Really, though, it's the most iconic Battlefield map of them all that's the star attraction - even if it's not coming until a little further down the line in December. That cluster of islands also means that water-faring warfare is a very real option, with a battered dinghy that's one of the new vehicles in this new expansion the perfect vehicle to stealthily storm a point. This time out it's Battlefield 4's Paracel Storm that's the inspiration, with an archipelago being battered by DICE's dynamic weather system. Pacific Storm's the other new map, which brings to mind another piece of cherished Battlefield history. It gives this expansion its own particular flavour. When you're playing as Japanese forces, you're on the backfoot, fortifying defences and pushing back against the invading forces. Invasion's a big part of what this particular expansion is about, so Breakthrough seems like the perfect way to embody all that. Play it in Breakthrough and you get Battlefield 5's own take on storming the beaches as you invade the island when playing as the US forces. There's more detail, too - those wide expanses on the front give way to a network of tunnels through Mount Suribachi, both of which combine for a map that provides a variety of different styles. Visually it's a bit more muted - cues have been taken from cinematic depictions of the conflict, most notably Clint Eastwood's Flags of our Fathers and its companion piece Letters from Iwo Jima - with the volcanic geology making the beaches feel like a moonscape. Iwo Jima, which heads up the new expansion, takes the Battlefield 1942 original and expands upon it. It's a pointed return to the series' roots, bringing it all back to maps that riff off the classics that featured in 2002's Battlefield 1942. The rate at which maps have been added has amped up, and this week sees arguably the biggest addition to Battlefield yet with the addition of the Pacific theatre. I dipped in recently to see where it's at, and was pleasantly surprised it's actually good now.Д«attlefield 5 never really attracted the same ire, but it's certainly benefited from the same kind of care and attention in recent months. Even Star Wars: Battlefront 2, which rightfully attracted controversy around its launch, has been turned around. Turning around struggling games has become something of a DICE speciality, starting with Battlefield 4 - one of the more disastrous launches in recent years, yet a game that went on to become one of the most cherished multiplayer shooters of the generation. Being a Battlefield 5 player has been, more often than not, a deeply frustrating experience.

Firestorm made a belated debut earlier this year, and offered a fascinating take on the Battle Royale genre, though support seems to have petered out, while elsewhere new maps were only being added sporadically. It launched just under a year ago, undercooked and with support in its first few months patchy at best. True to form, Battlefield 5 has offered a bit of both. When Battlefield's bad, it can be really, really bad. Or maybe you just fell foul to one of the many glitches to be found. The one where you're running aimlessly across a vast map, not entirely sure where to head next, and having your long journey to a capture point cut short by some sniper camping out on some faraway hill. Of course, there's the other side to Battlefield as well. It's breathless stuff - and when Battlefield's sandbox delivers, there's nothing quite like it. There's a magic to be found when zipping to a distant capture point in an armoured vehicle, your friends in tow as you man the rear guns and take potshots at the fighter plane above that then comes screaming down in a streak of fire and crashes into a building, sending it tumbling to the ground and taking out the squad that was camping there. When Battlefield is good, it's really, really good.

Is battlefield 5 good