Battlefield 1 Review
 CHEATfactor Game Review by: Joe Sinicki
Reviewed on: PC

Welcome to our CHEATfactor Game Review of Battlefield 1. We review the game and then factor in how the available cheats affect the overall game experience. For better or worse, our reviews will help you decide whether or not to use cheats when playing the game.

It may not seem like it but Battlefield 1 may be the biggest gamble of any game released this year. Yes, it's built on the DNA of one of the biggest shooter franchises perhaps of all time but it does so in a way we've never seen before. Yes, Battlefield 1 feels like the latest installment in Dice and EA's long running series, but it also feels like something completely different, something with an identity all its own and it's no question something worth your time. By daring to do something different with Battlefield 1, EA distances itself from the competition and has a bonafide hit on its hands.

...it's a really cool and novel approach.
Battlefield 1 Review Screenshot

The biggest and most obvious change in Battlefield 1 is how important the single player campaign is to the entire package. It's no secret that in recent years Battlefield games were built on the strength of their multiplayer games and while that may still be partly true, the campaign mode has never felt as important as it does here. In fact, Battlefield 1's campaign feels different right from the moment you start it thanks to the non-linear structure. While most shooters put you in the shoes of one lone soldier in the middle of a war, Battlefield 1 aims to tell you five mostly unconnected stories of people at different times, places and origins in the great war, and it's a really cool and novel approach.

By telling us more than one story, EA and Dice have managed to create something that feels larger than that of most games but somehow still more personal. Video games in general have a  tendency to trivialize conflict and death but Battlefield 1 does a great job at least trying to remedy that. In most cases you're still shooting and stabbing everything that's different than you but the game does a remarkable job in humanizing the conflict making you care even more than you would in most games. You can play any of the five war stories in any order you'd like and thankfully they're different enough that it matters. My favorite was the “Friends in High Place” story that puts you in the boots of a British pilot in both ground and super satisfying air based dog fights but there's also “Nothing is written,” which teams you up with Lawrence of Arabia  and  “Through Mud and Blood,” which features one of the most thrilling opening sequences I've ever played.

It also helps that EA and Dice have done such a great job putting the events of Battlefield 1 in such a remarkably realistic yet fun world. Especially on maxed out settings, the world of Battlefield 1 shines with detail. This is most obvious in stories like Through Mud and Blood, where you're battling through war-zones while buildings and entire villages crumble around you. Sound design is done similarly well, which is especially noticeable when playing with a great set of headphones. The Battlefield series has always had high production values but Battlefield 1 is undoubtedly a high point.

...early model tanks are a ton of fun to drive...
Battlefield 1 Review Screenshot

The most remarkable part of all of this is just how fun EA and Dice made the game feel so much like a traditional Battlefield experience while stripping it of so many features that made the series what it is today. Save for a few games, the Battlefield series has mostly taken place in relatively modern times so the weaponry and tech of the first world war feels remarkably different. You may not have access to things like automatic rifles or fighter jets but early model tanks are a ton of fun to drive and nearly every weapon feels new. Similarly, experimenting with weapons and different strategies feels a lot more organic than in previous games since you're not used to many of them.

Of course, this is still a Battlefield game and the majority of your time will be spent playing around in the game's multiplayer modes which you'll be happy to know are just as crazy and more importantly, just as fun as ever here.  You may not have those jet engines but zooming through the desert in classic fighter planes is remarkably fun but not quite as shooting them down. The multiplayer in Battlefield 1 doesn't do much different than it's predecessors, but it does continue the precedent of amazingly fun combat in huge maps. You still get the feeling that you're playing with army figures and vehicles and you'll be spending a ton of time here, win or lose.

It could have been a mess, but Battlefield 1 is a remarkably dramatic and fun experience. It's miles ahead of anything the series has done in recent years and manages to do things most war games can only dream of. I didn't expect to write this sentence but Battlefield 1 is one of the most well-rounded shooters I've played this year and I can't recommend it enough.

Overall: 8/10
Presentation:
8
Gameplay:
9
Lasting Appeal:
8
CHEATfactor:
9
CHEATfactor
You may not have modern tools like automatic weapons or fighter jets in Battlefield 4, but the trainer from Cheat Happens gives you nearly everything you may need to take out your enemies. Unlimited health, kills and ammo are instantly helpful but the easiest one to recommend is the invisibility cheat, which helps you get through some of the game’s bigger and slower sections with little effort.
Joe Sinicki
Joe started off writing about video games for small fan sites when he realized he should probably do something with his communications degree and didn't want to get into the grind of daily reporting. Joining the team in late 2008, Joe is the featured game reviewer for Cheat Happens, producing up to 10 CHEATfactor Game Reviews per month.