When it comes to virtual battlefields, nobody does it quite like the Battlefield series. It has a long background of creating sprawling conflict zones where game enthusiasts have an exhilarating range of ways to make powerful contributions to the war effort. Yet it wasn’t until the Bad Company games were released that Battlefield really made a splash on consoles. As you might expect, the PC version of Battlefield 3 still boasts better visuals and bigger matches than its console counterparts, but competitive multiplayer about the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 is incredibly addictive, immersive, and exciting. Unfortunately, identical can’t be said for the single-player campaign, which fails to capitalize about the series’ strengths and ends up sensation like an off-brand imitation. The six cooperative missions fare better and offer a tougher challenge, but only the competitive multiplayer provides a compelling reason to purchase Battlefield 3. With online battles this excellent, though, that reason is all you need. There are many aspects that combine to make these battlefields as good as they are, most of that will be familiar to sequence veterans. Nine good maps arranged the stage for up to 24 game enthusiasts to fight it out in a assortment of urban, industrial, and military locations. These places all look great, though the grassy hills and blue skies within the Caspian Border are normally more appealing than the drab urban corridors within the Grand Bazaar.
The maps vary widely in sizing and offer diverse environmental elements, including claustrophobic tunnels, coastal roads, desert plains, and a assortment of multistory buildings. Many man-made structures may be broken or destroyed by the explosive tools at your disposal, creating new infiltration routes or removing cover positions. The maps are designed to create opportunities for combat at all ranges, and the element of destruction lets you manipulate the environment to create even more. Combat is not just about where you are, but also about how you get there, and the assortment of automobiles is one within the things that makes Battlefield so uniquely engaging. Small maps might only have a Humvee or a light armored vehicle, while bigger ones boast buggies, tanks, amphibious transports, helicopters, and jets. There are several variations within each class of vehicle that make them better suited for troop transport, anti-infantry, antiair, or anti-vehicle combat, and learning the right way to get the most out of each one is known as a blast, even if you’re sometimes the one getting blown up. Whether you’re piloting, gunning, or just going along for the ride, automobiles offer a key tactical element that can change the tide of battle when used with a savvy squad. Using a vehicle well can earn you powerful upgrades and bonus weapons, but it may be tough to get the hang within the flight mechanics for helicopters and jets. It’s a shame there’s no way to practice flying them outside of active multiplayer matches (with one exception), though you can take comfort in understanding that you are at least entertaining your fellow game enthusiasts when your jet nose-dives into a mountain.
The maps and automobiles allow for a good degree of strategic freedom, but choosing your class and loadout is the initial and most important decision you make before spawning into combat. Abilities and weapons have shuffled around a bit since Battlefield: Bad Company 2, so now the assault class slings health packs and totes defibrillators, while the support class carries light machine guns and ammunition boxes. Engineers still thrive on vehicle support/destruction, and recon delivers long-range death. New gadgets like robots that can arm charges (engineer) and mark targets (recon) give game enthusiasts more to look out for about the battlefield, and claymores and mortars (support) ensure that the engineer class isn’t the only one packing an explosive punch. Unlockables consist of class-specific weapons and gadgets, gun-specific sights and attachments, and specializations that can make you tougher and deadlier. Focusing on one class to unlock greater level gear has its advantages, but so does spreading around your progress in an effort to be more adaptable to the ebb and flow of combat.
Regardless of what loadout you choose, there are loads of ways to earn points for the actions. In addition to kills and kill assists, you can now earn points for suppressing enemies who are subsequently killed by your teammates. When a player is suppressed by enemy fire, they suffer from blurred vision and decreased accuracy. This disorienting tactic can assist you to mitigate the effectiveness of enemies who are peppering you from a prone position, which returns in Battlefield 3 after being left out within the Bad Company games. Battlefield 3 may be a successor in name to Battlefield 2: modern day Combat, but in spirit, the competitive multiplayer is known as a refined version of that offered in Bad Company 2. Nevertheless, it will be right away familiar to veteran game enthusiasts of either game, though fans of Bad Company 2 will come upon several other small but notable differences. Buildings are not easily destroyed in Battlefield 3 and underslung grenade launchers are, as of now, far less prevalent. Furthermore, you can’t just run up to someone and stab him inside face for an immediate kill; you need to get in two swipes or sneak up from behind. Nor is it possible to simply depend on explosives to destroy M-COM stations in Rush mode because arming and detonating the charge is now the only way to progress.
As using the previous Battlefield games, the focus is on teamwork. Diverse loadouts encourage you as well as your squad to make complementary choices, and stage bonuses reward you for functioning together. Every vehicle is better with teammates in it, as well as the simple act of spotting enemies can be an effective way to contribute to your team’s efforts. Teamwork is woven throughout the material of Battlefield 3’s multiplayer action, and when your team is functioning well together, it’s one within the most gratifying experiences you can have in a game. Battlefield 3 also has six cooperative missions that call for teamwork on the smaller scale. These stand-alone sorties have a narrative connection to the campaign, but they are tougher to complete than most campaign missions and also you can unlock some wonderful weapons for use inside multiplayer. Chatting with your teammate is helpful here, especially inside stealthy sections, because the spotting mechanic doesn’t sufficiently differentiate enemies at long distances. Your foes are fairly tough, even on common difficulty, though some unexpected quick-time events can also catch you off guard. The most notable mission here puts you inside cockpit of the helicopter, which provides the only chance outside of multiplayer to practice your flying skills. Earning all within the weapon unlocks calls for repeat playthroughs of these missions, so it’s a shame there aren’t more of them to keep you busy.
Finally, there’s the campaign. Battlefield 3’s single-player adventure tells a harrowing tale of the fictional modern day conflict. It follows a familiar formula by delivering a short campaign with diverse combat scenarios and dramatic arranged pieces. The story is solid and has some good acting, but the “Now tell us about this mission” interrogation mechanic makes the structure feel stale (having made a notable appearance in last year’s Call of Duty: Black Ops). The focus on realism makes the unrealistic elements like the heavy-handed linearity, quick-time events, and reckless foes even more noticeable, but most disappointing of all is the campaign’s utter failure to capitalize on any within the series’ strengths. The lively personality within the Bad Company games is nowhere to be found, nor is the operational freedom on which the sequence has thrived. When you climb into the cockpit of the fighter jet, you are merely the gunner in an on-rails sequence rather than the hotshot pilot. There are some beautiful environments and several exciting sequences, but these are outweighed by the overly familiar cityscapes and arranged pieces that were clearly inspired by other shooter campaigns from the past number of years. This contributes to the pervasive sense that this campaign is not merely outdated, but also outclassed. Fortunately, Battlefield 3’s competitive multiplayer is among the best in its class, providing immensely rich and immersive combat zones. Though there are still some intermittent server issues that might cause you to shed your connection or place you in an unpopulated game, these are infrequent occurrences that aren’t possibly to keep you from owning a blast online. Battlefield 3 may not offer much beyond the multiplayer, but there are so many ways to contribute and feel like a powerful soldier that after hours and hours of playing, all you’ll desire to do is play more.