New promotional materials produced by GameStop suggest a number of multiplayer features coming to 'Battlefield 4,' chief among them the return of Commander mode to the series' multiplayer. Last seen in "Battlefield 2," before DICE turned to the Frostbite engine, a 'commander' in a given multiplayer match has access to an overhead view, allowing him or her to direct squads, call in artillery strikes, UAVs and the like and generally approach the game from a real-time strategy point of view.
While unconfirmed - DICE and EA have only shown off single-player footage thus far - Gamespot tracked down some GameStop promotional material sent out to multiple stores in the US and subsequently uploaded to Youtube. In addition to commander mode, it also details three playable factions. They're Russia, China and the United States, which most people also call countries. But factions works too.
The material notably does not make the distinction of commander mode being available during multiplayer matches, so while promising, it may just end up being a gimmick utilized in the single-player campaign, similar to "Call of Duty: Black Ops 2's" Strike Force missions. Let's hope not.
"Battlefield 4" is currently confirmed for an Xbox 360, PS3 and PC release later this year.
