CNET también está disponible en español.

Ir a español

Don't show this again

Video Games

Battlefield 5 fans are mad the game has bright colors, female soldiers

Dice’s iconic shooter goes back to World War II on October 19th, but not everybody’s happy about it.

For generations (game console generations, that is) two factions have fought over the right to be called the most popular first-person shooter. Last week, Call of Duty laid its cards on the table, drastically changing the CoD formula to shoe-in a battle royale mode. Battlefield V developer Dice had its turn on Wednesday, revealing a revamped take on the series with its own gimmicks. 

Specifically, Dice is bringing Battlefield back to where it all started: World War II. Oh, and it's also going to have customizable multiplayer avatars with vanity items and will feature women on the front lines. Some fans are not happy.

Most of the reveal event (hosted, oddly, by the Daily Show's Trevor Noah) focused on the return to World War II and the core gameplay. That includes bringing back classic Battlefield multiplayer modes like majority rule conquest -- but there are tons of new features to drool over, too.

bf23k2l3

 Dice

Take "grand operations," for instance. This upgraded mode takes players on a tour across multiple game modes and multiple maps. The operation experience isn't set in stone, either: the next map in a game will be chosen based on how the previous round ended.

The idea, the developers say, is to use the progression of a battle to tell the story through the medium of online multiplayer. If you're looking for a more conventional narrative, however, don't worry: The War Stories mode introduced in Battlefield 1 is coming back to serve up adventures focusing on specific heroes.

Fan reaction to those heroes, however, seems to be mixed. Like Call of Duty, there are big changes coming to Battlefield V. Specifically, in the monetary department. Remember the lootbox controversy that plagued Star Wars: Battlefront II? Dice promises it won't carryover to Battlefield V, saying that players "can't pay to get an unfair advantage." They will be able spend real money on cosmetic items, however -- which will allow them to customize their in-game character.

For the most part, that's really exciting, but some fans are a little worried this will make the game feel a little silly.

And maybe they have a little bit of a point...

On the other hand realism has always been tenuous at best in the Battlefield franchise.

And who wouldn't want to play as God of War's Kratos on the front lines of World War II?

Actually, this idea is starting to sound really good:

screen-shot-2018-05-24-at-10-50-06-am

Most of the community seems to be honing in on good-natured jokes about the game's content and the character customization options, but unfortunately, there has also been some degree of backlash at the inclusion of a disabled, female resistance fighter in the launch trailer.

screen-shot-2018-05-23-at-2-40-10-pm

Ah, Reddit.

 @sebmal (Twitter)

At this point, what role this character will have in the game isn't clear, but there's plenty of historical precedent for telling stories about the women of World War II. The US army may not have put women on the front line, but female soldiers saw action on both the Russian front and in the French resistance.

At least the community can agree on one thing: DLC is terrible. Good thing, then, that Battlefield's series-standard DLC is gone: There will be no premium pass in Battlefield V. All players will get access to every multiplayer map released after launch.

Oh, and speaking of launch, the game will be released worldwide on October 19 for Xbox One, PS4 and PC.

Miss the live announcement? You can rewatch the whole thing right here:

Next Article: What the GDPR means for Facebook, the EU and you