Lets put the multiplayer aside for a second and lets talk about Hardline's story mode. To get you in the mood, it's absolute shit. Like, really, REALLY SHIT. Let me get the only thing that I think is good about it out of the way first, it feels different from any other Battlefield campaign, and I think that's a good thing when your story is way different than any previous ones. Solid gun mechanics and satisfying sound effects make for a nice firefight here and there, but other than that, Hardline's story-line is a nonsensical, dumb, super-corny, linear piece of shit.
You play as officer Nick Mendoza caught up in Miami's fierce drug war. With your delightful partner, Khai. Hmmm, what is the motto of every police force? Something along the lines of, I don't know, "To Protect and to Serve"? Well, if you think you're gonna be doing any of that in Hardline you are wildly mistaken. You can freeze enemies with your cool badge here and there, but other than that, you can blast away and kill every motherfucker in the building, making you feel like the robber and not like the cop. Don't worry though, officer Mendoza will make the corniest fucking joke once in a while to lighten up the mood. For Christ's sake, I though I was listening to lines borrowed from 90's sitcoms and cop films. Dialogue was DREADFUL in this game. Another moment in the game were you are reminded of what shit you're playing is when you drive a car, it's awful, it feels like you're only supposed to step on the gas and relax while explosions and all kinds of different shit happen all around you. Your cop or robber buddies in the game always talk to your character like they are talking to you, as a gamer. They always say stuff like: "Whole lotta dudes there, we can take them like this, like that, or head on", here you go brain-dead gamer, if you are not smart enough to figure simple shit like that on your own, have this guy talk you through it and you can just shoot some guns and freeze some bad guys!
Apart from nice gun mechanics and pretty graphics, this campaign of Battlefield Hardline is absolute shit. If you want to play the multiplayer so bad, willing to pay full price for it, go ahead. Just keep in mind you are getting nothing other than that.
