Battlefield 3

Battlefield 3,developed by DICE Entertainment, is the long awaited Battlefield 2 sequel. DICE succeeds in delivering an adrenaline filled multiplayer, providing a nearly flawless online play that combines expansive big - team battles with the explosive DICE engine. What the game lacks is a strong single player experience that sabotages it from being a great game.

Most people aren't looking to buy Battlefield 3 to find a strong story and it never gives you that impression. DICE raises the bar from Bad Company 2 in possibly every way, making Battlefield 3a more refined and collective experience that most games for the FPS market don’t come close to. The multiplayer is truly where you're going to go “above and beyond the call”.To rushing the beaches of Kharg Island, to flying aircraft over the hills of Damavand Peak, Battlefield 3's multiplayer in many ways intimidates you due to the sense of scale. Every map is different in their own way and has their own personality, requiring you think outside the box on how you attack. If you like to stay back and aim for the head, you can now do that in the prone position, which makes it series debut here. There are so many ways to destroy your opponents online, making Battlefield 3 one of the most accessible first person shooters on the market.

Like previous Battlefield online modes, it will take you multiple times to truly get a sense of what each mode and each map plays like. Depending on the area, you could be facing opponents in a small alleyway or in a much more open and broad setting, each map is unique and serves a purpose.

One of the many things I love about this year’s version of Battlefield is the multiple types of maps you get. Many maps like Caspian Border or Seine Crossing were built for you to create your own experience. So if you wanted to act like a 80’s action hero, fly a jet and imagine you were Maverick from Top Gun, you can. Many maps provide you with a rich close quarters experience that few rival.

One of the things the Battlefield franchise is known for is the level up system. This year it is back again with little or no changes. The main change in this year’s version is that Assault and Medic are one class, making it one of the funniest and popular classes online. Even though Battlefield now has only have four classes, the gameplay still feels the same, which isn’t a bad thing. Another tweak in this year’s version is now you can finally upgrade a vehicle, providing rewards to players who stay long past it’s release. Overall I still love the level up system in Battlefield and the tweaks help refine the experience to make it more enjoyable.

If your looking for graphics,DICE’s Frostbite engine will impress you from the get go. It will instantly be one the best looking games you have either on the consoles or PC. The light, smoke, and lens flares consistently impresse. The campaign really does show off what the engine is capable of, from taking off from an aircraft carrier to jumping out of an airplane thousands of feet in the air and performing destruction on a building. I found that certain facial textures needed an extra second or two to render, but it never got in the way of my experience.

But even though it is a great engine, it looks too much like its older brother. Battlefield 3 runs on DICE’s Frostbite 2.0 engine, but the leap from Bad Company is just not noticeable. You don’t need to go out and buy a brand new computer if IT can already play Bad Company 2, which runs Frostbite 1.5. I do see the differences between the engines as graphics and lighting have improved, but I was expecting more of a jump. It’s one of the few things that disappointments me about this game.

Battlefield 3's campaign was something I was looking forward to. Even though I had no idea what it was going to be about, I was still excited for it. Unlike previous Battlefield campaigns, the story is centered around one man, but you are still put in the shoes of other enlisted soldiers. The plot isn’t very original either and follows the stereotypical approach of a World War story, Russians are always the enemy and have nukes.

The campaign has some cool moments like skydiving, night missions and watching entire buildings collapse but for the whole experience, it’s super frustrating and has a linear experience to it. Unlike the online multiplayer, you can’t chose your own path and experience the campaign your own way. You have to follow a guided path filled with cheap and unstoppable deaths that will plague you along the way. The presentation is actually really good because the Frostbite engine is top notch. What takes away from it are annoying QuickTime events that get in the way. I wouldn’t mind the campaign if it played like the online mode, or at least resembled bits and pieces from it.

Besides multiplayer, Battlefield 3 has a really cool co-op mode that is actually better than the campaign. Similar to Call of Duty’s Spec Ops mode, co-op puts a new spin on six available maps that is fun from get go and is a nice distraction from online play. Hopefully in the future, we will get DLC that allows you play with an entire squad.

For sixty bucks, Battlefield 3 is a visual and powerful treat to play, but like every game it has its problems. With a lack of a decent single player game, Battlefield 3 comes off a little bit flat and mis-steps in the process. The nearly flawless online multiplayer will keep you playing past the holiday season, but it’s far from a perfect game.

Score: 8.5 /10