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2042 is a game that they wanted to be a long lasting title in the franchise with the main focus being multiplayer which was made apparent in the marketing but what we got was a striped back almost beta-like game, especially on release.
Years of updates have dragged the game into a serviceable state, but by the time things improved it was already to late, the damage was done. On top of that, microtransactions and a heavy emphasis on cosmetic skins and collaborations felt out of place and only added to the sense that the game prioritized monetization instead of the community.
I believe that disdain for the game in general was necessary for the franchise to improve, which is hopefully what we are seeing with Battlefield 6.
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Price Paid: A$ 139.95.

Achievements: Most come as you play, though some are extremely grindy. Portal can speed things up, but the hardest ones are probably in Hazard Zone, good luck finding a match.


With Battlefield 6, there’s very little reason to pick up 2042 at this point. And even then, previous entries in the series still have active player bases and arguably offer better experiences.

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https://v1.steam.hlxgame.cc/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3582079857
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A sequel to Battlefield 4, set 22 years in a climate-ravaged future, you play as the “No-Pats” — mercenaries hired by global superpowers to fight their wars. The premise had potential through gameplay with environmental collapse and destruction shaping the maps, but the game barely does anything with it. There is no single-player campaign which is a real disappointment as the single player was something I enjoyed a lot when I was younger. All the lore and worldbuilding that exists is scattered through the official website, community wiki, and what people have pieced together and shared on reddit. The game itself tells you almost nothing, except for what you may be able to surmise from trailers and maps.
The writing for the Specialists, or No-Pats, is some of the most awkward and forced I’ve heard. The lines feel like they belong in a hero-shooter rather than coming from soldiers in the middle of a war, and yet even with all the quotes and their design they lack any actual personality.

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The ambition with 2042 was clear, but the execution leaves the core gameplay feeling stretched thin. Even with 128-player battles, maps can feel enormous and empty, where you can end up running for some time with little happening only to get gunned down by a jet or sniped by a tank which is especially bad when you are primarily an infantry player. Majority of the time, at least in OCE, full 128-player lobbies are uncommon, and most matches are filled with bots and the classic 64 player matches being the most popular, for good reason.

Tornadoes and storms rip through maps in 2042, which is impressive and exciting the first time you see them, maybe even the next few times. But the novelty quickly wears off, and they become more of an annoyance than anything disrupting your HUD, interfering with electronics, and tossing you around.

The introduction of Specialists felt like a step backwards. Instead of creating more freedom and flexibility with loadouts, they ended up reducing team play. Even after the reintroduction of a semi-class system, individual character gadgets still felt like the main focus rather than team roles. While weapon access was opened up, DICE tried to justify class-specific weapons through small proficiency bonuses, for example, Assault players getting three extra magazines. However, this did very little.

Portal mode is easily the best feature to come out of 2042, offering a sandbox where players can build and share custom game modes using content from past Battlefield titles. While it’s not something I personally spent much time with, there’s a featured game mode that rotates weekly on the home screen, often created by community members or even YouTubers and streamers. The mode also includes a server browser, allowing you to find and join populated lobbies, though usually with reduced XP gains.

Hazard Zone is an attempt at a ‘high-stakes’ squad-based extraction mode, often compared to Tarkov — though it’s not on the same page let alone in the same book. You and three squadmates are dropped into an OG 2042 map against multiple enemy teams, tasked with collecting data drives while fighting AI and other players. After gathering enough drives, you have two chances to extract via VTOL, which almost always turns into a fight over the extraction points. Very few people play this mode because it doesn’t offer much, and even when you do find players, it’s common to encounter campers that purely just sit at extract points. It’s an exhausting experience, and to complete achievements, I had to use a VPN just to find eight players for a single match.
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Since Battlefield 2042 is primarily multiplayer, the challenge in PvP matches depends almost entirely on your skill and who you get matched with. The game also offers AI bot modes, which range from just shooting sitting targets to surprisingly tough opponents who are better than most players. Or, if you prefer, you can just sit in a tank an entire match like a Jackass.
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https://v1.steam.hlxgame.cc/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3582080556
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Visually, the textures, models, and effects in 2042 are all solid. The problem is the art direction, everything looks too clean and sterile, lacking personality or distinctive detail, which makes the game look worse than it actually is. They did attempt to rectify this over time by adding more debris around the maps but it did very little to improve the overall bland style. That said, some of the map releases later on were better designed and offered genuinely solid experiences.
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Audio is a downgrade across the board compared to previous entries. While it has improved since release, the overall range still feels limited, certain sound effects come across as compressed, and directional audio is unreliable. Footsteps are often difficult to track or simply fail to play entirely, tanks can sometimes just sneak up on you with little warning.
The soundtrack is equally forgettable. It lacks identity and comes across as generally generic. While it may fit the game’s theme, it fails to stand out or add any real emotion to the gameplay, unlike, dare I say, the previous titles.
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I’ve seen a lot of complaints about poor performance, but honestly my experience has been the opposite. The game runs smoothly, stable frame rates even in 128-player matches, and no stuttering or crashes on my end. I still ran into the occasional bug however, even after years of patches. Being disconnected from the server randomly, my character just floating next to the vehicle and broken animations when downed.


https://v1.steam.hlxgame.cc/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3582081489
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Played on:
Windows 11.
3440x1440.
i9-12900K.
64GB DDR5.
4080 Super.

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I originally wasn't interested, but out of wanting something to play and a bit of curiosity about the return of some older bosses, I decided to give it a shot, and I’m glad I did. What started as an impulse buy quickly turned into an engaging and addictive experience and while it's not without a few complaints, it still has me eagerly awaiting more content. It leans heavily into familiar mechanics and aesthetics, but there are enough surprises to catch you off guard even after 50 hours in.
While it may not be a revolutionary new Souls game, it gives us a reason to jump back into the world of Elden Ring with some Roguelike mechanics. Though it can still be punishing, it might make things a bit more comfortable for some newcomers to give it a shot.
With Miyazaki stepping back, Junya Ishizaki takes the director’s chair with his experience from the Soulsborne series. His direction shows respect for what came before, maintaining the tone and quality fans expect. That said, it leans heavily on reused assets, and at times, it walks the line between a crafted spin-off and quick cash-grab.
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Hours Played: 58.4.
Achievements: 100%.
Price Paid: A$ 77.95.
Recommendation: It's not the next Dark Souls, and it doesn't need to be. If you're even slightly curious, it’s well worth your time.

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https://v1.steam.hlxgame.cc/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3500958930

• The story is vague, while it’s connected to Elden Ring and shares the same universe from what I can gather, it isn’t canon, instead presenting itself as a sort of potential or alternate timeline based on the events of The Shattering mentioned in the main game. If you are genuinely curious you can find quite a few videos on the subject at this point.
  
• Each of the main characters offer fragments to their backstory, gradually revealed through gameplay milestones and the Remembrance system. Remembrances function as scenario flashbacks or optional objectives during expeditions, giving you goals like defeating specific enemies or retrieving key items. While this system isn't forced and isn't required to complete the game, I’d recommend doing so, it provides small rewards for each character and adds to the overall narrative.

• Building on Elden Ring’s foundation with roguelike elements, it delivers an experience that’s familiar yet fresh. Combat remains satisfying and skill-based, but is now framed within three-day ‘Expeditions’, self-contained runs where you start with basic gear and earn new weapons, buffs, and runes (up to level 15). A battle-royale-style circle limits your time, pushing you inward. Days 1 and 2 share a map and end in a boss fight, while Day 3 features the final boss chosen before your run.
  
• Offering eight playable characters, each with distinct abilities, stat scaling's, weapon preferences and starting gear, making them more than cosmetic picks. You’re free to use any weapon, but leaning into a character’s strengths noticeably improves your runs. Some are clearly stronger in certain situations, but all are viable options.
  
• The relic system adds a layer of strategy to each run. Relics grant unique passive abilities or buffs that can change up your playstyle. While some relics feel essential, others offer niche effects. They're Earned at the end of a run or purchasable at the roundtable. You also have the option to sell relics, you'll find many just aren't very useful.
  
• The bosses are a mix of returning faces and new threats, the main expedition bosses all being (mostly) original and the highlight of the game. These major encounters bring a sense of scale, spectacle, and challenge that feels both fresh and worthy for veterans and newcomers. That said, many of them heavily favor ranged playstyles. Almost all are highly mobile, excessively so. It can be frustrating to blow through your stamina just to reach a boss, land one hit, only to watch them backflip across the arena and force you to chase them again. While the spectacle remains, the pacing of these fights may wear thin for melee focused players.

Difficulty.

• True to its lineage, NightReign doesn’t hold your hand and its difficulty often depends heavily on how your run plays out. If you don’t get the opportunity to gear up properly, the game can feel downright impossible at times. A bad start can quickly stream into an uphill climb.
  
• Enemies are scaled based on the number of players whether you're solo or in a full group of three. But if a player drops out mid-match which usually happens after they wander off alone and die the game doesn’t scale the difficulty back down. It feels punishing, and the game warns that you will be punished as well if you try to leave after.
  
• The achievements strike a balance between challenging and achievable, A decent chunk of them come naturally through progression defeating major bosses, and unlocking core mechanics. However the full completion list can require a bit more dedication, and luck.

https://v1.steam.hlxgame.cc/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3500959339‎ ‎
Visuals.

• While technically solid, the visuals struggle to stand on their own. The map features a few unique areas influenced by the expedition and shifting earth mechanics, but is mostly a patchwork of reused Limgrave terrain, with repeated ruins, cathedrals, and camps making up the main points of interest. Some of the familiar bosses lose a lot of their visual impact and atmosphere when pulled out of their respective arenas and dropped on top of you mid-run, that said, it's a treat being revisited by a returning Dark Souls boss with new textures and animations.
  
• The main bosses all share the same arena, which is reminiscent of Radahn’s, but even so, the bosses and fights themselves are all visually impressive and often put on quite a show.

Audio.

• The audio design is unsurprisingly, nearly identical to Elden Ring, that said, it still works. Combat sounds remain punchy and satisfying, with excellent feedback for hits, dodges, and parries. Enemy audio cues are sharp and distinct, helping you anticipate attacks through sound. It's solid and familiar, it does it's job well but don't expect anything new.
  
• The music carries forward the Souls signature style but manages to carve out its own identity. While the grand, boss themes return in full force commanding attention and elevating the fight what stood out to me most was how "pretty" some of the tracks were, with some of them becoming my favorite in the entire series. In a game full of reused assets the music stands out as more than just background noise, it's apart of the atmosphere.

Performance and Bugs.

• Overall, it runs smoothly on my PC, with a stable but locked 60fps framerate (which I personally don't think is that big of a deal even with a 240hz monitor) and decent loading times throughout most of the game. Performance is consistent even in more visually intense areas. That said, there’s one notable exception, a specific attack from one of the main bosses (you know the one). During this moment, the game noticeably stutters, only briefly, but just long enough to potentially throw you off and cost you a run.
  
• In typical Souls-fashion, it follows the long standing tradition of limited ultrawide support. Despite the resolution appearing in the settings, the game locks you into a 16:9 aspect ratio.

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https://v1.steam.hlxgame.cc/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3500959920
Played on:
Windows 11.
3440x1440.
i9-12900K.
64GB DDR5.
4080 Super.