From battling through downtown Paris to urban fighting in the Middle East, the game brings a gritty realism that seems even more intense than the last FPS blockbuster, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.
In a previous blog we took a look at the forthcoming Battlefield 3 video game from EA Games. Since then the game has been launched and we've had a chance to play it. Now that we're acquainted with its realistic gameplay and graphics, we wanted to pass on our opinions.
First of all, we were shocked at some of the negative reviews the single-player campaign is receiving in BF3. We found it fast paced, challenging and entertaining; particularly the fighter jet and tank levels, which mix up the action nicely.
For some reason, critics have singled out the storyline for its weak plot, but it seemed more convincing than many: terrorists have obtained nuclear devices and are targeting Western cities; it's your job to find the bombs and prevent them being used. This is hardly groundbreaking but it flows through the game with a nice pace and explains the action in each sequence particularly well.
From battling through downtown Paris to urban fighting in the Middle East, the game brings a gritty realism that seems even more intense than the last FPS blockbuster, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2.
Certainly the sound effects of guns, tanks and jets are very convincing, eliciting comments from friends who wandered over to see what was happening...
The game immerses you in close-quarters battle, where admittedly the hand-to-hand combat is a bit odd. During your struggles with an armed aggressor, you're prompted to hit one or two buttons. This then leads to a series of actions you're not really involved in. Time it wrong and your character dies. This could certainly be more intense but it's a minor flaw.
Otherwise, you get to use a number of assault weapons, pistols, rocket launchers and sniper rifles to protect comrades and take out the enemy.
If anything, we had reservations about the online multiplayer game, having played the beta test version prior to its official release. However, the programmers worked tirelessly to get the action spot on.
With larger teams of up to 12 per side in Team Deathmatch, playing on much larger maps than COD:MW2, Battlefield 3 offers a great online experience.
Movement can be slightly jerky but most of the glitches were ironed out in the first few days.
Perhaps our biggest complaint is not being able to alter your character's weaponry during the downtime between games. Instead you look at the scores and stats before the game starts. It's only then that you can add weapon upgrades or even exit the game. This is slightly frustrating but the interval is relatively short.
Another nice feature is the addition of a Squad Deathmatch. This places you in one of four squads of four players. All squads fight each other, so there's plenty of enemy to choose from.
There are also vehicles in the Squad levels for players to use. Unfortunately, you don't get much opportunity to master the controls before an RPG takes you out, but it's another dimension to keep you playing longer.
Each player initially has four preset equipment options to choose from, ranging from assault to sniper. Each gets a slightly different range of options but these are quickly adapted as weapon and equipment upgrades come thick and fast. This allows the multiplayer game to evolve quickly, making you a proficient killing machine in no time. Inevitably, there's always a better killer than you, but it remains challenging nonetheless.
Player movement and operation perhaps isn't as slick as the current MW2, but Battlefield 3 has certainly set the bar high for the forthcoming MW3.