The newest addition to the EA franchise Battlefield 1 went to open beta this week and was plagued with what has become the "normal" EA beta server issues. Between the frequent crashes or long waits to find a working game server, there were glimpses of one of the best Battlefield games we have seen in a long time.

From period correct weapons and vehicles to charging into battle on horseback, Battlefield 1 delivers everything we have been waiting for in a WW1 reboot. Couple that with stunning graphics and awesome environmental effects, I find myself even more excited for the October launch.

Although the beta only had a single map and two game types with which we are already familiar from previous BF titles, the addition of sand storms and armored trains of death made the whole experience feel less like another Battlefield game and more like a new one. That's something which we've all been waiting to happen since Hardline fell so firmly on its face. There is still a certain amount of familiarity, snipers still have bullet drop and vehicles are still insanely powerful, but the plethora of new features and subtle adjustments made it all very exciting and fresh.

This is not to say it's a perfectly polished game right out of the gates, there are some rough edges and balancing that will surely need to be done. One of the features that needs a lot of work is the integrated voice communication system on the PC. Currently EA is using the party system built into the Origin launcher. Although it works, it is clunky and the quality is well below that of discord or other party chat applications. The lack of quality integrated communication is by far my biggest gripe.

Overall aside from the, what felt like nearly constant server issues and lack of a quality communication platform. This is still one of the best EA betas I have ever played. Call it nostalgia or maybe just anticipation, but in my eyes this is one of the first AAA titles I will be buying with confidence in a very, very, long time. 

Here's some footage of our day 1 experiences: