Battlefield's upcoming redepolyment promises to broaden this generation's horizons - whereas Sony continue to tame theirs

The current generation remains incumbent by virtue of corporate inertia

Cast your mind to the halcyon days of 2021 - or, if you prefer our marginally less maddening present, don’t. Regardless, you may recall the curious campaign priming an eager audience for the arrival of Battlefield 2042: DICE’s brazen return to a milieu of speculative futurism. The reveal trailer promised grandiose skirmishes, dynamic climate disasters, and … a loose indication of its intrinsic design. Though it was designed to serve as a cross-generation title, Battlefield’s chaotic topography promised to remedy its arch-rival’s twitchy malaise - in principle. The idea of Battlefield 2042 preceded its scope; a questionable beta failed to quell anxieties. Upon launch - rather, failure to achieve altitude - players were greeted by poor servers, laughably amateur graphical woes, and dull map design. Swiftly, its audience discerned the root of its conceptual evil: the game was purportedly developed as a battle royale experience, counter to Battlefield’s eminent focus on team interplay and environmental cohesion. Aforementioned maps were far too expansive, populated with limited elements; I can vivdly recall sprinting across Malickan fields of grass to similarly pensive effect. Supposition notwithstanding, the game was a disaster unto itself - greater than the hurricanes it wove.

Vince Zampella, Respawn’s highest council, spoke to IGN regarding Battlefield’s rigorous revamp under his purview: notably, he promsied “nice, dense (…) well-designed play spaces” as a remedy to 2042’s listless plains. A complimentary slice of concept art accompanied his comments, ostensibly portraying Gibraltar under siege. Tom Henderson expounded upon Zampella’s spin, claiming the game is centred upon a hot war between a private military corporation and NATO: no greater banner to fight under than the almighty dollar - or crypto, whatever evil henchman receive these days. Naturally, this is a safe decision on Zampella’s behalf: painting Russia, China, and its sympathisers as hostile parties in this current moment would be slightly inflammatory. We come to games for escapism, after all - and to train our thumbs for drone piloting should war break out.

Henderson spoke to a desire from the team to emphasise “Battlefield moments”: plays of pure spectacle, wherein the divine hand of the Frostbite Engine delivers your fate at a CPU-shattering cadence. Presuming this title will target the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and its PC kin, one may recognise the potential for faster locomotion, increased minutiae in representing destruction, and a greater harmony in environmental storytelling. The kinetic thrill of diving from a fighter jet into an earthbound (ha) battle can be delivered to visceral effect; haptic responses could immerse one further - unless you are bound to your Xbox Series’ batterypunk controller. Additionally, the title has yet to be settled - the top two contenders are ‘Battlefield’ and ‘Battlefield 6’. Great work team, let’s take the rest of the day off after surviving such a taxing brainstorm.

Do I have a better title in mind? Well, considering that I only know the loose shape of the game, its intentions, and the failings of its last entry, I would suggest ‘Battlefield One’ - definitive. Oh, it’s taken already? ‘Battlefield Minus One'‘, then.

Electronic Arts have recognised the imperiative of returning Battlefield to its two-degrees-from-realism roots, albeit with a helping of bespoke battle royale on the side. Thus, the primary experience can retain its core participants, while nomads from contemporary titles may be enticed to give Apex Legend’s cousin a spin. I believe in the ‘yes, and’ principle, personally: if Zampella and co. want to develop the series’ classic formula further, I support this reanimated rendition shaking up a deeply stagnating space. Conversely, as an addendum on my last article, ERSB’s recognition of a remaster of Horizon Zero Dawn promises to enbalm this generation in perpetuity.

If you are one of the 117.2 million who own a PlayStation 4, you likely engaged with Guerrila Games’ Horizon Zero Dawn - greater than the sum of its vague title. The quasi-cyberviking/Jurassic Park aesthetic was rather novel; I found its environments to be pleasantly luscious. Though I barely set my gaze upon its quests, much less the horizon, I appreciated an original title weathering the winds of uncharted expectation - ha, again. When a 60fps patch launched for the PS5, I presumed it to be Guerrila’s final statement on the game: blades of grass would dance to greater fluidity, robot dinosaurs would snarl just a little scarier. However, the ESRB - gaming’s most authoriative leaker - recently published a listing on Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered: a confounding facelift for a reasonably youthful title.

Nevertheless, it is not entirely unprecedented: Naughty Dog shamelessly sanctioned The Last of Us: Part II Remastered for January of this year, likely a mea culpa for their failed live-service experience. On the PlayStation 4, The Last of Us: Part II (hereon referred to as The Second Last of Us: Revenge is Mean and Sad) was the most impressive achievement in commercial gaming I have endured: the character animations alone were aching, grizzly, and - dare I raise this spectre - cinematic! Irrespective of resolution, several sequences made my heart sink, my stomach twist, and my palms sweaty - similarly to how I felt playing Fortnite on launch. Again, when a 60fps patch came to the PS5, it made an already gorgeous game a touch smoother; was a native remaster necessary aside from conserving console storage? Not at all. On The Last of Us Part I discussion: less egregious, as it bridged two generations of fidelity rather impressively - wait, there was a remaster for the PS4 you could freely play on the PS5? Well, in that case: boo!

I would dare address Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered as a premium demo disc for the PlayStation 5 Pro: a bespoke, internal illustration of the improved rendering capabilities of the upcoming behemoth. One could argue Spider-Man Remastered was the erstwhile zenith of Sony’s creative decline; remember all of the fuss over Peter’s new face? Regardless, it is hard to refute grumblings that this generation has failed to produce a defining title throughout its four-year reign. Curiously, my favourite game of this generation alone thus far was Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty - on a technicality. Sorry, Elden Ring.

Yes, game development is torturous: I have great sympathy for those ensnared in manners of institutional crunch. I am certain the team behind Horizon Zero Dawn Remastered found great reference in preexisting assets, rather than materialising entirely new elements for a new title. If this helps to lessen the strain on PlayStation Studios’ original development pipeline and ensure their employees maintain a healthy relationship with their profession, I fully support the move. However, I could play Horizon Zero Dawn beginning to end without a single hiccup on my PS5. If I try to play my PS3 disc of Infamous 2 on that same console, however, it would spit it out at once, then patronise me with an error message. Why not revise titles lost to time? Speaking on Insomniac, there are a suite of Ratchet and Clank games from the PS3 generation immaterially accessible on the current generation: compile those! Ask Konami if Bluepoint could remake Metal Gear Solid 4, unless they are busy remastering Bloodbourne - ha, for the last time.

How will we look upon the earliest days of this generation come its merciful end? I would imagine as a brisk jog upon a treadmill: meaningless steps forward at an asynchronous pace. Some studios challenged the form; others were dutifully dogmatic. A friendly reminder: Grand Theft Auto VI has yet to launch. When you wish upon Rockstar…