Campaigns have never been the biggest draw of the Battlefield franchise. That said, there have been plenty of memorable single-player missions in Battlefield‘s 23-year-long history, a handful of which come from 2011’s Battlefield 3.
Still regarded by many (including new Battlefield head Vince Zampella) to be the peak of the entire franchise, Battlefield 3 offered fans the complete package. An expansive multiplayer mode with state-of-the-art destruction physics and some of the best maps in series history, a fully-fledged cinematic campaign, and even a full-length co-op campaign were all included on day one. It’s no surprise, then, to hear that Battlefield 6 wants to hearken back to that golden era, and there’s one old well that the developers can still draw from.
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It’s Time for Battlefield to Revisit BF3’s Jet Mission
What Made Battlefield 3’s ‘Going Hunting’ So Memorable?
In the late 2000s, Call of Duty upped the ante for cinematic campaigns in the military shooter genre. Rather than let its rival take all the glory, Battlefield decided to deliver a cinematic campaign of its own. While Battlefield 3‘s campaign may not have the best story, characters, or even moment-to-moment gameplay, it’s home to a handful of sequences that easily go toe-to-toe with some of Call of Duty‘s best.
One such sequence is Battlefield 3‘s ‘Going Hunting.’ The fourth mission of the campaign, ‘Going Hunting’ sees players take on the role of Lt. Jennifer Hawkins, a Weapons System Officer who takes the skies alongside her pilot. While up there, players need to take down some enemy jets and launch a few missiles at radars and landed aircraft on the ground below.
Gameplay-wise, ‘Going Hunting’ is nothing too special, essentially functioning as a standard action game turret sequence. But what makes this mission so memorable is its presentation and atmosphere. From the moment ‘Going Hunting’ starts, and players walk out onto the aircraft carrier deck in the midst of a brutal storm, it’s clear they’re in for something special.
The simple process of checking the F-18 fighter jet’s flaps and weapon systems feels surprisingly tense, with the iconic Battlefield musical theme slowly building in the background as the sun breaks through the dark storm clouds above. What follows is an intense and thrilling aerial dogfight, complete with hard-hitting sound design and breathtaking visuals that still hold up shockingly well over a decade later. The dedication to making this sequence feel as realistic as possible is felt at every turn, and it’s a core reason why fans remember this mission so fondly.
Battlefield 1‘s ‘Friends in High Places’ War Story did a good job of capturing the cinematic spirit of ‘Going Hunting,’ albeit in a completely different setting.
How Battlefield 6 Could Take Its Jet Mission to New Heights
Back in February, Battlefield 3‘s lead designer, David Goldfarb, took to Twitter to give a little behind-the-scenes insight on ‘Going Hunting.’ Goldfarb stated the developers originally wanted players to be able to free fly during the mission, but that it “wouldn’t have been possible to make the assets and stay at quality.”
Battlefield 6 has the opportunity to live up to this original premise. Battlefield 6‘s campaign should include one mission where players take to the skies in a jet fighter, boasting just as much cinematic atmosphere as ‘Going Hunting’ while giving players full control of their vehicle. Fans long for a return to the grounded realism present in earlier entries like Battlefield 3, and a new and improved jet mission could deliver that return to form.
- Released
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October 25, 2011
- ESRB
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M for Mature: Blood, Intense Violence, Strong Language
- Publisher(s)
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Electronic Arts