Battlefield 1943
Encyclopedia
Battlefield 1943 is an online multiplayer World War II
first-person shooter
video game developed by EA Digital Illusions CE and published by Electronic Arts
for Xbox Live Arcade
and PlayStation Network via digital download only. Unlike Battlefield 1942
, this game takes place only in the Pacific Theater of Operations
of World War II. A PC
version was planned but later cancelled.
(USMC) or the Imperial Japanese Navy
(IJN) with up to 24 players on three classic Battlefield maps: Wake Island
, Guadalcanal, and Iwo Jima
. After players collectively reached 43 million kills, their respective console versions received access to an additional Coral Sea
map.
, 1943 features the Frostbite Engine for its environmental damage. The game only features the series' signature Conquest mode
and a new gametype called Air Superiority which was unlocked when the online gaming community reached a combined total of 43 million kills in Conquest. Similar to Battlefield Heroes
, 1943 features only three classes - Infantryman, Rifleman, and Scout. Each class has an unlimited supply of ammunition; however, explosive ordnance takes a few seconds to replenish. The game also features a regenerating health system.
There are four types of vehicles in the game; fighter, tank, jeep and landing craft. Each team's base has two one-man fighter aircraft
with A6M Zeros for the Imperial Navy
and F4U Corsair
s for the United States Marine Corps
. Typically there is an airfield for either team to capture where a third plane can be used to a team's advantage. Each airplane has four machine guns and can also drop bombs. Tanks can accommodate two players, a driver who can use a tank cannon
and a coaxial machine gun, and a passenger who can use a tank mounted machine gun. Jeeps can accommodate up to three players: a driver who cannot fire, a gunner in the back who operates a .30 caliber machine gun, and a passenger who can fire their own gun. Landing craft (boats) are used to deliver troops from the carriers to the beaches. Players can also use air raid bunkers to order three bomber aircraft to clear an area of a map. To operate these, the player must enter a bunker with a large spinning dish on top. Planes can be shot down by fighter pilots and anti-aircraft guns
, reducing the amount of bombs that the air raid can deliver.
At the time of the Xbox Live
Arcade version's release, issues with server joining and statistic recording functionality were reported. DICE's Gordon Van Dyke and EA responded to the situation, noting that the player volume was higher than expected and server capacity was exceeded. To remedy the issues, EA and DICE added more servers. Van Dyke also noted that there were problems with players having trouble using their EA accounts. Despite launch problems, DICE reported that after the first day of release players had accumulated 29.45 years worth of game time and over 5 million kills. In 2011, DICE announced that development of the PC version of the game was cancelled, in order to focus onto Battlefield 3
.
At Sony's conference at E3 2011, Sony announced that a copy of Battlefield 1943 will be included on every disc of Battlefield 3 for the PS3. It was revealed by customers that Battlefield 1943 was not included in the PS3 copies of Battlefield 3. EA revealed through Battlefield's Twitter account by telling a customer that "In lieu of 1943 being available on disk for PS3 customers, EA has made all BF3 expansions available early to PS3 customers."
and a score of 84.18% from Game Rankings
for the Xbox Live Arcade
version. In addition to having the best sales ever on the first day it was released, Battlefield 1943 went on to become the fastest selling download-only game after the first week. Battlefield 1943 was the top selling Xbox LIVE Arcade game of 2009, as reported by Xbox Live
Director of Programming Larry Hryb
. It moved over 268,000 units in 2010 according to (FADE).
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
first-person shooter
First-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
video game developed by EA Digital Illusions CE and published by Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
for Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade is a type of video game download distribution available primarily in a section of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360, that focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent game developers...
and PlayStation Network via digital download only. Unlike Battlefield 1942
Battlefield 1942
Battlefield 1942 is a 3D World War II first-person shooter computer game developed by Swedish company Digital Illusions CE and published by Electronic Arts for Microsoft Windows and Apple Macintosh . The game can be played in singleplayer mode against the computer game AI or in multiplayer mode...
, this game takes place only in the Pacific Theater of Operations
Pacific Theater of Operations
The Pacific Theater of Operations was the World War II area of military activity in the Pacific Ocean and the countries bordering it, a geographic scope that reflected the operational and administrative command structures of the American forces during that period...
of World War II. A PC
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
version was planned but later cancelled.
Setting
Battlefield 1943 casts players as either the United States Marine CorpsUnited States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
(USMC) or the Imperial Japanese Navy
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...
(IJN) with up to 24 players on three classic Battlefield maps: Wake Island
Battle of Wake Island
The Battle of Wake Island began simultaneously with the Attack on Pearl Harbor and ended on 23 December 1941, with the surrender of the American forces to the Empire of Japan...
, Guadalcanal, and Iwo Jima
Battle of Iwo Jima
The Battle of Iwo Jima , or Operation Detachment, was a major battle in which the United States fought for and captured the island of Iwo Jima from the Empire of Japan. The U.S...
. After players collectively reached 43 million kills, their respective console versions received access to an additional Coral Sea
Battle of the Coral Sea
The Battle of the Coral Sea, fought from 4–8 May 1942, was a major naval battle in the Pacific Theater of World War II between the Imperial Japanese Navy and Allied naval and air forces from the United States and Australia. The battle was the first fleet action in which aircraft carriers engaged...
map.
Gameplay
Like Battlefield: Bad CompanyBattlefield: Bad Company
Battlefield: Bad Company is a first-person shooter developed by EA DICE for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It was released in North America on June 23 2008, followed by a European release on June 26. The game was hinted at just before the release of Battlefield 2, and then announced sixteen months later...
, 1943 features the Frostbite Engine for its environmental damage. The game only features the series' signature Conquest mode
Conquest (gametype)
Conquest is a gametype used mainly by Electronic Arts and Digital Illusions CE's Battlefield franchise. To win a game of Conquest, the teams in the game must capture pre-determined spawnpoints labeled by flags...
and a new gametype called Air Superiority which was unlocked when the online gaming community reached a combined total of 43 million kills in Conquest. Similar to Battlefield Heroes
Battlefield Heroes
Battlefield Heroes is a cartoon-style action video game developed by DICE initially—now developed by —and published by EA for Microsoft Windows. It is played from a third-person EA are calling it FPS perspective. The game is less demanding on computer specifications than the previous games of the...
, 1943 features only three classes - Infantryman, Rifleman, and Scout. Each class has an unlimited supply of ammunition; however, explosive ordnance takes a few seconds to replenish. The game also features a regenerating health system.
There are four types of vehicles in the game; fighter, tank, jeep and landing craft. Each team's base has two one-man fighter aircraft
Fighter aircraft
A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed primarily to attack ground targets...
with A6M Zeros for the Imperial Navy
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...
and F4U Corsair
F4U Corsair
The Vought F4U Corsair was a carrier-capable fighter aircraft that saw service primarily in World War II and the Korean War. Demand for the aircraft soon overwhelmed Vought's manufacturing capability, resulting in production by Goodyear and Brewster: Goodyear-built Corsairs were designated FG and...
s for the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
. Typically there is an airfield for either team to capture where a third plane can be used to a team's advantage. Each airplane has four machine guns and can also drop bombs. Tanks can accommodate two players, a driver who can use a tank cannon
Gun turret
A gun turret is a weapon mount that protects the crew or mechanism of a projectile-firing weapon and at the same time lets the weapon be aimed and fired in many directions.The turret is also a rotating weapon platform...
and a coaxial machine gun, and a passenger who can use a tank mounted machine gun. Jeeps can accommodate up to three players: a driver who cannot fire, a gunner in the back who operates a .30 caliber machine gun, and a passenger who can fire their own gun. Landing craft (boats) are used to deliver troops from the carriers to the beaches. Players can also use air raid bunkers to order three bomber aircraft to clear an area of a map. To operate these, the player must enter a bunker with a large spinning dish on top. Planes can be shot down by fighter pilots and anti-aircraft guns
Anti-aircraft warfare
NATO defines air defence as "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action." They include ground and air based weapon systems, associated sensor systems, command and control arrangements and passive measures. It may be to protect naval, ground and air forces...
, reducing the amount of bombs that the air raid can deliver.
Development, marketing and release
According to the game's development team, accessibility and value were the main reasons the game went digital as opposed to a retail launch.At the time of the Xbox Live
Xbox Live
Xbox Live is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft Corporation. It is currently the only online gaming service on consoles that charges users a fee to play multiplayer gaming. It was first made available to the Xbox system in 2002...
Arcade version's release, issues with server joining and statistic recording functionality were reported. DICE's Gordon Van Dyke and EA responded to the situation, noting that the player volume was higher than expected and server capacity was exceeded. To remedy the issues, EA and DICE added more servers. Van Dyke also noted that there were problems with players having trouble using their EA accounts. Despite launch problems, DICE reported that after the first day of release players had accumulated 29.45 years worth of game time and over 5 million kills. In 2011, DICE announced that development of the PC version of the game was cancelled, in order to focus onto Battlefield 3
Battlefield 3
Battlefield 3 is a first-person shooter video game developed by EA Digital Illusions CE and published by Electronic Arts. The game was released in North America on October 25, 2011 and in Europe on October 28, 2011 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and EA Mobile confirmed a port for...
.
At Sony's conference at E3 2011, Sony announced that a copy of Battlefield 1943 will be included on every disc of Battlefield 3 for the PS3. It was revealed by customers that Battlefield 1943 was not included in the PS3 copies of Battlefield 3. EA revealed through Battlefield's Twitter account by telling a customer that "In lieu of 1943 being available on disk for PS3 customers, EA has made all BF3 expansions available early to PS3 customers."
Release and reception
The game was given an aggregate score of 83 out of 100 from MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
and a score of 84.18% from Game Rankings
Game Rankings
GameRankings is a website that collects review scores from both offline and online sources to give an average rating. It indexes over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 games.GameRankings is owned by CBS Interactive...
for the Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade
Xbox Live Arcade is a type of video game download distribution available primarily in a section of the Xbox Live Marketplace, Microsoft's digital distribution network for the Xbox 360, that focuses on smaller downloadable games from both major publishers and independent game developers...
version. In addition to having the best sales ever on the first day it was released, Battlefield 1943 went on to become the fastest selling download-only game after the first week. Battlefield 1943 was the top selling Xbox LIVE Arcade game of 2009, as reported by Xbox Live
Xbox Live
Xbox Live is an online multiplayer gaming and digital media delivery service created and operated by Microsoft Corporation. It is currently the only online gaming service on consoles that charges users a fee to play multiplayer gaming. It was first made available to the Xbox system in 2002...
Director of Programming Larry Hryb
Larry Hryb
Lawrence "Larry" Hryb , also known by his Xbox Live gamertag Major Nelson, is the Director of Programming for the Microsoft gaming network Xbox Live. His blog "Xbox Live's Major Nelson" provides an "inside" look at operations at Microsoft's Xbox division. He picked the gamertag Major Nelson after a...
. It moved over 268,000 units in 2010 according to (FADE).