After 15 years, DICE has announced that EA will remove Battlefield 1943 and Bad Company 1 and 2 from digital stores ahead of closing servers for these titles.
Now Battlefield 2042 has been up and running for a few years; DICE has announced that starting April 28 2023, Battlefield 1943 and Bad Company 1 and 2 will no longer be purchasable in online stores. This move is a pre-emptive strike to ease these three games into retirement, as you also won’t be able to play online after December 8.
In a blog post, DICE summarized its fond feelings for these soon-to-be discontinued FPS games. “We’re now looking forward to creating new memories alongside you as we shift our focus towards our current and future Battlefield experiences”, DICE said.
DICE also reportedly included Mirror’s Edge in the list of soon-to-be canceled titles but later removed any mention of the game from its blog post.
Good old times
I enjoyed Battlefield 1943 immensely; it was the last time I actually enjoyed a Battlefield game, so I'm sad to see it go.
I loved the simplicity of this multiplayer shooter. By boiling the format down to its essentials, DICE ensured everything was done well and that the experience was balanced. Instead of running around like a chicken with its head cut off, 1943 rewarded strategy and tactical decision-making.
While chaotic firefights in games like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 remake can be a lot of fun, having an FPS title that encouraged you to go beyond this was refreshing. I just wish DICE kept these habits up for its later games.
Tricks and tips
Despite the solid graphics and performance, I initially found Battlefield 2042 to be pretty draining. The shiny weapons needed a good amount of elbow grease and attachments to work well, and I often found myself waylaid in my attempts to track down usable vehicles.
This made Battlefield 2042 a confusing mess where players converged on a single meta
The worst crime was the introduction of Specialists. These replaced class and loadout systems with characters that were able to equip any weapon or gadget without restrictions. For instance, even if a Specialist is an Assault type, they don’t necessarily play in the way you feel an Assault would. This made Battlefield 2042 a confusing mess where players converged on a single meta. In practice, this amounted to hordes of acrobatic soldiers zooming around battlefields with chaotic abandon and grapples.
Hopefully, with Battlefield 1943 ending, DICE has time to reflect on this classic title and see how it can bring simplicity into its new games. I’d personally take strategic gameplay over power-hungry players armed to the teeth with ammo and helicopters any day.
