Battlefield V’s Grand Operations will be in the game at launch as part of the Tides of War mode - but not as its own mode just yet.

Closed alpha tests for games are supposed to be a bit buggy and rough around the edges as developers test out new systems. In the case of the recent first closed alpha test for Battlefield V though, one such system - the game's brand new auto-spotting mechanic - seemingly wasn't supposed to be there at all.

This weekend past DICE held a closed alpha test for Battlefield V on PC for select press and Battlefield community members. And luckily, we managed to secure me last minute access to the alpha so that I could tell you whether this is the revolutionary experience it potentially promised to be.

Battlefield has always lived on its multiplayer modes. Introduced in Battlefield 1, Operations was a new mode that attempted to inject a little of the flair of single player narratives within a multiplayer context, with multiple objectives that span across expansive maps. Grand Operations takes that premise, and as its name suggests, makes it bigger.

What's in a name? A whole damn lot when it looks as if EA and DICE, after promising high and low that they wouldn't do so, may have included lootboxes in Battlefield V but just not called it lootboxes.

EA’s latest efforts were distracting enough to plaster over old wounds as the likes of Anthem and Unravel 2 earned plenty of love from anyone watching. In case you missed it, here’s the usual handy breakdown of everything that EA had to offer this year.

After a divisive first reveal for Battlefield V, EA has unveiled the WWII military shooter's explosive multiplayer action.

I’m excited, I’m revving to go and I’m more than willing to endure a literal 24 hours worth of air travel just to get to E3 this year. Why? Because some of the finest games in the land will be on show there. Games that will define the greatest interactive medium ever made, push them in new directions ad just be a bloody hoot to play. Here’s a list of ten such games, that the Critical Hit massive is eager to experience.