Three months ago, if you asked me what my most anticipated shooter of the year would be, I would have said “Battlefield 2042” in an instant. However, after playing the open beta event, I have canceled my preorder and decided it’s best to wait until Electronic Arts and developer Dice fundamentally polish and enhance the game. Unfortunately, I don’t see how a one-month delay is enough time to fix what I saw or felt while playing “Battlefield 2042.”

If anyone played the open beta, they would agree the game is a buggy mess. Occasionally, it was easy to ignore, but there were too many moments where you couldn’t get away from seeing something bizarre happen on the screen. Preview events such as the “Battlefield 2042” open beta are known to have their fair share of issues, but there was an alarming amount for a game that will cost 70 dollars and more on a new generation console. 

Aside from the fixable bugs and issues I mentioned, most of the changes to the formula don’t work, and the exciting additions are a misfire. For example, after the reveal trailer made its explosive debut over the summer, I was looking forward to freely customizing my guns attachments on the go instead of entering a separate screen. Then as soon as I jumped into my first game and tried it firsthand, it felt off. Another irritating bug wiped the attachments from certain guns with every death. I’m sure that won’t happen at launch, but it was a simple thing that took me away from the immersion.

Another underlying issue is changing the traditional class system over to the form of specialists. I understand that operators or specialists are successful in games like “Rainbow Six: Siege” or “Overwatch,” but that doesn’t mean it’s always the right move. Specialists are typically assigned unique abilities and gadgets; that’s the only difference in “2042.” No matter which specialist the player chooses, they will always have the option to select their customized weapon loadout. 

As I searched for hope amongst feelings of misery and despair, I waited patiently for the newest game mechanic to arrive in the franchise: weather elements. Unfortunately, there was one map and mode to play for the beta, which meant there would probably only be one weather feature to enjoy, but I was ready for whatever would arrive. About halfway through the match, the sky started to turn dark, and wind gusts ferociously changed the dynamic in the environment. Within moments, the entire battlefield found itself soaked in heavy rain, which deters most snipers and vehicles away from concentrated warzone areas. Finally, a massive tornado touched down right in front of me, and it was the most exciting thing to happen during the entire playthrough.

The mechanics behind the tornado are what you would come to expect. The tornado lifts everything into the air and wreaks pure chaos across the battlefield. It was fun to fly a parachute right into its depths, but after about five or ten minutes of messing around, it quickly became stale. Players will think of excellent and innovative ways to utilize the weather elements to their advantage. But for others like me, what initially seemed engaging, quickly became a gimmick that distracts the attention away from what could be a quintessential “Battlefield” experience. 

Overall, I was disappointed after playing the open beta and would advise doing your own research before dropping cash on the game. Ideally, most “Battlefield” fans are waiting for validation from the community that the Portal and Hazard Zone modes are worthwhile because those seem promising.

EA and Dice should consider delaying the game again until spring of next year if it launches in a similar state that it was in the beta; At this rate, “Call of Duty: Vanguard” and “Halo Infinite” will dominate the first-person shooter space this holiday season without contest.

“Battlefield 2042” will release on Nov. 19, 2021, for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows.

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