Battlefield 1942 represented a watershed moment in gaming. The World War II-themed first-person shooter eschewed any attempt at a story-driven campaign in favor of large-scale battles. Truly large-scale, in fact, because players were not limited to competing on foot, but could also step behind the wheels of a wide variety of vehicles, from tanks to planes, in the name of strategic slaughter.
The core concepts haven’t changed much, even today with the stunning technology behind the mind-blowingly gorgeous Battlefield 3. Now, though, Electronic Arts wants to give gamers a taste of history. As such, the original Battlefield 1942 is now available, free of charge, on Origin. This doesn’t include any of the game’s expansions, and is a direct rerelease of the same game, sans any apparent updates, but as a piece of gaming history, one could certainly do worse than large-scale warfare.
EA’s reasoning for the gift? To celebrate the series’ 10 th anniversary and 2 millionth Premium Member.