Battlefield 1943

Battlefield 1943
Release date	Xbox Live Arcade July 8, 2009 PlayStation Network July 9, 2009 Microsoft Windows Cancelled Xbox One (Backward compatibility) May 25, 2018
Crew
Developer(s)	DICE
Publisher(s)	Electronic Arts
Technical Details
Engine	Frostbite 1.5
Genre	First-person shooter
Mode(s)	Multiplayer (Xbox Live, PlayStation Network)
Ratings	ESRB: T PEGI: 16+
Media	Digital distribution
System requirements	Active internet connection
Input methods	Gamepad

Battlefield 1943 (also known as BF1943) is the eighth installment in the Battlefield Series and was developed by DICE and published by Electronic Arts. On August 31, 2010, it was announced that Battlefield 1943 would be bundled with the Ultimate Edition of Battlefield: Bad Company 2.

On February 3, 2011, it was announced that the development of the PC version along with the Onslaught for Bad Company 2 on the same platform was cancelled to concentrate all work on the release of Battlefield 3.

Xbox announced Battlefield 1943 can be play on Xbox One via Backward compatibility feature on May 25, 2018.

Overview

Battlefield 1943 is set in the Pacific Theater of World War II.

Gameplay

Battlefield 1943 is a class-based first-person shooter. The game features three classes:

• Rifleman
• Scout
• Infantry

Players can also drive or pilot four vehicles: a jeep, a landing craft, a tank, and an airplane, all of which are faction specific. The game features two gametypes, Conquest and Air Superiority. A new feature called the bombing run allows the player to directly control three medium bomber airplanes (American: B-25 Mitchell, and Japanese: G4M Mitsubishi) that can be guided to an enemy area to conduct Carpet Bombing.

Battlefield 1943 utilizes the 1.5 version of the Frostbite Engine, improving upon destructible environments and allowing entire buildings to be destroyed.

Maps

Battlefield 1943 features four classic maps from Battlefield 1942, one of which, Coral Sea, was later unlocked after the community reached a collective count of 43,000,000 kills. As such, it is not considered to be the "sequel" to Battlefield 1942, but more of a "revisioning" of it.

All maps allow a maximum of 24 players to engage one another, playing as either the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN) or the United States Marine Corps (USMC).

Weapons

Battlefield 1943 does not feature any unlocks, so all weapons are faction defaults. All weapon of equivalent role for each faction are statistically identical.

All guns have infinite backup ammunition. Explosives and gadgets regenerate ammunition when they are depleted.

Battlefield 1943 uses the Frostbite Engine as well, so explosives are capable of destruction and ground deformation.

Rifle mounted bayonets have a better reach than wrenches or short swords.

Soundtrack

The Battlefield 1943 theme is the only music track in-game and is the same as the famed theme to Battlefield 1942 with only some minor differences as it is an updated and orchestrated version. Jeeps can play the theme on one of the radio stations during rounds.

Achievements and Trophies

Main article: Battlefield 1943 Achievements and Trophies

Reception

Reception
Review scores
1UP	B+
EuroG	8/10
GI	8.5/10
GamePro	4.5/5
GameRev	B+
GSpot	8/10
GSpy	4.5/5
IGN	8.5/10
OPMUK	8/10
OXM	7.5/10
PSM3	87/100
Aggregate scores
Game Rankings	85.76% (PlayStation 3) 84.90% (Xbox 360)
Metacritic	84/100 (PlayStation 3) 83/100 (Xbox 360)

Battlefield 1943 has garnered positive reviews from industry critics.

• On Metacritic, the game has metascores of 84 for PlayStation 3 and 83 for Xbox 360.
• On GameRankings, the game has a scores of 85.76% for PlayStation 3 and 84.90% for Xbox 360.
• GameSpot gave the game an 8 out of 10, saying that "The balanced classes, diverse vehicles, and dynamic maps provide the kind of variety and replayability that is the hallmark of the most engaging online shooters, making Battlefield 1943 well worth the $14.99 asking price."
• IGN gave the game an 8.5 out of 10, saying that "You won't find anything new in terms of gameplay, but the seven-year old Battlefield formula remains a lot of fun today. This is a streamlined game that does one thing and does it well: online multiplayer battles."
• GameVortex gave the game a 9.3 out of 10, saying that "The guys at DICE have taken what could have been a full priced retail game and offered it as a digital download. I think it paid off big for them because now that it sits on my XMB every time I turn on my PS3, I have to fight the urge to jump right back in. Battlefield 1943 follows in the footsteps of Warhawk and any fan of shooters on the PS3 needs to own this game."

PS3 Owners vs. EA Lawsuit

At Sony's E3 2011 press conference, EA announced that for all PlayStation 3 players, each new copy of Battlefield 3 would come with a free code of Battlefield 1943. This resulted in many to buy/pre-order the game, greatly boosting the game's overall sales. It was later revealed that EA and DICE had decided to retract their offer, stating that many of those who had pre-ordered Battlefield 3 already owned Battlefield 1943 and had been playing it for years. To compensate for this, EA and Sony announced that all PSN users would get a week early access to Back to Karkand.

In spite of this, several PlayStation 3 owners filed a class action lawsuit against EA. Edelson McGuire, head of the group, alleged that EA ”misled and profited from thousands of their customers by making a promise that they could not keep". EA has since apologized for this and later issued codes for PS3 users to download Battlefield 1943 for a limited time in response to the lawsuit, and also kept the one-week early access deal for not only Back to Karkand but all future expansions for the game as well.

Trivia

• The game is downloaded as the demo version first with an additional pass that allows it to be played as a full game.
• On each map (excluding Coral Sea) a sandcastle can be found with a Swedish flag at the top. This is a reference to the game's developer, DICE, who are headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden.
• The reload animations for both factions' weapons are exactly the same, except for their submachine guns.
• The Electronic Arts logo in the game's startup intro is presented as a stamp, with "Nov 16 1943 Iwo Jima" written around it.
• Players will be notified with a pop-up when a flag is captured.
• The game will judge where the battle seems to be concentrated and a yellow mark will be placed upon a flag where the fight is near to attract players.

Videos

Battlefield 1943

The first trailer released for Battlefield 1943.

Battlefield™ 1943 Wake Island Trailer

The trailer for Wake Island.

Battlefield 1943 Guadalcanal Trailer

The trailer for Guadalcanal.

Battlefield 1943 Iwo Jima Trailer

The trailer for Iwo Jima.

Battlefield 1943 Coral Sea Challenge

The trailer for Coral Sea.