A lot of young players may not know that Battlefield was once the king of multiplayer back in the early 2000’s. It was highly moddable and created one of the biggest modding communities PC gaming had seen. The game pushed PCs to their limits and featured a robust multiplayer suite.
Battlefield 1942
Release Date: 9/10/2002 — PC
GameRankings: PC: 88%
Sales: Unknown
1942 was a huge success and out shined EA’s other WWII shooter Medal of Honor: Allied Assault. It was revolutionary in a sense that the game actually felt like a war. Dozens of players on one map with vehicles and bullets flying everywhere was so much better than the on-rails campaigns. Battlefield would go on to be one of the top FPS games of all time, but EA just didn’t know that yet.
Battlefield 1942: The Road to Rome
Release Date: 2/2/2003 — PC
GameRankings: PC: 81%
Sales: Unknown
Road to Rome was the first and highly anticipated expansion to 1942. It was priced at only $20 and featured new maps and vehicles that the Battlefield fans loved. Allied Assault had run its course so EA was banking heavily on Battlefield to continue to sell well. The modding community was still going strong and Call of Duty was due out at the end of the year.
Battlefield 1942: Secret Weapons of WWII
Release Date: 9/4/2003 — PC
GameRankings: PC: 82%
Sales: Unknown
The last and final expansion to 1942 was well received but garnered criticism for a more expensive price tag ($30) and not offering enough for the price. It was still solid, but fans were starting to tire of the series and genre in general. Call of Duty was due out next month so players started preparing for what that game was going to offer.
Battlefield 1943
Release Date: 7/9/2009 — PC, PS3, X360
GameRankings: PC, PS3: 85%
X360: 84%
Sales: Unknown
It was really risky for EA to release a WWII shooter after every other series had died off. However, gamers loved the game because of the large open maps and addictive multiplayer. While the modern Battlefield was in full force, it was nice to see the original series make a come back. Being 6 years in hiatus was a large gap and it allowed a new generation of gamers to enjoy the series. The only downside to the game was that there were only 3 maps, but the vehicles were strategically placed and the game was just amazing. It was nice to see the old Battlefield with next-generation graphics. The only downside is that the game was a flash in the pan. It was quickly overtaken by the new Call of Duty and Battlefield games. The small price point of $15 helped it out a lot though and was a huge hit. This would also be the one and only Battlefield WWII game on consoles.
This would be the last Battlefield game set in WWII and it’s sad to know that the series didn’t go on for very long. It was a PC mammoth and the game is still played today which is a surprise. Battlefield went on with a modern reboot with Bad Company and the official sequel was set in modern times with a third game titled 2142 which was set in the future. That series was a huge success and quickly overlapped and replaced EA’s failing Medal of Honor series. It goes to show that may be a series only needs a couple of games and call it quits. EA was smart with Battlefield and preserved the game by not overdoing the yearly releases and forgoing handheld releases. Battlefield remains one of the most played shooters today and the WWII games are very memorable.
