With the beta demo for the multiplayer portion of Battlefield 3 now available on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 - I decided i'd get a few thoughts written down on how I'm finding the experience in something I like to call 'thinking out loud'. ((Okay okay so i'm not loud at all - but hey it beats 'thinking on keyboard', right?))

I was lucky enough earlier in the year to get the chance to try out Battlefield 3 during the Alpha testing. This brief look at the game was on the PC after I got an invite from the cool kids at EA and DICE.

My beta experience has been xbox 360 based. When I got into my first match, I was taken a back by the difference in graphics between the PC and 360. The PC certainly has the upper hand if you are fortunate enough to have a decent gaming rig. Being a primarily console based gamer - I'm not disappointed with the graphical differences, the game still looks good - PC just offers that bit more to the 'wow factor'.

The only map on the beta is 'Operation Metro' in Rush mode. For those that don't know, in this mode you have an attacking force and a defending force. If you are an attacker, your objective is to plant explosives on MCOM stations at both points A and B on your map. It is the other teams job to defend the stations for a set period of time. Once the first set of MCOM stations are down - two more are set up further down the map and the same struggle of attack and defend continues. There are a set number of times this happens on a map as the attackers push further down the map.

Battlefield maps have always had a larger scale then those found on call of duty. Operation Metro offers an expansive park setting which then leads down into a metro station which then sprawls out into the city streets. It's big. There are ofcourse the multiplayer shooter staples of 'choke points' and 'no mans lands' that help to offer the usual fair of carnage. Each time the map changes locals and the next part is opened up - it helps to keep the location fresh and interesting.

One thing I really like in the game is the fluid free running system. Clicking in the left stick as you run causes you to sprint and with a simple tap of the A button your character leaps over a majority of obstacles like he thinks he's faith from Mirrors Edge. It's satisfying and makes you feel pretty bad ass - least until you get shot...that's quite the mood breaker.

One thing I find myself disliking however is the 'Tactical flash light'. On your primary weapon you can have a flash light which sounds fair enough, but if you find yourself being aimed at by someone with a flash light - you are dam near blinded, great for the other guy, but considering you can be blinded by your own team's flash lights, it offers a kind of mild panic attack as you try to figure out if the flash light belongs to friend or foe...usually its a foe, and usually half a second after being blinded you are on the floor and waiting to 'redeploy'

Overall, the game is solid. It takes a little bit of getting used to, but it's a fantastic FPS, and in my opinion ((Yes, I get to have one)) it is the better choice out of this and modern warfare 3. I just wish EA would stop the childish insults they keep throwing at call of duty...it's not good for business.

How is everyone else finding the beta? What are the good, the bad and the ugly points in your opinions?