Battlefield 4 is a slick introduction to next-gen multiplayer

After Battlefield 3's iconic synth soundtrack, that this most eagerly awaited of the next-gen launch titles should fade from black to the strains of Bonnie Tyler's cheese-tastic Total Eclipse of the Heart is more than a little incongruous. Naturally, it's just a slick slice of sleight of hand from devs DICE - setting the scene for a bombastic opening that also serves as a thunderous showcase for the next-generation powers of PS4 and Xbox One.

If there's an indisputable star of the show here, it's plainly the all-new, all-singing, all-shooting Frostbite 3 engine that blazes out at 900p on PS4 (and at 720p on Xbox One). Both versions looked stunning, though the consensus was that the PS4 version definitely shaded it. More than just a pretty face though, DICE's baby does some frankly insane things that tangibly affect gameplay - or at least alter your perception of it - as well as destroying ear drums and melting eyeballs.

Wait until you see a tropical storm roll on in, the wind so fierce it blurs the vision and affects locomotion... or gasp as an aircraft carrier's hull is torn asunder girder by twisted girder - all in-engine. Plus the shift to 60fps on next-gen consoles has definitely given the gunplay a rocket up the jacksie, too. Scale and speed equals a compelling combo.

In the decidedly brief (six hours tops) but pulsating single-player campaign, you play as Sergeant Daniel Recker, silent cipher, one man 'Recking-ball' *cough* and team leader of Tombstone, your usual spec ops-style, rag-tag posse breaking both rules and necks alike to stop a nefarious Chinaman (and some Russians) from killing a somewhat nicer Chinaman who wants to get into bed (figuratively) with the West.

Yep, if BF4 flops in any one particular department, it's definitely exposition. The painfully signposted pathos regularly rings hollow, the Chinese-US love-in and cultural exchanges (chiefly between supporting characters Irish and Hannah) stagger between cheesy and plain heavy-handed.

If BF3 was about the planes, 4 is all about the ships. Well, aircraft carriers. You'll be rampaging around more than one, but there's nothing that quite matches the iconic Top Gun moment of BF3's 'Going Hunting' sortie.

We're not sure whether it's the acting, the writing... but something just doesn't ring true. Maybe we were just too jaded by the game's sky high gaming bodycounts to care about a few screaming all-American NPCs trapped in a brig and destined to drown. Maybe we're just horrible people. Or maybe the plot is just a bit too safe, generic, confusing and - ultimately - bland for its own good.

Thankfully the impressive action - and a handful of genuinely jaw-dropping next-gen style set plays - more than redeems any perceived narrative missteps. There's a seamless flow now between single and multiplayer, the incongruity of BF3's not-so twin halves consigned to history. The understated rewards system feels both fluid and holistic - rack up the carnage through skilful kill-combos, special takedowns etc. and you can earn bronze, silver and gold weapon unlocks for each of the campaign levels.

Similarly, plunder hitherto unused weaponry from downed foes and it'll be added to your wonder-crate, a bottomless cache of juicy military hardware that's accessible at regular intervals during missions. Realistic? Absolutely not, but it constantly makes you reassess (and re-equip) your mission loadout, and basically lets you mess around with the best guns relatively early doors rather than after beating the game a dozen times.

"THANKFULLY THE IMPRESSIVE ACTION MORE THAN REDEEMS ANY PERCEIVED NARRATIVE MISSTEPS."

Lest we forget, Battlefield's single-player campaign has always been something of a bonus - the undoubted meat of the title is to be found in its corpulent, oh-so scrumptious multiplayer, and BF4 is the strongest online incarnation yet.

The jump to 60fps has had an undoubted effect on the action; up close it's fierce and frenetic, with some of the more claustrophobic Deathmatch maps (like Operation Locker) arguably even besting COD for sheer twitch-blasting, charnel-house ferocity. Spawn, kill, die, respawn. That said, attempting to go toe-to-arcadey toe with Infinity Ward/Treyarch arguably results in BF4's grand vision faltering somewhat, even if the actual pace certainly doesn't.