Battlefield 4 China Rising Expansion Pack Review

The new Battlefield 4 expansion pack known as "China Rising" pack has arrived. On top of the four new maps, you get five new weapons, ten new assignments, two new vehicles, two new gadgets and a new game mode; a substantially larger DLC on the whole than Second Assault and mostly everyone says its better.

Dragon Pass is a spiritual successor to Dragon Valley from Battlefield 2 and is the first map to evoke the feeling of Vietnam. This map is huge, yet still only the second largest offered in this DLC. With tones of air and ground vehicles available, this map feels alive from the second you spawn. Never does there appear to be a let up in the action, specifically when you’re working in tandem with your squad - leading to a whole plethora of moments that you can only have in the Battlefield series. Planes fall from the sky; tanks roll over buildings like they’re nothing and helicopters taxi squads from point to point.

 The jungle aesthetic is just wonderful. Following this is a slight haze of rain. This manages to change the entire feel of the map, showing off in the greatest possible way DICE’s complete control over map and aesthetic design. This genuinely threw this map to the top of my favorites to play, just for the feelings it evokes so effortlessly. The fact this is a multiplayer map in one of the most popular FPS franchises on the planet - a genre hardly known for its emotive design - makes this all the more wonderful to experience, while also showcasing a huge leap forward in what can be accomplished with map design.

In juxtaposition to that, Silk Road is an oddly balanced desert map. The middle point is very much infantry focused, yet the rest of the map is designed mainly for vehicles. I found myself being constantly killed by vehicles and feeling like the game was telling me to like it or lump it. No matter where you are on this map, if you’re not in a vehicle it’s a bit of a chore. Vehicle based maps are fine and can be great but what the Armored Kill DLC for Battlefield 3 showed off, is that unless balanced just right this can get very boring, extremely fast. This map seems to mimic that design choice, causing vehicular combat to be just a little too much of a struggle.

The Armored Kill design mentality doesn’t end there. With Altai Range we have a map that could be the brother of Alborz Mountains from BF3. This is far from a good thing. This map plays out on such a large scale it’s actually slightly ridiculous. You never feel near the action as all the players appear so spread out. The flow of this map is all off and with such a wide landscape, can feel slow and boring. I feel that this map’s aesthetic was stolen straight from the aforementioned map and there are no new ideas here. Boring design equals boring gameplay; it’s as simple as that.

Lastly we come to last in the whole DLC; Guilin Peaks. The aesthetic design is reminiscent of BF: Vietnam and the map plays with an emphasis on team cohesion. The mix of very light vehicle and infantry combat might be a downer to some players but with only transport vehicles available to both teams, there is no rush for the jets, attack helicopter, AA or tanks, instead there is just a rush to play the objectives.

Even after all of the ridiculous adverts EA have been pushing that shows, apparently, real life players doing increasingly stupid things - now coined as ‘Battlefield Moments’ - these are the real game changing moments. When you see years of refinement to the formula pay off in this way, it’s hugely rewarding and fulfilling to play.

Unfortunately, DICE continues its apparent want to add boring and pointless game modes into a game which already has two of the best available in current FPS: Conquest and Rush. Air Superiority is bland. The idea that anyone wants to play Conquest in jets, is one that people still wonder how it got off the drawing board. Unless you are a really up for learning the jets, or are already amazing, avoid this like the plague. I don’t know how to get this across to DICE. No one cares. I really wish they would stop adding these bland, boring game modes and then having the cheek the ask you to play them in order to unlock gadgets.

 Unlike Second Assault, the weapons in China Rising are somewhat usable and bring something new to the table. The MTAR-21 manages to be one of the best new guns alongside the L85A2. Both guns sit at the top end of their category, giving more interesting options to explore with close and medium range combat, respectively. The two new gadgets added on the other hand happen to make it look like DICE has learnt absolutely nothing from its mistakes in the series’ previous release.

 The UCAV and the SUAV are both drones that fly around the map and either blow up or spot vehicles. No. The UCAV has an airburst variation - unlockable with extended use - which can one-hit most vehicles. As if this isn’t bad enough, the SUAV is flat broken; flying through enemies and killing them in a single hit, reminiscent of the MAV bug in BF3. This failure to understand prior mistakes does leave a sour taste in the mouth to anyone who played through the original issues, and frankly, is damaging to a reputation.

The new bomber is another pointless addition. Get used to hit markers, because that’s all you’ll get with this new on-rails vehicle. Considering the ability to implement new vehicles is all but non-existent at DICE right now, I wonder why they even bother anymore. This is once again a reminder of the failure of the AC-130 from BF3.

This DLC, as a whole, comes across as a far better slice of gameplay than Second Assault’s iterative maps and attempt to use nostalgia before any nostalgia had a chance to form. With two of the best maps in the game and a few weapons worth playing with, it adds enough to justify itself.

47 Ronin Review

The tale of the vengeance of the 47 Ronin is perhaps Japan’s most well-known and beloved legend extolling the virtues of the Bushido honor code. Based on real events in 18th century Japan, the story follows 47 loyal samurai who become ronin (masterless) when their leader Lord Asano is forced to commit seppuku (ritual suicide) after he is accused of assaulting a court official named Kira Yoshinaka. The men waited, planned for over a year, and then avenged their lord by killing Kira.

The anniversary of their campaign is celebrated on the 14th of December each year via fictionalized depictions of the event known as Chushingura. Multiple embellished and otherwise reimagined versions of the tale have emerged over the years. Everything ranging from the 1962 film Chushingura to an all Hello Kitty adaptation is available; which is likely the reason that director Carl Rinsch and Universal Pictures felt at liberty to add their own Westernized/fantastical twist.

This latest rendition of the 47 Ronin opened in Japan on December 6 and, to put it mildly, has failed to capture an audience. Set to roll out globally beginning on Christmas day, the U.S./European ad campaign, unsurprisingly, stresses two things: Keanu Reeves and fantasy.  It is notable that the poster features Reeves, Rinko Kikuchi (a witch in the film, and perhaps the most internationally recognizable of the Japanese cast), and two fantastical creatures who enjoy minimal screen time in the actual film. In point of fact, Kikuchi and Reeves are really more supporting than lead characters. If anyone, Hiroyuki Sanada is the fulcrum of the story.

The marketing is mentioned because the approach is indicative of the inauthentic feel of the film, which on the whole reads like a hodgepodge of manufactured elements designed to ensnare. In Rinsch’s universe, Kira (Tadanobu Asano) is a ruthlessly ambitious, mustache twirling villain who, with the aid of a shapeshifting witch (Kikuchi), tricks Lord Asano (Min Tanaka) into attacking him, forcing the Shogun to call for Asano’s death. Kira is then granted control of Ako, Asano’s home, and betrothed to Asano’s daughter Mika. Mika’s character is a convention of this film and is ultimately designed to appeal to a Western value system.

Essentially she serves three purposes: First, she is the princess in the tower. The ronin are not just struggling for an amorphous idea of balance here, they are also fighting to save Mika from Kira and the witch. She represents the hope of Ako, and her potential return to power affords the film the possibility of a “happy” ending of sorts; whereas in the lion's share of the Japanese iterations the restoration of honor and justice, along with the demonstration of loyalty, are their own rewards. If feels as if the heart of the original tale is about the value of a life well lived, even if it ends in death, while the Americanized twist demands that life must continue in some capacity. Someone must “win” and survive.

Mika also acts as an emotional anchor for Reeves’ Kai via their forbidden love-story. A “half-breed” born of a Japanese mother and British father, Kai stands in as the “other” who can act as an entry point into a potentially unknown world. In other words, Kai is shoehorned in for the Western audience, a “hook” for the viewer to connect to, and a plot device to introduce or explain certain aspects of the Bushido honor code. Unfortunately, he never truly comes to life. Ultimately, Kai is an artificial addition while Sanada’s Oishi is the true protagonist. Yet the film never fully commits to either. The result is a muddled through-line.

With little to work with, the performances are often shallow and occasionally stiff. Sanada delivers the most nuanced and moving portrayal as Oishi, Lord Asano’s trusted second-in-command. Sanada has been in at least two other versions of the 47 Ronin and it is only through him that we feel the legitimate weight and import of their task, the love he felt for his leader, and his utter willingness to die rather than forsake his honor.

The group is “brought into the cave to be tested,” but the challenge is fairly simplistic, easy to overcome, and ultimately anti-climactic. Kikuchi’s shapeshifter is a particularly egregious missed opportunity. We know nothing about her or her motives, and as such, the character has little meaning other than as a plot device. Japanese folklore is rich and, in the right hands, the addition of ghosts, demons, and spirits may have infused this story with brilliant new life and meaning. Here, we’re just left wanting for a film that does these otherworldly creatures justice.

The effects, particularly the dragon which is featured so prominently in the trailer, translate better on the big screen than they do in the online marketing materials. However, for a film that boasts a budget of upwards of $175 million, several of the creatures are rather Clash of the Titans-esque in their final execution. Having said that, this 47 Ronin is beautiful to behold: the costumes and practical sets feature gorgeously intricate detail and the frame is often alive with vibrant color. Unfortunately, the 3D does dampen the experience by adding a dark haze to what should be, at least in moments, a vivid experience. Even the darker, more Gothic palette in the latter portions of the film are diluted by the shaded glasses. You’re better off electing for 2D on this one.

The film’s central draw ought to be its spectacle, and indeed, the landscapes frequently verge on dazzling. Additionally, the fight sequences are well-crafted and impressive. The final attack on Kira’s stronghold is particularly striking and imaginative. However, it’s only the final moments between Oishi and Kira that pack an emotional punch. Though finely choreographed, in general the fights are not as breathtaking or evocative as some of the fantastical hand-to-hand and swordplay available in the films that Rinsch is likely inspired by, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon among others. Nor do they deliver the primal impact of a grittier, more grounded sword fight.

Rinsch, who was best known for his commercial work, has a powerful visual aesthetic, but seems unable to maintain a firm grasp on either tone or character. Weaving between goofy, melancholy, overwrought, hammy (particularly when it comes to the witch) and morose, 47 Ronin simply doesn’t know what kind of film it wants to be. More often than not, it’s trying to be all things, to all people, and as a result will likely mean very little to anyone – other than those holding the bill.