➤ Final clash 🎮

Will Last Stand really be the last DLC for Battlefield 4? The name of the package seems to suggest it, but we know that this is not the case, just think of the rumor of the elusive Uprise and above all of the "post clarifier" of DICE itself with which it says that we must expect more in the near future. But the real question we all have to ask ourselves is whether this new package is worth the usual outlay of money (net of the thousand problems that have plagued the game in the last year).

The answer is yes, and not because there is more content than in the past, but simply because DICE wants to close the season with a bang, making new users "taste" one of its most beloved titles, that Battlefield 2142 which eight years ago had transported the saga into the XNUMXnd century. The DLC also has a narrative fil rouge to take us into the near future: China warns the United States that Russia is developing advanced weapons capable of upsetting the balance of the battlefield. It's up to the Marines to invade cold, snowy Siberia to stop the Russian efforts. That is to say? It will be possible to fly the HT-95 Levkov tank / hovercraft, faster and more manageable than a normal one (and also equipped with a side strafe) but without a rotating turret: basically an old-fashioned tank destroyer. If we feel too far from the battle we can catapult ourselves from one side of the map to the other by entering one of the Launch Pods, while if the infantry has breached our defenses we can wipe it out with the small fixed station Schipunov 42, or the current Metal Storm, which from the name suggests its "wide-ranging" power.

Then? Among the gadgets we find the XD1-Accipiter, a small armed reconnaissance drone and the DS3-Decoy, a gadget capable of reproducing the sounds of battle, a real bait to lure opponents into ambushes. And the weapons? Two and both dedicated to sniping. The Rorsch Mk-1 is a real window to the future, a miniature rail gun, a "one shot, one kill" sniper rifle, with long charge and reload times but really powerful and lethal, also equipped with a minimum area damage. A real bomb. If, on the other hand, we want to kill the old way, we can hunt opponents with the hyper-technological composite bow, armed with three types of arrows, from normal to explosive ones. Needless to say, here too a shot in the head and that's it. The real protagonists, even if little more than extras, are the prototypes of two future "actors" of Battlefield 2142, namely the Titan in Hangar 21 and the T-1 in Giants of Karelia. In fact, therefore, we are witnessing a "prequel" of 2142 and who knows that in the future the Swedish guys do not want to go back to collide on board mechs and gigantic airships.

Last Stand is undoubtedly an apt DLC for Battlefield 4

It's cold outside

The four maps in the pack have two things in common. The most obvious is the Siberian, winter and snowy setting. The less obvious one, however, is the quality of the level design, more or less high in all battlefields. It must be said, however, that the infamous Levolution does not give great chills. We can set the stage for potentially interesting and lethal situations, but not exactly unforgettable. Operation Wipeout is a decidedly open map, with a circular appearance, perfect both for vehicles, such as the HT-95 Levkov, but also for snipers who can enjoy clean lines of fire even from long distances. It goes without saying that the prototype of the rail gun seems to have been made on purpose to sweep the soldiers who approach the hot areas without cover. It is not a simple no man's land, however, since close combat is guaranteed by numerous structures and a never banal level design, both in the western part where the frozen lake is located, and in the eastern one, more mountainous and jagged.

In the middle of the six checkpoints, evenly distributed throughout the map, there is also the possibility of conquering a submarine to launch an aerial bombardment. Not bad in short. A beautiful map, large, airy, and full of ideas, where the control of the airspace is obviously the cornerstone to bring the match home. But it's also perfect for testing out all the new gadgets and weapons in the DLC. Hangar 21 is a very special map. It is fought on the slopes of a mountain, where a huge hangar opens halfway up the slope (so big that you can enter it by helicopter), inside which one of the legendary Titans is under construction. We cannot pilot it, but we can start the engine test thanks to which all the unfortunate opponents can be cooked instantly. In short, a Levolution event that is not exactly memorable. The gigantic "shelter" is not flat, but full of structures, corridors and raised areas; a rather complex environment, which enhances the clashes both from long and medium distances. Outside, however, the climb to the entrance is made inaccessible both by the steep profile of the mountain, but also and above all by the many structures, which make the race to the top a real challenge. And if we wanted to avoid trouble, we can always take advantage of the Launch Pods positioned above a sort of warehouse, which as previously written allow us to launch from one part of the map to the other, including Hangar 21. Without doubt one of the best maps in the package. Giants of Karelia is a very large and truly exciting map, the only one where it is not the total dazzling white of the snow that reigns supreme. It seems that the thaw has begun in Karelia: the snow punctuates a particularly steep mountain environment, a perfect battlefield therefore for vehicles, with a river that cuts the map in two and with numerous bridges that join the two banks.

It must be said, however, that the particular conformation of the terrain, rich in ups and downs, hills and elevated points also allow the infantry to have their say, being able to bypass or hit the tanks from above. It goes without saying that even here the level design is of great class, a perfect example for all the potential of Battlefield gameplay. Very large spaces, of course, but there are also close encounters. As for Hangar 21, the future "past" of the franchise also makes its appearance here, in the form of the T-1 mechs being built in a secret structure. Not being able to fly it as we are waiting for ok from the motorization, we only have the possibility of collapsing the roof on all those who are inside. The last of the four maps is Hammerhead, perhaps the least beautiful of the lot, but probably the largest and the one in which the Levolution system is most appreciated. We are mainly above the sagging surface of a frozen lake, which can be destroyed by explosives placed as needed, perhaps just when there are tanks on it. And if we wanted to complicate the game even more, there is also a nice snowstorm that can limit the players' view. A battlefield after all uninteresting and on balance with little personality, which fails to snatch the scene from a small masterpiece like the giants of Karelia. Not bad, not a little fun, just not excellent compared to the others in the DLC.