Given pride of place at the Electronic Arts E3 presentation on June 10, a multiplayer stage from “Battlefield 4″ showcased the game’s Shanghai level, with multiplayer antics underground and atop a skyscraper.
The series has become well-known for its use of destructible architecture, much to players’ delight, making them think laterally when it comes to completing missions or escaping opponents.
And where “Call of Duty: Ghosts” released footage from several single-player levels on Sunday, “Battlefield 4″ was subject to a multiplayer session.
So it was that a crew of game demonstrators convened in a car park under Shanghai’s digitized streets, blowing away a concrete support to scupper an enemy tank’s progress.
Absent from the series since 2006 spin-off “Battlefield 2142,” the Commander role — a team leader position — returns in “Battlefield 4,” thanks to the rise of the tablet device.
Studio manager Karl-Magnus Troedsson tapped on his iPad, issuing commands to his cadre of teammates, directing them to the next objective, and calling down missiles upon a lair of enemy armor.
Announced for release the week of October 29 on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC, “Battlefield 4″ is to feature 64-player battles on PC and the next-gen Xbox One and PS4 platforms.