. Hardline is not like a regular military action movie in spirit Battlefield 3-4 and the last Call of duty... The Hardline is more from, and Far cry 3... From the first - boring skirmishes, from the second - pretty good car stages, from the third - stealth and the need to plan each shootout.

As in the last Far cry, here you should not immediately engage in battle: there are always a lot of enemies, they shoot accurately already at the average level of difficulty, and miraculously it will not work to restore health - there are first-aid kits even in single-player mode.

Therefore, each conflict begins with the fact that we take out a miracle scanner and mark all enemies and active objects (explosive barrels, alarms, evidence) on the radar. It is recommended to act as quietly as possible. Opponents can, by throwing cartridges (which for some reason fall to the ground with such a clink, as if they are cast-iron pans), drag them to the corners, in order to then stun or arrest. Arrest is always preferable, because, firstly, it gives more bonus points, for which we open new guns and gadgets, and secondly, it looks amazing - not in every game you can pick up a police badge and shout: "DO NOT MOVE!"

To advance on the level, you need to collect a certain minimum of evidence. On normal difficulty, this is not difficult - the location of plot-important clues is marked on the radar.

You can arrest no more than three people at a time, but it is better not to risk it and take the bandits one or two at a time: keeping three at gunpoint is another test if they are not on the same line with you.

Sometimes developers push you to use certain devices - in particular, you shouldn't enter a methamphetamine laboratory without a gas mask, and it is better to bypass the hangar complex with a hook and a rope cable, without getting into a fight. Sometimes we are forced to shoot, turning off stealth and inciting many enemies.

The cars in the game are not licensed, but the models are unmistakably recognizable.

Frankly, it would be better if they did not do it - all the action episodes came out frankly boring. Let's say that at one level you need to withstand the pressure of a wave of enemies in a dark room. The partners are trying to build up tension, they advise taking a cannon with an infrared sight and setting mines while there is time, but in fact, here you can just stand at the exit to the stairs and, without forgetting to yawn and recharge, shoot the arriving enemies.

But the stages with driving came out more fun. The chases are heavily scripted, but well set: the passenger and the driver change places on the move (“Shoot, well!” - “Shoot yourself, if you're so smart!” - “Come on!”), Massive gates are blown to hell, your car barely escaping a collision with a train, car duels take place - and all this makes you remember that a police drama is actually taking place on the screen.

Alexandra Daddario has a cameo appearance in Hardline, as in True Detective. I played well. But her role is so-so.

Unfortunately, absolutely dead: all the acts are overwhelmed, the development of the characters is catastrophic, the characters themselves are a walking cliché. If you are Asian, then you must be a nasty boy-woman; if dark-skinned, then a clown and a fool; if a criminal, then a vile southerner in a cowboy hat - with a characteristic accent and banal threats.

In this part of Battlefield, there is no darkness and horror, but there is an accented storyline. This is a story about bandits and police officers, some of whom hunt others, finding drug dealers and trying to catch them.

In this part, as in the previous ones, there is a thoughtful multiplayer, where everyone can choose a character to their liking. There will be investigations and cool chases, so if you don't have enough experience, the Otradnoye driving school can help, or a great desire to find out what the story will be next. Now in more detail about the very plot of the game and its characters.

Story line

The story of Battlefield Hardline will unfold around the detective Nick Mendoza and his charming assistant, Asian Kai Ming Dao, who will have to figure out the big drug dealers and fight their own colleagues who are plunged into corruption. Each time you open the game, you will be able to see a short cut in the style of the TV series about the cops - "previously in Battlefield Hardline."

Character modes and classes

Battlefield Hardline has 5 modes: Hijack, Blood Money, Robbery, Rescue, and Track.

The Operator is a handy character class for those who have never played Battlefield Hardline. You can use weapons that are accessible and understandable in use, and items necessary for emergency medical care as accessories.

Enforcer is a character who has a shotgun in his arsenal and who provides ammunition to allies. But since the activity of the enforcer is narrowly focused, it can be used only in some episodes of the game modes.

A specialist is a sniper. But if this is your first time playing Battlefield Hardline, you won't be able to quickly get comfortable with this character. The role of the sniper is important, but it makes sense where there is no need for pursuit.

Battlefield Hardline's multiplayer arsenal is quite rich, with about 50 weapon models to choose from. The graphics and sound have been significantly improved, there are detailed maps with a choice of maps, and the successful tandem of shooting and racing makes Battlefield Hardline one of the most successful games of 2015. You just have to improve your driving skills, for this you will find the Medvedkovo driving school, and you can safely drive.

A historical moment, because the Battlefield series of games has changed its developers, as a result, the pace of the game, its scale, speed and, of course, the dynamics! From what was once a war drama, the game has turned into a police drama. Now we will tell you about what came out of the new one in the end.

The reviews always described only single companies at first, and only then network companies, but this time, an exception can be made, because if you remember, then in the Battlefield series of games, multiplayer played a primary role, and the company was just some kind of pleasant bonus. In general, we go straight to the most important thing, leaving the police intrigues aside.

Let's remember the beta tests, which were able to prove themselves very well, especially the second beta test of the game. Let's start with the fact that after entering the game, it turns out that you could already see all the content in the beta test and since then nothing has changed in the game. The only thing is that it has become easier to make money, the balance has been reworked and some destructibility has appeared. Otherwise, the same as in the beta test: driving, crazy and exciting.

Lower back pain

The first and perhaps the main feature of Battlefield: Hardline is that the game is divided into two warring factions, and the division is total. Each player will have to prepare for the fact that playing for each side, you need to learn new skills, since each side has its own weapons, which are noticeably different from the enemy's weapons. The only thing these factions have in common is bonus and starting weapons. The bottom line is that, as in Counter-Strike 1.6, there will be no direct analogs of weapons, so the game will force you to constantly choose between cops or bandits.

Weapons have to be bought separately and this is another "highlight" of the game Battlefield: Hardline, because for each gun you have to spend money, and they are constantly not enough. In more detail: instead of the usual experience, now there will be green bucks in the game. And you know, it puts a certain imprint on the game. Having money, you can buy everything here: weapons, devices, various camouflages, equipment and much more! Basically, everything that makes up the Battlefield series.

Another interesting detail of the game is that at the start you get a weapon with which you will hardly shoot someone. In the beginning, the operator (the owner of the most effective guns and first-aid kits) has only one decrepit rifle with him, which will have incredible recoil, and the technician is generally helpless with his submachine gun; the attack aircraft (which has cool shotguns, shields and even explosives!) has a pump-action shotgun from which it is not able to kill almost anyone, the sniper generally has a very low power sniper. And even buying a new gun, something will still remain from the old arsenal, so you need to earn twice as much money! In addition, you even have to buy such seemingly unimportant things like a defibrillator and even a C4.

What happened? A newcomer who enters this meat grinder turns out to be so helpless and pitiful that he dies much faster than he can figure out who shot him this time. Quitting playing the game can most likely prevent its high price even for a simple edition. The constant lack of money makes you choose every time.

Finishing off the suffering of the unfortunate beginner is also a huge amount of time that will be spent on killing the enemy. Did you decide to save a comrade who died in the middle of this battle? Then go to respawn for sure. If some craftsman sat down with a stinger in some bushes near the turntable, then he has every chance to smash it, and even heat traps will not save the turntable! And the most interesting thing is that an armored car, which is considered the most protected in the game, can be destroyed with one RPG projectile. In general, you are simply not allowed to react to a threat - die or die. Battlefield: Hardline is not very friendly to beginners, and even to veterans who will die just like newbies.

Familiar all modes of the "Capture" type will not open up for you on every map, because they are sharpened for something else. Just know that you shouldn't play by momentum in Capture mode. The most interesting mode turned out to be "Pursuit". In this mode, you have to steal cars, which will be marked on the radar, and then drive them all over the map. The more cars your team controls, the faster you get points. In general, the mode is a typical and insane pursuit along with gunfights on the move. This is exactly the kind of drive that the previous Battlefield series lacked.

By the way, the regime has taken root quite well, which replaced the standard "Bomb". In the "Rescue" mode, the cops have to save a witness, or rather a snitch, who becomes a random player. In general, you will need to take this "body" to the point where it should give its readings. At the same moment, the bandits will try to intercept him. It is played quite fun and even more fun than the usual "demining explosives at point A or B". There is another interesting mode "Robbery", where the trick is to break the safes through the walls, after which the grandmothers are referred to the helicopter. And the mode where you have to carry money from one safe to another, in the "Bloody money" mode, has become a lot of fun.

A number of pluses can perhaps also be attributed to a bunch of small worthy improvements that made the game not only better, but also more varied. For example, a cat, with which you can climb the walls, or a gas grenade, which together with a gas mask can do incredible things, and a trap, which makes it possible to mine doors or gates, is generally a "Fairy Tale". I must admit that all these details and innovations work extremely well. Even a trifle like controlling the time until a new technique appears, or marking when an enemy is injured, make incredible things in the game. Only one thing is not clear - why didn't DICE do all this a little earlier?

The cards in the game are now loaded much faster and even faster than, but naturally it does not look the same as there. Surprisingly, Battlefield: Hardline looks more like an old Battlefield 3, and there are no bugs or crashes in the game. The only thing that can create DRM problems is protection, which can sometimes not be allowed into the game if it is often launched on some types of hardware.

As for destructibility, it is still in the game, albeit not on a large scale. The game also did not go without Levolution, which is familiar to all veterans, for example, a train wreck on one of the bridges - it looks not just epic, but great.

In general, the network game is not the usual multiplayer Battlefield, so it should be treated differently, perhaps more like an exciting spin-off that can give you a huge amount of adrenaline shootouts and even quite good graphics, but as for capital, do not despair , just save up.

Knight with cannon and handcuffs

After a thorough analysis of the multiplayer game, it's time to start taking apart a single company. So, Detective Nick Mendoza is an honest cop. His father was still that cattle, and his mother, as expected, experienced a lot in her native Cuba, from where the family moved to sunny and warm Miami. Having suffered in his youth, Nick grows up with one idea - to make this world a better place, and therefore joins the ranks of the cops. In his dreams, every criminal gets what he deserves, and all the corrupt cops go to jail. But unfortunately, as it happens, real life (in Nick's case, Miami) plays by different rules, which Nick soon encounters.

The whole plot of the game revolves around this not too tricky story. There are, respectively, police chases, sudden raids, rescuing friends and partners, as well as the fight against corrupt cops. And specially selected humorous police jokes, cool houses, pretentious statements of heroes, dramas and much more, only emphasize the seriousness of what is happening. And you know, the similarity of the game with some TV series is really believable, but Nick will not meet any moral dilemmas in the game. The game will be completely linear: no deviations, no side decisions, no forks in the script.

A large number of questions arise about the plot, heroes and the gameplay in general, but they usually do not last too long in the game, since the next drive chase makes you forget about it. Surprisingly, many of the scenes in the game were interesting. Just set yourself up for the fact that you will encounter and feel a new and unusual gameplay.

The most interesting thing is that Battlefield: Hardline has a very unusual stealth mode. Strange, but each time it seemed to us that Nick Mendoza imagined himself Ajay Gale or Jaysan. You know, this comparison just did not appear, because sometimes the game just painfully resembles the last two parts of Fra Cry. All enemies are strong and fast, constantly superior in numbers. You are given some kind of territory with enemies that you need to remove, there is a button that, in case of your defeat, calls up a whole detachment of reinforcements, there is noise and much more. Couple, even some tasks look like outposts in Far Cry, which, as you remember, could be captured.

"Unusual stealth mode" - so it is named for a reason, as there is some police detail. Crouching Nick has a taser, along with handcuffs and a police badge. If he unexpectedly appears to his enemies, then Nick will simply tie them up and they will most likely be imprisoned, but when the "bad guys" are bandaged, it is necessary to keep them at gunpoint so that they do not do anything. In addition, you can stun someone with a teaser or your club. If you look from the outside, then everything looks very absurd: the detective quietly sneaks up to a pack of smoking bandits and pokes his badge in their face, methodically tying everyone up, and they, in turn, obediently obey him and obey to lie on the damp ground.