Was Battlefield 4 on the current consoles too ambitious?

I love Battlefield, but as a console gamer I was limited to a downgraded version of the popular military shooter. After spending an extensive amount of time with Battlefield 4 I wondered if DICE’s newest title was too ambitious for current generation consoles. I sunk a large amount of time into Battlefield 3 and in comparison to Battlefield 4 it’s clear that DICE’s endeavor to bring a solid experience to the console was more taxing than with past projects. With numerous graphically errors, sound tearing and consistent system freezing it would seem that DICE’s attempts to port Battlefield 4 to the PS3 and Xbox 360 was more hubris than ambitious.

The reloading animination bug from Crysis 2 returns

I’ve spoken to various other consumers who’ve experience the same vexing errors that I’ve endured since I purchased Battlefield 4. Although the campaign was littered with poor AI I hoped that the multiplayer would’ve ran smoothy, instead I was constantly worried weather I would make it to the end of the match. Freezing mid matches, environment clipping and graphical hiccups were a few of many issues. Similar bugs did sprout up in Battlefield 3 but they were sparse. 

Unfortunately since I don’t have access to a next-generation console I had to rely on other sources to determine how DICE’s shooter performed. The various video footage from Gamespot, IGN, Machinima, and Rev3Games showed that the PS4 version of the game was running much smoother, as expected, but also that the problems that plagued me weren’t present. I went on the view other videos from different people playing Battlefield 4 on the current consoles and noticed that regardless of playing on the Xbox 360 or PS3 the same problems were always present. Enemy spot reticles not appearing and massive slowdown periods, as well as the previous difficulties I mentioned, were present.

Didn't understand why I couldn't move for the next 3 seconds, then I realized my console froze again

It’s easy to dismiss my claims by using the limitations of the current consoles as the reason behind all the issues. This is a valid argument, the PS3 and Xbox 360 have been pushed to their limits with not only Battlefield 4 but with Halo 4 and Grand Theft Auto V. However it’s upsetting to see a title heavily focused on multiplayer stumbling so much when fluid multiplayer gameplay is necessary. This doesn’t mean that Battlefield 4 is a broken game, in my review I praised DICE for providing an excellent competitive experience but it was constantly apparent that Battlefield 4 required more power than my PS3 could muster even with the limitations placed by DICE. 

Battlefield 4 is still an amazing multiplayer game given the limitations of the PS3 and Xbox 360, and delivers a solid competitive experience. However I would’ve preferred that the game only released on the next-generation consoles only and spare me these frustrating memories. What do you think, was Battlefield 4’s performance too much for current consoles to handle or did you find your experience with DICE’s military shooter to be everything you expected?

Adam Siddiqui, NoobFeed
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