people can like different things, but overall 2042 is the least liked battlefield game.
Thats about as accurate as it can get, i think. The BF series has been getting progressively worse over time, going from BF1942/BF2 to BC2 (which was good in its own right, but not truly BF, it was a consolized experience as it was said by the BF community), BF3 to 4 and we all know what happened afterwards.
I think thats the largest problem with the BF series, and in special BF2042, that game is compared to the games prior to it. But lets compare 2042 to CoD, Halo, Apex and other popular online shooters, it is not
that bad then. The largest differences to those games are that 2042 is starting out with alot of bugs and glitches, but that has always been the case with DICE's BF games, even BF2.
I find 2042 quite fun with friends and family, yes its no BF2 which i still play more, but then again im not expecting a true Battlefield anymore. Its too late for that, its all about simple, non-complex shooting these days. BF2 was the last true BF for me, with BF3 and 4 being Ok-ish. BF2 at the time was developed for the PC as a true pc game, with graphics/audio that were much better at the time relatively compared to what 2042 is doing, it had a deep squad/commander and ranking system, large maps and the true hardware/infantry teamplay we havent really seen since. BF2 was co-developed with team members from the Desert Combat mod for 1942, which is one of the reasons it was as impressive as it was.
BF2 is still being played today, full 64 slot servers running different maps aswell as competitive matches. Its more fun than 2042 and most, or any other online experience if you squad up with friends.
There are many mods out there aswell, which in todays games just doesnt exist anymore. And with that i mean total conversions, solid good mods that enhance the online MP (AIX, PR reality etc).