Visceral Games has managed to do what I thought could not be done. They made a single-player experience in Battlefield that I didn't hate.

Now, that's not to say that this is an impossible feat. The Bad Company games proved that DICE could indeed make a single-player campaign that wasn't terrible. They just haven't done it for the last two games. First they tried to be 'Generation Kill' and 'The Hurt Locker' combined with BF3 and then they went completely off the boards with BF4. Still not sure what story they were trying to tell.

So, let's talk about the game without spoiling the plot.

Gameplay - since this is the part that everyone focuses on, let's do this first. First, there's replayability in terms of playing style. The game introduces a non-lethal aspect to the game with the option to arrest people instead of just shooting them. Haven't seen this done since SWAT 4, and it's not great, but it is serviceable and it changes the way the game can be played. You can, if you're willing to die and restart a bunch of times, get through a level without firing a single shot. It also gives you more rewards if you do choose this route.

Also, it brings in a gameplay mechanic that is reminiscent of the Detective Mode found in the Batman games. You can gather crime scene evidence to solve cases and get extra rewards. This is joined by a stealth mechanic that is interesting, if a bit wonky at times and a method 'covering' suspects until they can be restrained. If you don't cover them, they can draw a weapon and fire. You know, like what happens to real police officers.

The gun ballistics are not awful, but not outstanding. Enemies have bulletproof shirts, apparently. However, a headshot is an instant kill. Your own health depletes rather quickly, even with body armor. I did get killed by one guy in one shot. Came as a real shock (yes, I heard myself say that). AI is not very smart, but it will flank you and use Molotov cocktails, as well as tear gas and incendiary grenades to flush you out of cover. They will also fire through fragile cover, so staying still and trying to do the Whack-a-Mole thing is going to get you killed. You also don't have a lot of ammo, so you'll burn through it fast. Make your shots count or run like hell.

Plot - if you have seen Miami Vice: The Movie, you'll gather that someone at Visceral did, too. And that's not a bad thing. The movie (even with a completely miscast Colin Farrell) was essentially a mashup of the episodes of "Smuggler's Blues" and "Calderone Returns: Pt 1 & 2", which are probably two of the best episodes of the entire series. The plot of the game follows it fairly well. Private armies, dirty cops, anti-government militias, militarized police, the Everglades...it's all there. There's even a sly reference or two to the TV show.

That's another thing, the campaign plays in episodes, just like a TV show. And if you're looking a hero story, where the cop gets all the bad guys and goes back on the job after vanquishing the big bad, you're looking for the wrong story. There are no good or bad guys. It's a simple revenge tale, nothing more, nothing less. Don't go into thinking there's a white hat and a black hat. They're all grey.

Graphics & Audio - I bought it for the PS3, so it's obvious that the eye candy was dialed back to be able to run on last-gen tech. I will probably have to get this for the PC, to enjoy it all. But, it's still a nice-looking game and I noticed no hiccups or lagging. The audio is, as it always in a Battlefield game, absolutely stellar. The guns sound...real. I mean, really real. Unlike the crappy audio you find in Call of Duty games, the game audio in Hardline is fantastic.

Like Miami Vice, it ties music and visuals excellently. I hate rap, I hated the subject matter of the soundtrack, but it fits the game very well. It's very believable and atmospheric, even if the physics of the car chases aren't. Michael Mann would approve.

The voice acting is sometimes corny, but the dialogue is very well-written most of the time and the actors are quite believable. You will actually care what happens to the characters at the end, and be left wondering what becomes of them, what their fates will be. Eugene Byrd ("Boomer") steals the show. Generally well-written and competently-delivered script.

Final Thoughts - it's worth the cover price. A lot of the gaming press is describing the game as the first Battlefield game in which the multiplayer is tacked on as an afterthought. They're spot on. The game has a bit of a slow start, but once it gets rolling, it's rolling. You will like it. I think with the BF multiplayer as well as the option to go back and replay the game with a different style of play makes it worth the price.

Hope this is where you wanted your topic PFunk.
Let me know if it's not.

Murphy.

Pfunk actually liked a contemporary game. Wow

The other 'Chuck' (Magnum) wanted a refund on this same title though.

Actually, I just wanted the PC version refunded, got the XB1 version, and so far only done 3 episodes but I kinda agree with pfunk, pretty good so far, first 3 episodes have been good but I'm told it gets stupid later on with helicopters and even a tank.

Very rare that pfunk and I agree, are past has shown a complete opposite.

But I will reply to pfunk's "review", as much as I like it so far, it's not all rainbows and butterflies. But I think it's the cop in me, the tactical instructor in me, that has issues.

IMO they should of hired a technical advisor, or hell... Ask me...

IE: 1) you woundnt be discussing lunch as you know on the door for a raid, afterwards maybe. 2) you sure the hell wouldn't knock on the door with the butt of your weapon. 3) you wouldn't be arguing in the middle of a battle about who failed to cover who, maybe in the debrief. 4) you wouldn't stand in the fatal tunnel, each would button hook in. 5) you wouldn't handcuff someone with your gun out, 1 handcuffs, 1 covers. 6) you wouldn't take a airboat ride into someone else's jurisdiction without permission. 7) you sure wouldn't take on 12 bad guys with rifles with just 2 cops and pistols... Etc etc etc...

But it is fun, check out some of my vids on you tube if interested.

If you treat it for what it is, a playable action movie, it isn't bad. It's actually quite good.

The thing with the tank and helicopters is pretty funny, at least the circumstances surrounding it are. No cornier than an episode of TV. I keep coming back to Miami Vice, and it's appropriate. There was some really dumb stuff on that show, but we ate it like popcorn back in the 80s.

It tells a pretty good story and it isn't the same old boring gameplay. I'm glad Visceral tried something different.

My first impression of the PC version are very disappointing. I have done 2 episodes so far and found it very linear, very unrealistic & & frustratingly slow with the cut scenes & movie dialogue. First impression of multiplayer was that it is the same bunny hop fest as others & does not add anything to the genre at all.

But if you guys like it for what it is, I will revisit it to go beyond first impressions. I always manage to enjoy the CoD campaigns for what they are & but so far this one isn't pushing my buttons.

I found the campaign to be the same old boring, generic, predictable 'cinematic' experience as we see in a lot of games these days. The story is about as exciting and deep as the assembly sheet to my IKEA table. The entire thing is riddled with non-gameplay and cinematics or cinematic events. You have surprisingly few real shootouts and when you do, it's just a small area. You don't get points for kills, you have to run around arresting everyone to reach the campaign ranks in one playthrough, which is a mundane mechanic.

Plus the game is way, way too easy. Played on Veteran difficulty and I walked right through it all with ease, completing it in around 5 hours.

A forgettable experience that fell way, way short of what I expected from the Dead Space developer.