Can a new developer and the new setting of Battlefield: Hardline bring some fresh ideas to EA's popular Fps series?

The Battlefield series has long been the chief alternative to Activision's Call Of Duty, and like the faster-paced license, it's stuck to the same, military-based formula year in, year out. It's grown over time, with new additions to the game giving players a reason to choose EA's title. We've had mixed on-foot and vehicular combat, large destructible environments, squad-based co-op, and the recent level evolution of the fourth game, but despite this slew of upgrades, Call Of Duty has always dominated.

So, new series developer, Visceral, of Dead Space fame, has taken up the challenge of the next game. It takes over from Dice, and has chosen to take the series in a different direction. Gone is the military combat, replaced by a cops and robbers setup, with a single...