If you play first-person shooter video games as much as we do, you'll be as excited about the October 25, 2011 release of Battlefield 3 as we are.
The previous two games in the franchise were slightly hohum, but BF3 looks like taking it to Call of Duty with all guns blazin'.
We were very fortunate to attend an Electronic Arts event where we had the opportunity to play part of a single-player mission. Since then, we also signed up for the beta testing phase of BF3's online missions, which have allowed us to see the multiplayer mode.
The game is put together by DICE (an EA studio) and utilizes the Frostbite 2 engine used by several other EA titles. As a result, it promises to offer advantages in areas such as vehicle and helicopter combat that are included in the game, including a large-scale tank battle that takes place.
The producers have worked closely with Andy McNab, an ex-British SAS Special Forces soldier and accomplished author. He's been helping to ensure the gameplay is authentic to battle conditions. McNab is the best-selling author of Bravo Two Zero and has penned a new novel to accompany the game. It will be called Battlefield 3: The Russian, which is scheduled to release on the same day as the video game.
The book tells the story of Russian Special Forces operator Dima, one of main characters in the game itself. It paints a picture of a soldier struggling to keep himself and his platoon alive.
Dima appears in the BF3's single-player storyline, where he appears in flashback to Marine Staff Sergeant Henry Blackburn as he races to defend New York from attack. The book picks up where the game leaves off, allowing McNab to give a new perspective into Dima's personal quest as well as events in Battlefield 3.
The game's single-player, co-op and multiplayer campaigns take place across the globe, from the city streets of Paris to the barren Iranian desert. It's storyline and action have so far managed to impress most people who come into contact with it, receiving an unprecedented 47 awards at this year's E3, including Best Action Game and Best Online Multiplayer from the Game Critics Awards.
Grabbing the Xbox 360 controller, it's very easy to direct the action. All the controls are similar to most other FPS games, with the game providing prompts when you need to tackle specific obstacles. This included info such as "Press X" to vault wall or breach door.
The game also has a number of slow-motion sequences where enemy players come toward you, giving you greater time to repel the assault.
Our storyline appeared to be an attack on the outskirts of a middle-eastern town. We had to cover ground, position a mortar and press home the attack.
With able assistance from your AI teammates, the attack was fairly straightforward. Sticking points were soon cleared by the AI, leaving you with little more to do than find cover and provide fire. You take the lead on building assaults but always with your squad around you.
The pace of the game was fast, with fire coming from numerous positions. You own weapons are capable but you can collect more from fallen enemies.
The assault rifle we used appeared to kick less than, say COD, while the sound and action felt very realistic.
The graphics were absolutely superb. The detail in the faces of individual players is remarkable, as well as the rendering of the surroundings and buildings.
Grenades didn't appear to have a particularly wide killing zone in the pre-release version we were playing, but the range and accuracy of guns was good.
At the end of the level, which terminated after we'd cleared the first building, you felt exhausted after the intensity of the action you experienced. This certainly bodes well for the game since it sucks you into the storyline, pushing you forward all the time to keep pace with your squad.
On the strength of this brief action, we'll definitely be adding Battlefield 3 to our role call of favorite shooters.
After sampling the single-player mode, we were excited to play the beta test version of the online game, which we downloaded from the dashboard of Xbox Live.
Now it has to be understood that these beta versions represent early programming and the role of each player is to help DICE identify and iron-out the bugs. As such, the graphics can be quite jagged. There were so many glitches, it became fun to explore them, such as a hole in the ground that allowed you to sit under the game and shoot unsuspecting players.
Over the course of a few days, it was fascinating to see the quality of the game improve. I might be imagining it but the action seemed to get smoother, the guns more accurate, the glitching reduced.
If this was as good as the online multiplayer game will ever be, BF3 just took a dive in my estimation, but the large maps and fast action suggest that once everything is sorted, the game should be a winner.
I'm a little perturbed to discover that some player already seem to have a huge advantage as far as response speed, shooting, etc and hope BF3 won't suffer from the same annoy elements as COD online with players boosting and glitching at the expense of everybody else. Hopefully, the faster controllers won't work with this game, to create a level battlefield.
For now, we just have to keep our fingers crossed that all the testing creates a stunning game the 25th.
Battlefield 3 is released on October 25, 2011 in North America for the PS3, Xbox 360 and PC. The multiplayer element will accommodate 64 players on PC, with 24 players on PS3 and Xbox 360. For more information visit www.battlefield.com