Battlefield 4 Notes

I choose to start a new campaign on normal difficulty.

Mission 1
The game starts with our character stuck in a vehicle that is sinking into deep water. Bonnie Tyler is playing and our character remarks that he doesn't want to die to this song. His name is Recker it seems. There are four men in the vehicle. Dunn is trapped and injured. He give Recker his gun and tells him to shoot out the window so the others can swim out. This obviously means leaving him to die. I shoot the window and the screen goes black. Time shifts to 13 minutes earlier. I am alone in a corridor in a derelict looking building, that might be a school by the primary color paintings on the walls. I move on and have to jump and crouch over dome lockers. There are men in the building looking for me. I go through a door and meet a man called Pac, then Dunn. We are on a mission and have taken some intelligence. There are spec ops trying to catch us. Irish is coming to our position from another location. I have to get some ammo from a crate and cover Irish as he approaches across the street outside. Irish jumps out of a window and is followed by enemy soldiers. I have to shoot them to let him get across the street, he climbs in the window and joins us. We are now moving towards the extraction point. I fight some more enemies inside a hall like area of the school. I come to a dead end and have to use c4 to blow up a wall and get outside. I come to an overlook of an industrial area. The building we have to get to for extraction is in the distance. There are enemies in the area. I must fight my way through. I stealth kill four isolated men and then a helicopter flies into the area. I can designate targets for it. I clear the area and move through a pipe into another area of similar territory, though more industrialized. I must push on into the entrance of the factory. Inside the derelict factory we take a lift, while we are in it an enemy helicopter arrives and attacks. I have to run through the building ascending until I get to the roof and out extraction helicopter. As I approach it, it is hit by the enemy helicopter. It flies out of harms way leaving us on the roof. I see it being shot down as the building collapses. We fall and slide until we are hanging over the edge. The building seems to fall apart and we fall. I pass out and come around being helped up by Irish. Dunn is trapped under rubble. His leg is severely crushed. The only way to get him out of the area, which is on fire is to cut his leg off. We do and then help him into a civilian car which has stopped nearby. We are now driving along the road to a secondary extraction point. The helicopter gives chase and shoots at us. We hang out of the car and have to shoot it down in a bullet time like scene. It goes down in our path and we end up in the water and catch up with the intro scene. In cut scene I see the men swim out of the car leaving Dunn to drown. The intelligence concerned confirmation of Russian and Chinese cooperation. It seems a general in the Chinese army is resistant to peace and is trying to derail it.

Mission 2
We are on a carrier at sea, a leader is telling us that our next mission is to go to Shanghai and extract VIPs from a tower block. Tensions are high, a Chinese presidential candidate who was about to win called Jin Jie has been assassinated and tensions in China are high, war may be imminent. We are to rendezvous with a man called Kovic in the tower block. We start in a car driving to the location. there are soldiers in the streets and it appears that there are riots going on. We are blocked and have to leave the van, we go out into the streets on foot. As we approach the target tower block we can see Chinese spec ops troops in the area. I sneak into the side of the building, and take an elevator to the floor in question. Guns are distributed in the lift. The door opens onto lots of soldiers, we hastily take the lift up a few floors. I come out into a bar like area and a firefight. I then have to wait as a door is cut open. Spec ops teams breach in, I have time to lay some claymores which make things easier. I then have to clear this second wave. The door is opened and we move on into hotel like corridors. I turn a corner and see two Chinese soldiers opening a room door. It has been booby trapped and an explosion kills them both. Another door opens and we find Kovic and the two VIPs inside. One is injured, he does not seem to speak any English. Kovic wants them to go up as there is no way down. The plan is to steal the helicopter the soldiers came in on. The man reveals that he does speak English and expresses regret at all the violence. We move up to the roof On the roof we must clear a team of spec ops. I get to the helicopter. Kovic is going to fly it. The VIP is shot and falls. He is not dead though. We have to defend against a large team of soldiers. Kovic flies off with the two VIPs. We now need to get out another way. I take the lift and am told to get to a river. I come out into the front of the hotel and must fight my way down to the river. I enter a building that friendly civilians open for us. Many seem to have wanted Jin Jie to win the election and a civil war may be breaking out around us. Some of the civilians are fighting back, however a tank is causing them problems. We need to get a weapon that can knock out the tank. I place mines and blow up the tank, then another attacks and is similarly dealt with. We get on a boat with the civilians. As we ride along the river a light in the sky explodes brightly. A helicopter flying past falls out of the sky. It seems a massive EMP blast just went off. Irish tells the refugees in the boats to follow him.  We lead them to the American aircraft carrier called the Valkyrie.

Mission 3
Recker wakes up on a bunk in the carrier. I get up and am told to go and find Irish. I travel through the ship hearing about the problems that the EMP blast caused. I find the woman and man VIPs that we rescued. The man is in a bad way and all the electronic medical equipment was broken by the EMP blast. I move on into the lower decks and find Irish with the Chinese civilians. He seems happy that they saved them, Pac seems unsure. Pac is more worried about chain of command and it was Recker who was in charge, not Irish. we are to go and speak to the admiral to sort it out. On the way a battle stations call goes out. An American ship called the Titan that we were on the way to meet is on fire when we see it. The admiral, who is called Garrison, calls us and tells us to go and see if we can find out what happened on the Titan. Kovic is placed in charge of the mission. I take weapons then get on board a small boat. Irish is giving Kovic attitude already. The Titan is sinking, it has caught on a reef, but is likely to slide into a canyon and sink completely very soon. I reach the ship and have to circle it until I find a rent in the hull. We get out of the boat and go inside. We are looking to get the ships voyage recorder. I move through corridors until we reach a hatch and find an area of the ship that is submersed in water. We have to use scuba gear to swim. I then walk on through more ship. We hear a noise and find two men trapped under grating. There is no way to free them and the water is rising. They drown before our eyes and Irish and Kovic argue some more. It seems that the Chinese trapped the men down there. Kovic doesn't think it makes sense to board and torpedo a ship. I move on and find the hard drive of the voyage recorder. Some voices can be heard. I move into a control room like area and find soldiers. I fight them and move into another corridor. As we do the entire corridor breaks of, it seems the ship has broke in two just about right where we are standing. The half rises and then falls back down below out level. We jump out onto the deck and start along it. There are soldiers here in the way. I fight along the deck and then jump off the end into the water and a waiting boat. I must now take the boat back to the Valkyrie. Small boats are running interference on the way. As I reach the boat a helicopter attacks. We drive into an open dock area at the back of the boat and crash dock. Getting out we fight Chinese troops in the bay. I meet our men and are told that the enemy are on board in multiple locations. I have to head for the bridge. I find a helicopter attacking the bridge and must shoot it with a stinger missile. I fight on through the vehicle deck. I come to the medical bay and find the woman, who is called Hannah, the VIP we rescued from Shanghai. The man is missing and Hannah is revealed to be a formidable fighter, taking on two soldiers hand to hand. We are now going after the male. I fight through onto the deck and we are trying to climb a ladder to a control deck. Kovic is blown off the ladder and appears badly injured. Helicopters come in, carrying troops. I have to shoot them down or simply kill all the enemies they deposit on the deck. Once done we watch Kovic die, he gives us the Titan's hard drive and puts Recker in charge. I climb up to the bridge and clear a few enemy soldiers from inside. Captain Garrison appears from a locked doorway. The ship has been taken back and is clear, though in hostile waters.

Mission 4
The command ship was taken down by a missile strike and the waters belong to General Chang. To get clear we need to pass by an airfield. To ensure good missile strikes a team is to fire a flare from the airfield we need to hit. The emp has wrecked most of the targeting systems. Hannah is joining the team in place of Kovic, much to Irish's disgust. I can't imagine someone as argumentative being allowed to stay in the marines. I drive a boat out of the Valkyrie, then onto a beach. Other soldiers and tanks are advancing also onto the beach. I fight my way up the beach. Then onto streets, I have to take control of a tank. I fight others tanks and then find my way blocked by barricades in a parking garage like area. I find a control that lowers the barricades. I then have to fight more tanks. I now come to a large open parkland like area with many tanks. I come to a restaurant and we see that we need to cross an exposed bridge to get to the airfield. Irish has another strop  and argues with Hannah. We move out onto the bridge and the wind is blowing cars around like toys. I fight some men and then get pinned by a car. The others try and free me, it is no good. A boat hits the bridge which frees me, but throws me into the water. I have to swim to the surface and get pulled out. We then enter a sewer, which takes us up into the hanger area that we want to be in. I must now fire the flare which will bring the Valkyrie’s fire down in the right place. I fight through a large hanger, then come out onto the airfield. The flare is fired and we get into a jeep like vehicle. We go for a ride along the suddenly exploding runway. The jeep is overturned. Irish can be seen tending to a possibly dead Pac. Hannah appears with Chinese soldiers and captures Irish and Recker. She tells Recker that it couldn't be any other way.
Garrison can be heard telling the ship’s doctor that they lost 26 men in the attack. Our team are not accounted for. Chang may have us prisoner.

Mission 5
Recker and Irish are being tortured. Irish talks of Hannah and her husband and it seem to click with the enemy that Jin Jie is still alive and that is who we took out of Shanghai. They also guess that Jin Jie must be on the Valkyrie. Recker wakes in a cell with a Russian prisoner. He wants to escape and gives us a knife. He knocks a hole in the cell wall and we climb out onto pipes and gantries. I then come to a cylindrical area and have to knife guards and get to a control which appears to open gates and start a riot in the prison. I then meet up with Irish who is whining about finding Pac. Does he ever stop being a pain? I think Pac is dead. We fight on into an elevator then into a long road like tunnel area. I have to clear this of enemies then the Russian goes into a control room. I can hear helicopters coming. I now have to kill the waves of soldiers that get dropped into the area. Once done we go through a gate and get captured. Hannah is with these men. She shoots the two men that are with her and Irish goes mental on her. The Russian wonders why he is hitting someone who saved them. So am I to be honest, Irish is the worst fps character since Rico in Killzone. I wanted to kill him as well. We go outside and have to fight our way to a tram, we are in a snowy mountainous terrain. Getting up to the tram is hard work, for the first time the enemies are using grenade launchers. I eventually make my way to the car and start taking the ride down the mountain. Dima, the Russian begins to make some comments that make me think he knows a lot more than he is letting on. A chopper heads for the cable car. It begins shooting and falls from the cable, we crash and slide down the mountain. Afterwards everyone is alive but the Russian. Our heroes now face a long trek in sub zero conditions.

Mission 6
We are now in a jeep two days later. Hannah talks about Jin Jie and how Chang's forces killed her family. We are still in Russia, we meet some American soldiers operating behind enemy lines. They direct us to head for their superior. I come out into a large open area, many soldiers and a vehicle must be destroyed. Then a similar rinse and repeat. Then we have a woodland area that is filled with enemies. I come to a large open area with a bridge and find Russian forces fighting American. Our objective is to get across the bridge to the American side. I basically have to do all the work and kill the Russians for the Americans. I then cross the bridge and meet Major Greenland. She is under heavy siege. She can't help us get back to the Valkyrie. We suggest a plan to blow up a dam to flood SAM sites which will aid her. She tells us we can get a ride if we do this job for her. We get in a vehicle and there is a fade to black and we are at the dam. It is massive. We have to place the explosives carefully to ensure it blows. I sneak down to the edge of the dam, there are soldiers guarding it. I attack and kill them all, then a helicopter attacks and must be shot down. I climb over some pipes to get to the next area. I fight some more men then take an elevator down into the bowels of the dam. Hannah begins to place explosives and we have to protect her while she does. I then place another charge, we move out onto ledges on the edge of the dam. The power has been cut and the only way back out is to follow the scaffolding ledges. I come to a dead end. Hannah tells me to blow the charges as the enemy are appearing behind us. I do and the dam collapses. We are tipped into the torrent of water flowing out of the blown dam. I survive and join the team as they appear out of the waters. A friendly helicopter can be seen above, It is Major Greenland. She lands and tells us that she is going to kill us for losing her vehicle. I'm not sure she is joking. She then congratulates us on a job well done. She swears at her men, calling them fuck-heads, then proceeds to chastise Irish for asking what the fuck is going on. She is going to give us a ride to the Suez Canal, and hopefully the Valkyrie. We are lifted by skyhook. Irish is afraid of heights.

Mission 7
The Valkyrie is badly damaged and heading into trouble. We are in a plane and about to parachute out. We do and land on the back of the Valkyrie. I must now advance along the deck fighting. Once the deck has been cleared of many enemies and a helicopter, we go down one level Inside we find Pac, not dead after all. We are now heading for the medical bay. I fight past some enemies and then find Garrison and Jin Jie in the med bay. Jin Jie wants to show himself to the enemy so that they know he is alive. He thinks they will lay down their arms if they do. There seems to be little alternative, so we try his plan. The ship will be overrun, it is inevitable. Jin Jie talks to some Chinese soldiers and they indeed, stop fighting and appear pleased to see him. The word spreads over radios. An explosion rocks the ship, it appears that Chang is bombing it in an attempt to suppress the truth and kill Jin Jie properly this time. There is nothing much left to shoot at Chang's ship with, the plan then is to load a boat with explosives and hit him with it. We go to the vehicle deck and get into a small boat. Pac stays on the Valkyrie, Irish and Hannah come with me. I drive the boat towards Chang's ship. Some small boats attack and Irish uses an emplaced gun to attack them. As we reach the large boat our is hit and Recker seems injured. Hannah takes over driving and Irish begins placing mines on the side of the boat. We use ascender guns to attach ropes to the destroyers mast and get out of the way of the C4 blasts. We try to fire the bombs but they don't work. Someone must go back down, it seems this may be a one way trip. I have to choose who will go. Hannah or Irish. Irish has been a pain most of the game to be honest, though he is growing on me. He and Hannah have been having some getting to know each other dialogue. I also don't fancy sending Hannah to her death either, she has been a good character. I think I should go to be honest, though there isn't an option for that. I choose Irish, he goes down the rope and sets that charge, I then blow up Irish and the boat. The credits roll. 

9 hours for one play through on normal.
24% of the trophies.