While PUBG is struggling against the recent competition of Fortnite and Black Ops 4’s Blackout, it still offers up a different challenge on a huge map that relies more on simple gameplay mechanics than gimmicks (no one needs to dance that much). While the latter Battle Royale games are certainly more improved and up to date when compared to PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, PUBG is still a solid Battle Royale experience on the PlayStation 4 with room to grow, especially graphically.
There’s nothing quite like developing an idea, implementing an idea, then having your idea taken, improved, and people flocking to the new idea. Such is the way of PUBG.
Say what you want, fickle gamers, but PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) Corporation was the one who developed the concept and idea of properly constructing a Battle Royale game. The game gave way to giant maps, parts (both defensive/offensive) laying around the map, and a shrinking center that brings you to the battle. All of this was PUBG. This was before Fortnite (as PUBG was in development since 2016), before Black Ops 4’s Blackout, and before any future Battle Royal game. In fact, it’s safe to say both aforementioned games absolutely took everything that made PUBG special and made it their own.
As many artists have said, imitation is the biggest compliment, though most gamers shockingly shit on PUBG for being behind the curve, even though they actually laid the concrete down to show how to build the damn curve. As a rule of thumb, you should always give credit to the original idea, much like how you should always consider Ralph Baer the father of video games, rather than Nolan Bushnell. Sure Bushnell made video games better, but Baer came up with the concept of manipulating a television tube to make it interactive (plus, he released the Magnavox Odyssey in 1972 — five years prior to Bushnell’s Atari 2600). See the correlation?
Anyway, be nice to the company that made Battle Royale a thing, such is the case with Bluehole and PUBG Corporation.
*steps off soapbox*
Let’s discuss the game.
PUBG, while not at all as flashy/pretty/update-y as a Fortnite or Blackout, still brings the goods when it comes to gameplay concept and structure. It contains everything that you want from your Battle Royale experience, which includes picking up parts, strategically placing yourself at a particular part of a map, and just situating yourself in the best possible way to win the game. It’s still a game that has only one winner (or a group of winners — depending on what mode you want to select), and it still can be a frustrating experience, but that is what Battle Royale is to the bone.
Speaking of the skeleton system of the game, it starts with dropping you from a plane onto certain player selected parts of a map. This is a concept seen in more recent BR games, such as Fortnite, which took a flying bus and made it a ‘thing’. Anyway, the map size that you drop into in PUBG is extensive, as well as desert-themed. You get a lot of open space, hilly areas, and plenty of small packs of buildings to explore or defend. The girth of PUBG is comparable to every other Battle Royale game on the market. I think that a game like Fortnite probably has a bit more variety with regard to multi-tier space (variations of hills, lands, etc.), but ultimately I don’t think a lot is lost with PUBG’s construction. It certainly is a bit more visually open than most BR games, with little to no real distractions, outside of cities, to take away keeping your eyes on enemies. I’m really impressed by its girth.
Girth aside, the map does have a few issues graphically. While I think it might get fixed in the next few months (one can only hope), there is a rendering issue, as well as a plague of pop-ins for the graphics. This game is being reviewed on the PlayStation 4 Pro, so the power isn’t the problem on the gamer end. The graphics issues may not seem like a big deal in a normal game (and it should be — but I get it), but in a Battle Royale game, that’s a huge deal. If you can’t see buildings while you’re in a plane or see them from far away due to loading, then you can’t anticipate what’s coming at you. You can’t see players, you can’t see hiding spots — you simply are at a disadvantage. For BR games, you need every advantage that you can get. I’m sure that PUBG Corporation will get this sorted out in the near future, as well as get permission from Sony to open up their cross-play option, but right now it’s a problem for the game. Not a dealbreaker, but it doesn’t help gamers out one bit, and there is already enough pressure to be perfect in the gameplay.
On the actual gameplay side of things, and much like every BR experience I’ve had, it can be such a frustrating gameplay experience before you get to a payoff. Spending chunks of time flying down to a favorite part of the map from the airplane, strategizing how you’re going to attack, picking up various objects, all of this usually equals out to you’re dead in 10-15 minutes. I think personally for me, this is why it’s hard to understand why BR games are worth the time/effort. I get the concept of them, I appreciate the ‘only one can stand’ sort of mentality that goes with them, but there’s just so little chance of payoff. The payoff, in this instance, means a ‘win’. I do realize that games like this want you to be the best, and I’m sure winning one absolutely feels like you won ‘Best Picture of the Year’ award at the Oscars, but the challenge is very real to get to that point.
Having said that, not all is lost from your efforts. You still get XP (Survival Leveling) for playing the matches that equal out to BP and/or G-Coin rewards. The game gives you a list of things to accomplish, some easy/some difficult, but all of it equals out to a chance to get better. With enough of that currency, you can gain access to weapons/items/advantages that give you the best shot to win. For the PlayStation 4 owners out there, there is Nathan Drake’s costume right out the gate (although, I believe that is a pre-order bonus). If a gamer dedicates themselves to the PUBG experience, does enough to upgrade their character, and understands certain aspects of the game, map/buildings/choke points, then maybe that will equal out to more success in it, thus a better experience. There is value to the game, which is run by dedication to getting better. Maybe that’s the key, once you push through the initial shock of ‘If you ain’t first, you’re last’ mentality.
Should PUBG be something you look at? Well, I get that spending $29.99 for a game is not as enticing as downloading Fortnite for free, but purely on the honor system of supporting the company that made Battle Royale a ‘thing’, it should be considered. The game is solid on the PC, it’s getting there on the Xbox One, and it will be there on the PS4, so it’s worth looking into when you’re looking for a nice variety of Battle Royale gameplay.
Overall, while PUBG is struggling against the recent competition of Fortnite and Black Ops 4’s Blackout, it still offers up a different challenge on a huge map that relies more on simple gameplay mechanics than gimmicks (no one needs to dance that much). While the latter Battle Royale games are certainly more improved and up to date when compared to PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, PUBG is still a solid Battle Royale experience on the PlayStation 4 with room to grow, especially graphically.
