Joaby has finished testing the recently-released Battlefield Hardline's multiplayer offering, after already dishing up his single-player thoughts. This process for online games is a bit new for us, but given how much the multiplayer experience can differ to what we're shown in controlled review environments, we're trying something new.

For ease, we've tacked the multiplayer portion of Joaby's review at the base of his single-player experience, keeping all the pertinent information for the game in one place. As a result, you'll need to scrolldown to the "Multiplayer" sub-head.

It should also be noted that the review score remains unchanged from its original posting.

From the review:

Battlefield Hardline is not a Battlefield game.

This isn't an attack on the game. This doesn't diminish whatever qualities the game has. I'm not saying it because it wasn't created by DICE, and liking Hardline doesn't make you any less of a Battlefield fan. But it's not a Battlefield game.

Click here for the rest of Joab's thoughts on Battlefield Hardline's multiplayer.

The wait is over as AusGamers' own Joab "Joaby" Gilroy takes the single-player portion of EA and Visceral's Battlefield: Hardline for a spin. And being a game that aspires to reach the heights of a rich crime drama along the lines of a True Detective or a Justified, Joaby is left to ponder where it fits on the scale of NCIS to NCIS: New Orleans.

From Joaby's review:

Seeking out people (Visceral Studios) with experience in the genre pays off for the campaign, creating a storyline which is believable enough while still allowing for the explosive set pieces that are now gaming's bread and butter. The Arrest mechanic does the inexplicable, providing players with a non-violent (or less violent, depending on your opinions regarding the restraint of non-sentient AI characters) option -- unheard of in a Triple-A first-person shooter. The gameplay, broken up into large level chunks and giving way to improvisational strategising, allows the player a lot of agency -- even if the cutscenes still insist on removing control from players.

As for the rest of us, we're off to reset our Hardline Review Clock 2000^TM for some time later this week. Because hey this is Battlefield, and Joaby's not allowed to watch anymore NCIS: Los Angeles (he has a thing for LL Cool J) until he's gotten some solid multiplayer time in and given us his full definitive take. So stay tuned.

Click Here to Read the Single-Player Review

Battlefield: Hardline is out tomorrow and a lot of people are rightfully keen to check it out. But, there are probably a few people out there who may not know enough about the game to generate the appropriate level of keen-ness. What exactly is a Hardline? And why is the line hard in the first place? Well, EA has all this covered and more in preparation for launch. Plus, detailed information for beginners, mode breakdowns, maps of the maps, and tutorial videos.

So if you have any questions about the cops versus robbers Battlefield: Hardline entry from developer Visceral you're probably best to head over here. Now you may be thinking, "You copied that hub's title for your little news piece, so what do we need you for?". And to that we say check out the launch trailer below, and stay tuned later today for the full, in-depth, and thorough, AusGamers review.

Visceral Games has already revealed that over 7 million gamers jumped into Battlefield: Hardline, and today we've got a more extensive infrographic detailing just what players got up to during the game's recent beta.

According to the stats $2.8 billion was stolen during the beta's Heist game mode, on map Bank Job, with 3.8 million vaults busted. Apparently that would be enough to buy two fighter jets, or give everyone in the world a quarter (0.25c). Tough choice there.

For the Hotwire mode Visceral saw 38 million cars stolen, with 21 million takedowns as well. That would mean 17 million cars were able to make a clean getaway, or a win ratio of 57% by the cops.

Class breakdowns saw the majority of users (55%) playing Operator, followed by Mechanic (21%), Professional (18%) and Enforcer (6%). Total cash earned was a whopping $527 billion, and seven players were able to grab the 150 rank during beta.

Battlefield: Hardline is heading to PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One and Xbox 360 come March 19th.

Visceral Games and Electronic Arts have today announced that those who have stuck around with the Battlefield franchise will be gaining some free boosts in the form of a Veteran's Pack for the upcoming cops and robbers Battlefield: Hardline.

The pack will be available on launch of the game, and will include an in-game Veteran's Patch, a 200 percent Objective Boost that remains active for 30 minutes and a 200 percent 30 minute Teamplay Boost. You'll need to own either Battlefield: Bad Company 2, Battlefield 3 or Battlefield 4 to gain the pack.

Battlefield: Hardline is scheduled to launch on March 17th for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One and Xbox 360.

Sound design has always been an integral part of the 'Battlefield' experience, bringing together that realistic sense that yes, this gun I am shooting is modelled off the real version. In today's Battlefield: Hardline dev diary Visceral Games offer a behind-the-scenes look at exactly that, and what we can expect for the cops 'n' robbers title.

The dev diary goes into quite a lot of detail on just how Visceral have achieved this realism for Hardline, with both a variety of actual gun range shootings to how the sounds are mixed in the studio. One example of this integral realism is how the sound changes depending on where the player is, an underlying feature that definitely adds further realism. As Visceral notes, even the cars have undergone this realism with ensuring the nos sound effects are as close to the real thing as possible.

Check it out below to see the action. Battlefield: Hardline is scheduled for launch on March 19th for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Visceral Games has sent word that their upcoming cops versus robbers title Battlefield: Hardline saw a whopping 6 million players take up either side in their latest week-long beta.

"We’d like to take this opportunity to thank the community one more time. We love the two way dialogue we’ve established," writes producer Steve Papoutsis in the latest blog update.

"And now that you’ve driven millions of miles in Hotwire, you’ve stolen billions of dollars in Heist, and you’ve continued to show mad love for Conquest, we can’t wait until you get a chance to play the whole package. We have seven multiplayer modes, nine diverse maps and a full single player campaign that’s like nothing Battlefield has ever seen before."

Those who may not have had a chance to jump in and try the beta will be happy to hear Visceral and EA have extended it for until tomorrow, so jump in before its too late. Battlefield: Hardline is hitting PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One and Xbox 360 on March 19th.

While the open beta for Visceral's cops versus robbers title Battlefield: Hardline is set to go live later this afternoon, our FPS fanatic Joab "Joaby" Gilroy had a chance to take on the chaotic nature ahead of the public release, and suffice to say his views on the game have definitely changed.

If you recall back in June of last year Joab actually had a chance to try out the fast-paced action, but walked away feeling the title was playing it too safe. Fast-forward to today's preview and things have definitely changed, and for the better according to Joab.

Read on for his full hands-on preview, and make sure you catch the open beta on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One and Xbox 360 this week.

After rumoured speculation thanks to a leak from a YouTuber mailing list, EA and Visceral Games have today confirmed that the Battlefield: Hardline beta will be commencing on February 3rd, as suggested.

The beta is scheduled to go live on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, showing off the game's newest multiplayer changes and lasting until February 8th. Visceral Games also today released a new trailer that gives gamers an in-depth look at how new innovations with story, speed and strategy in single player and multiplayer are helping to make Battlefield Hardline a complete first person shooter experience. To see “What’s New in Battlefield Hardline," find the trailer below.

After announcing their plans last week for the Battlefield: Hardline beta but also leaving out the vital piece of information as to when the beta would start, a supposed leaked email sent to some YouTubers has outed the date as February 3rd.

The email was sent by Ronku to various YouTubers, reminding them that the beta will begin on February 3rd. For those not in the know, Ronku is an EA sponsorship program that enlists YouTubers to create footage of EA games through a variety of assignments.

According to the original Reddit thread listing the rumoured date, several YouTubers are already playing the game and recording footage which is scheduled to go live when the beta launches. At any rate, we'll most likely know whether this rumour is indeed true come this Wednesday, when Visceral Games confirms it during this week's This Season on Hardline.

Visceral has announced the first details about the upcoming Battlefield Hardline beta, including that it will be available to everyone on all platforms.

A blog post from the game's executive producer Steve Papoutsis explains the beta will be on PS4, Xbox One, PS3, Xbox 360 and PC, and also reveals there won't be a cap on the max progression level you can achieve, meaning you can unlock as many classes and gadgets as you can.

"While it's just a taste of the whole game, we want you to come in, take your jacket off, stay awhile," he writes. "There won't be a cap on the max progression level so whether you’re busting criminals or fleeing the cops, unlock away. The beta is your shot to test the different classes, toy with different gadgets, and find your crew to take down your foes.

"To be frank, we want you to play this beta to death. We need you to. This test is only going to make the game stronger, and help us take a look at ways we can ensure we deliver the most stable launch you deserve."

While all that is nice, Visceral also forgets to mention exactly when we can expect the beta. Hardline is due out in March, so hopefully that means the beta won't be too far away.

Battlefield: Hardline's guns and explosions are taking a backseat in today's trailer, with EA and Visceral taking a look at more of what to expect from the Battlefield, both in terms of tools and the campaign narrative.

The new trailer furthers the atmosphere of the 1980s/90s crime drama, right down to the over-the-top dialogue. It also shows some new tools of the trade, including the zipline, SWAT tools, and grappling hooks. It also offers a glimpse at non-lethal takedowns, which will be used to detain and interrogate suspects.

Battlefield: Hardline is set to release on March 17th, 2015. Check out the full trailer below.

Visceral Games' upcoming addition to the Battlefield franchise hasn't exactly had the best track record when it comes to public attention. Luckily, AusGamers had a chance to check out the single-player of Hardline to find out what to expect on your solo journey, and it definitely surprised us.

One of the major complaints outside of expected bugs and crashes during the game's early beta was that the world never really felt "right" with the cops vs robbers style of play.

Our own Nathan "nachosjustic" Lawrence was given the opportunity to go undercover and scope out just what to expect from the game's very explosive single-player action. While it may not be the typical Battlefield experience we've come to love over the years, it definitely shows that the franchise is still able to produce a unique take on the shooter genre.

From what I experienced, vehicles and epic explosions take a back seat to satisfying gunplay and memorable characterisation. It’s a different take on what has been experienced in the Battlefield franchise before, but as far as that applies to single-player, that’s a very good thing.

Check out Nathan's full Battlefield: Hardline preview for more on the single-player.

The next game in the long-running Battlefield series, cops and robbers-themed title Battlefield: Hardline, will be launching on March 19, 2015 in Australia and New Zealand, publisher Electronic Arts announced today.

Originally EA and developer Visceral Games had planned to release Battlefield: Hardline this past week, on October 21st. The game was however delayed to 2015 in July after feedback from the early beta prompted DICE and Visceral to "push Hardline innovation further and make the game even better," Karl Magnus Troedsson, DICE vice president and group GM, said at the time.

Troedsson said that the teams at Visceral and DICE wanted to focus more on multiplayer innovation and incorporate "ideas direct from the community that will evolve the cops and criminals fantasy into a truly unique Battlefield Multiplayer experience."

Another key reason for the delay was to ensure technical aspects of the game were at their best. Ian Milham, creative director on Hardline has previously promised that this Battlefield will indeed work on launch, a hopeful change from previous series launches which have seen numerous problems both on launch and further into the life cycle.

Coming off yesterday's affirmation that Battlefield: Hardline will actually work on launch unlike Battlefield 4, developer Visceral has confirmed that the game will be launching with nine playable maps and seven game modes.

Steve Papoutsis, boss of developer Visceral, revealed the new info to YouTube JackFrags, noting that five of the game modes were never-before-seen in the Battlefield franchise. Presumably one of those is the recently showcased Hotwire mode, which tasks players with escaping via various vehicles as the police hunt you down.

MP1st points out that the confirmed game modes so far are Hotwire, Rescue, Blood Money, Heist, Conquest and Team Deathmatch, so there's one left to go. What we do know is that the last mode won't be Rush, with Papoutsis confirming that via Twitter.

.@alainshihime @Battlefield No, but bringing back Conquest and TDM, as well as 5 new modes.

— Steve Papoutsis (@leveluptime) September 5, 2014

Battlefield Hardline is due out in early 2015 after originally being planned for launch later in 2014. Thoughts? Not enough maps? Let us know in the comments below!

Electronic Arts' record for the past two years in regards to game launches hasn't been the greatest. In 2013 SimCity launched to what could only be described as a disaster, Battlefield 4 took a fair chunk of time to actually become stable, and The Sims 4 was panned in media and the gaming community for missing out on a fair bit of content from past titles. 2015 will apparently be better - at least for the Battlefield franchise - according to EA.

In an interview with Game Revolution at the Tokyo Game Show, Battlefield Hardline creative director Ian Milham addressed questions about the game's stability at launch.

"What you're basically asking is, 'Is you're (sic) game going to work?' and the answer is yes, it's gonna work," Milham told Game Revolution. EA launched a Battlefield Hardline beta during E3, following that, the publisher delayed the game from fall 2014 to early 2015.

When interviewed by Game Informer at Gamescome, EA CEO Andrew spoke directly about the reasons behind the Hardline delay. “We brought gamers in earlier than we ever have before,” he told us.

“We let them play en masse like we’ve never done before, and ironically, we solved a bunch of the problems from Battlefield 4 around stability and scalability, but what they said was actually, ‘We think this is really cool. But it would be even cooler if you went deeper in the fiction.’ And we gave the team the time. We moved out of the holiday quarter, again, not something traditional for a company like ours. But the feedback from the players has been amazing. If you saw it today, it’s making unbelievable progress.”

Battlefield: Hardline will be out early 2015 for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox One and Xbox 360.

It seems Battlefield: Hardline won't be limiting player interactions just to the city bounds, with a new gameplay trailer introducing the car-themed Hotwire mode that will have players jump into high speed car chases as they spray bullets at each other in a hope of getting away safely.

"Whether you’re the cops or the criminals, the goal in Battlefield Hardline’s Hotwire mode is to get to the marked cars and drive fast," reads the YouTube description. "This is high speed chases like you’ve never seen before on the streets of Battlefield." According to the game's mode description on the official website, criminal will be tasked with stealing a list of marked cars, all while trying to avoid the cops who look to be excused of any weapon limitations.

Watching the video, it definitely looks like some intense action, and from a glance the mode supports quite a large number of players and all kinds of vehicles to utilise in a given situation. Players will also find themselves able to trek on foot, though with high-speed action you'll probably not want to be on your feet for long.

Check it out below, and let us know your thoughts on the game's quite departed take on typical Battlefield experiences in the comments. Battlefield: Hardline will be available early 2015 on PC, PLayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, and Xbox One

Following its GamesCom 2014 media briefing, Electronic Arts has released a couple of new trailers for Battlefield: Hardline, the forthcoming cops and robbers addition to the popular shooter franchise.

A new 12 minute video gives us an in-depth look at a section of the game's single-player campaign, showing off a very calculated cinematic experience with a touch of developer narration by Visceral Games creative director Ian Milham.

This 12 minute demo is shot entirely in-game and is the first look at Hardline’s new style of storytelling, inspired by the most popular crime dramas seen on television today.

Next up, there's a brief video revealing the game's competitive multiplayer "rescue mode", where players are invited to "live the true cop and criminal fantasy by being a member of a SWAT team, and rescue hostages using any means necessary".

Battlefield: Hardline was recently delayed and is now due in March 2015 for PC, Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3.

Battlefield: Hardline, Visceral Games' newest addition to the long-running Battlefield series, has been delayed to early 2015 publisher Electronic Arts announced today, citing further time needing to be spent developing the game.

"Back at E3, we launched a beta for Hardline — we wanted to not only show you the game, but to let you play it for yourselves," Karl Magnus Troedsson, DICE vice president and group GM, wrote on the Battlefield blog. "Millions of you jumped in and had a great time. As a result, the Visceral Games team learned a lot from players about what they wanted in the game. We've been pouring over the data and feedback, and have already been putting a lot of it right into the game and sharing it directly with you."

Originally launching for all systems come October 21st, Troedsson stated that the teams at Visceral Games and DICE want to focus more on multiplayer innovation and incorporate "ideas direct from the community that will evolve the cops and criminals fantasy into a truly unique Battlefield Multiplayer experience." Battlefield: Hardline's single-player experience is also getting some extra love, as is the game's technical stability, which fans of Battlefield 4 would be all too familiar with.

"This has been a focus for our team since day one and we're going to be using the extra time to continue to optimize the game for a stable launch," Troedsson said. "We have learned a lot from Battlefield 4, are continuing to learn from our Community Test Environment and will learn more from another Hardline beta. More time allows us to surface issues that the team can attempt to fix prior to launch."

Following last month's surprise open beta for the recently announced Battlefield: Hardline, developer Visceral Games has posted up a "community's most wanted list" of ten key aspects of the game they intend to improve in time for the game's October launch. Here are the bullet points:

1. Reducing frequency of explosives
2. Rebalancing and renaming the mechanic class
3. Revisiting the in-game hud
4. Revisiting the customize screen
5. Making the world deeper and more interactive
6. Making rounds last longer
7. Increasing transport vehicle health
8. Improving audio situational awareness
9. Medkits and ammo boxes should no longer block L.O.S. Checks for revive
10. Improving interrogation.

An official Battlefield blog post by Visceral Lead Multiplayer Designer Thad Sasser elaborates on each, explaining the developer's perspective and some intended remedies.

Battlefield: Hardline is due on PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 on October 21 2014.