Battlefield Hardline is a much more intimate Battlefield. The take on cops and robbers from Visceral takes the Battlefield formula and layers it onto the streets of LA. Instead of jets, tanks, and boats, Hardline fits the mold of the Battlefield series onto urban environments that will only appeal to a fraction of Battlefield fans, but those fans are in for a treat.
It's been a year since DICE showed off anything about the next Mirror's Edge game. Rather than show a normal CG trailer, they elected for a more conceptual look, talking about some of the ways they're building off the first Mirror's Edge. The main things they focus on are movement through the environment, looking at the world as a puzzle to solve through parkour. That parkour also plays into combat, using acrobatic moves and geometry to get the upper hand against enemies. The video doesn't show a gun in Faith's hands at any point, only in enemies', so hopefully it will stay that way into the final game. While DICE didn't announce a release date for the next Mirror's Edge, it is known that it will be coming to the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.
After several attempts and restarts by multiple studios, a new Battlefront is actually happening. During EA's press conference, they snuck in the above teaser trailer, showing the frigid wasteland of Hoth as a snowspeeder crashes across the screen and an AT-AT foot stomps down. It's been eight years since the last games, Battlefront 2, and with the newly christened deal between Disney and EA, DICE is set to develop the new Battlefront on the Frostbite 3 engine. There are no other details about the game beyond that. Pre-production just barely started so don't expect Battlefront to come to current generation consoles or any time before 2015.
After years of whispers about a possible sequel, EA finally unveiled a follow up to Mirror’s Edge this year at their E3 press conference. While not exactly Mirror’s Edge 2, this new game will be a prequel to the original game, telling the origin story of Faith. The game will utilize the new Frostbite 3 engine and work as an open-world game. No dates were announced for this new Mirror’s Edge, with the trailer simply saying coming when it’s ready, but it will be released for next-generation consoles and PC.
DICE introduced two new gameplay demos this week, one at the Microsoft press conference and another at the EA press conference, showcasing both the singleplayer and multiplayer aspects of Battlefield 4. A total of 64 people on were live on stage playing the multiplayer demo on PCs, but next-generation consoles will also support up to 64 players. While the singleplayer trailer below has the player gauntlet through a scripted escape sequence off an aircraft carrier, the multiplayer shows the level of fidelity Battlefield 4 brings with its destruction on the new Frostbite 3 engine. Battlefield 4 releases on October 29 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC, with Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions coming later this year.
EA released the second trailer for the upcoming expansion for Battlefield 3, Close Quarters. This trailer highlights an intense firefight on the Donya Fortress map with seemingly enhanced destruction. In contrast to the map packs for Call of Duty, expansions for the Battlefield series tend to centralize around a theme, Close Quarters focusing on tight maps for short-range combat. In addition to the new maps, the expansion will include new weapons and vehicles. Battlefield 3: Close Quarters will release sometime in June for the all three platforms (Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC) with PlayStation 3 players accessing the content a week earlier than the others.
