Battlefield 1943 is a first-person shooter video game developed by DICE and published by Electronic Arts for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 through digital distribution. It takes place in the Pacific Theater of Operations of World War II. A Microsoft Windows version was planned but later cancelled.
Release Date 2009-07-08
Rating / Parents' Guide
Violence
This is a first-person shooter in which players engage in Pacific Island battles between American and Japanese forces during World War II. Players use a variety of weapons (e.g., machine guns, turrets, sniper rifles, bazookas, etc.) to shoot enemy soldiers that collapse to the ground when defeated. The frenetic combat is highlighted by realistic gunfire, explosions, and cries of pain as soldiers are shot and killed. Players also have the ability to drive tanks over enemy soldiers, pilot planes to engage in aerial dogfights, and detonate explosives throughout the island.
System(s)
   PlayStation 3 | Xbox 360
Like Battlefield: Bad Company, 1943 features the Frostbite Engine for its environmental damage. The game only features the series' signature Conquest mode and a new game type 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, armed with an SMG and anti-tank rocket; Rifleman, armed with a semi-automatic rifle and rifle grenade; and Scout, armed with a scoped rifle, pistol, and dynamite. Each class has an unlimited supply of ammunition. Explosive ordnance, however, does take time to replenish. The game also features a regenerating health system. There are four types of vehicles in the game; fighter, tank, car and landing craft. Each team's main base has two one-man fighter aircraft, with A6M2 Zeros for the Imperial Navy and F4U Corsairs for the United States Marine Corps. On every map there is also 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 mounted machine gun. Cars can accommodate up to three players: a driver, a gunner in the back who operates a machine gun, and a passenger who can fire their own weapon. Landing craft (boats) are used to deliver troops from the carriers to the beaches. Players can also use air raid bunkers to attack with 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, or destroying it entirely.