@vyshka I think this is a combination of a super deep sale along with the 2042 hype now. Personally I picked up/ upgraded BF 4, 1, and V on Origin for super cheap in the last few days.
I consider myself qualified to make a fresh eyed newbie response to this as I have played 4, 1, and V each a bit in the last few days. I.E. the state the game is in now. I loved the franchise back in the day, but just have not been able to enjoy titles since BF Bad Company. But I have a friend who loves them and he pushed me to look again. My experience is on PC.
BF 4: Everyone’s current nostalgia darling. I remember a lot of hate for it back in the day. Its graphics still hold up okay-ish. The gameplay has a lot of my frustrations well preserved in merri-go-round capture trading, air pilots of pure doom (these guys have been playing for years and they basically decide if you live or die when you spawn), and the obnoxious battle case thingy-s (non loot box, loot boxes) for unlocks. It has more of a vehicle presence. There is not a lot of team interaction (but no BF in the last 10 years has unless you are in a dedicated squad). It is very traditional BF and looks the closest in theme to the new hotness. There are a fair number of players still (nostalgia darling).
BF1: The theme is both there and not. Everyone is running around with automatic weapons which really kills the WWI vibe. However, the open spaces punctuated with trenches, fortifications, and craters in no mans land while everything explodes around you and gas forces a mask makes this one feel pretty neat. They also built out upon the traditional (conquest) play with modes like Operations which shares a lot of resemblance to Rush of BF Bad Company (a HUGE favorite of mine) that carries across multiple maps for a sort of MP campaign. I didn’t like BF1 when it came out, but found something worth liking and playing the last few days. It is a notable visual boost over BF 4. While considered superior to BFV in the internet hate, it has the least players in my experience.
BF V: Everyone hates it. Or something. I actively am still trying to see why. I know there was the whole “no women in WW2 with robot arms” kerfuffle that somehow ignored the rest of BF absurdities, but I don’t think that is the reason people still hate it. I like the experiment with new modes in BF V. I have played a lot of Breakthrouh (also a descendant of Rush) the last few days, but Frontlines and the Tower one are interesting while Conquest is okay (for my tastes). I like the theme of WW2 and really enjoy the re-imagining of Iwo Jima in Breakthrough in BF V. Time to Kill seems to get faster with each game which I don’t care for. Vehicles use seems rather subdued as tanks are rare and work best as a vehicle support/ sniper than a pushing element. I do really enjoy the squad elements of every class being able to resurrect a squadie and personally enjoy the economy of ammo, med packs, and inferior personal single use bandages. Also BF V looks GREAT. It is the first game that I have gotten use out of my RTX along with an ultra wide monitor in a modern looking FPS. It is quite immersive as I sit at my desk. While hated, it is also the most recent game, so player numbers and game options seem high still. I also didn’t experience the hacking worries that others talk about.
Having revisited all 3 for a chunk of hours each in the last several days, I am playing V the most.
Shorter summary= I owned the basic version of 4 and 1. I started there and enjoyed both for different reasons enough to buy V. I enjoyed V enough but for different enough reasons that I bought Premium upgrades (all the maps and expansions for basic editions for $8) for 4 and 1. I think all 3 are fun and offer unique takes on the BF franchise. I can see a me of the future playing 1, V, and 2042 (replace 4) on sporadic rotation.
As a side note, my BF super friend that has a bajillion hours in the franchise hates 1, has hundreds of hours into V, but enjoys 4 the most (he is a gun person and enjoys the personal hook for modern weapons).
