So here we are, the release date of Battlefield 3 has come and gone. The game is being played across the globe on consoles and PCs alike. Hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of players are engaging in combat across the sky in jets, thundering across the terrain in tanks or apcs, or capturing bases as infantry.
The game has many an attractive feature, whether it be the astounding environments in which nothing short of all-out-warfare is waged, the sound quality which makes the player feel like he or she is being shot at or that there is actually a jet screaming across the sky overhead, the smooth gun play which allows the skilled pros and the new-to-shooter players all feel like equals. Overall, and thankfully, the continuous leveling system encourages players to keep playing Battlefield 3 to get that next attachment or that next vehicle upgrade.
A game like Battlefield 3 has more features by which to judge than one could shake a controller or keyboard at. I will focus on the ones I judge to be essential or that offer the most complete perspective of the game.
Multi-player: This is a true Battlefield game. It has the large scale combat, the necessity of teamwork, and the experience that leaves one feeling like he or she just stepped into a war zone. Gamers like myself who play on he PS3 miss out on the 64 player Conquest game mode offered to PC players. However, the matches feel active and appropriately filled with action. The squad system does have its flaws. Formed parties on the main menu are prone to being divided on opposite teams and the in-game squad menu suffers from the inability of a player to join a specific squad.
The vehicles, a key component of any Battlefield game, feel and sound quite real.
Tanks are the monsters of death that they should be but suffer the realistic restrictions of being slow. Helicopters are tricky across the board. While posing a significant threat to infantry, they can be a pain to learn how to fly properly and are prime targets to any passing tank or jet. Consequently, I wish the jets were more powerful at first; they are limited to only using a machine gun until the player unlocks heat-seeking missiles.
Combat between infantry classes of Assault, Support, Engineer, and Recon also shares in the balance. Snipers are given away by lens glare from their sniper scopes. Engineers may at first seem powerful with their rockets but they do not have much ammo. Assault players can bring an offensive force with grenade launchers or a more supportive boost with their medic packs and reviving shock paddles. The Support class is built particularly well to do just that: supplying ammo to their teammates, covering fire from their light machine guns, or even raining some mortar shells from above with the unlockable mortar device.
In every situation there is the opportunity or chance for the player, and the team, to succeed even if it’s not by having the most kills or the highest kill-to-death ratio.
Single-player: Yes, this is a Battlefield game with a single-player campaign. This may be more of a feature carried over from the more recent DICE titles of Bad Company, but it is not something to be instantly written off. The campaign is certainly cinematic, exciting, and a terrific method for players to become familiar with the way the game handles.
At times it may feel like you are playing some crazy and improved mod for Call of Duty, but then you kill a group of enemies by bringing down the front of a building on top of them and you realize this is new. The single-player is nothing to really brag about though and it’s not something that really deserves a lot of discussion since it is a generic, war-themed story that we have seen in many games or movies.
General Game Features: Battlefield’s menu is smooth and features cool colors and moving backgrounds. However the choice to have the screen blur and shake when going in between selections is one of the largest complaints I have for the entire game. There have been many times where I fear that my system is having some horrible melt down because the screen is completely distorted.
The customization of your individual classes and vehicles is handled nicely with a menu that easily allows switching between weapons and attachments. It also lets players see their upcoming unlocks to encourage further play time with a certain class or weapon. The variety of the upgrades lets each player play his or her favorite class vehicle in a manner that could be unique. For example, some scout helicopter pilots may opt for a stealth upgrade, which would allow them easier time ferrying their teammates to the objective.
Overall Impressions: Battlefield 3 is a terrific game. It has everything to entertain and amaze its players and then takes the extra step to push you back into your seat with an adrenaline-fueled rush of sights, sounds, and action. This is not just another Battlefield Bad Company title. Battlefield 3 has taken the best features of the games that came before and combined them into a magical hybrid. I don’t expect it to win every game of the year award and I don’t believe that it will outsell or crush the Call of Duty franchise, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a fine game that deserves to be played.