Battlefield 3

Liked BFBC2? Then you'll hate BF3.

BF3 is pretty much worse in any possible way if you liked the more sandbox style BFBC2 (I personally did that). This actually pretty much counts for all BF games I can remember, but BFBC2 in particular.

In Battlefield 3 you got nothing to destroy, nothing to hide behind. It feels like standing on a big field just shooting straight out in the air.

Due to the overhype (possibly). DICE seems to have thrown a COD like campaign into the game, which is pretty much identical to the one of Black Ops (not that BO was bad, but who like copycats?). However, the amazing graphic (best new thing about the game), compensates a bit for this.

Now, to the biggest issues of all - B U G S !!!
The game had from launch date various bugs, the biggest one being a lot of disconnecting. Now DICE tried to resolve this with patches. And well, it was okay I suppose, at least if you were among those 70-75 % (judging from comments on patch) who now got bit less disconnecting. However if you were among the other 25-30 %, you possibly couldn't even connect to servers anymore.
And I can personally confirm that we still are a couple of people who still have a 95 % disconnect ratio.

Now about the Origin and Battlelog stuff. You either like it - or hate it. When it works, I actually like it myself. However it just doesn't work very good, and therefor it's quickly on the hate list.

Overall a game that simply got rushed out too quickly, but why should EA care? Everybody know that EA buy all the good titles, and like Activision turns them into overhyped commercial crap. This is a risk you take every time you buy games from studios working with the big boys. But at least studios like Infinity Ward and other studios behind these commercial franchises fix the bugs. DICE have here failed big time, which is a sad thing adding to the cons.

If DICE were new and didn't had big success behind them, it would have been a 4. But as a dedicated fan of the game, I can't give more than 3.

All we can do now is to hope that BFBC3 won't be a MW3

Well I for one was expecting an actual sequel to BF2 and not this COD hybrid. Gameplay is very run-n-gun, not what I was looking for. Maps are too small and there's really no flow to battles like in BF2. I'm sure that if PC really were the lead-platform the maps would be bigger.

Teamwork is nonexistent. The game doesn't promote it at all and most people don't bother anyway. I swear 99% of my teammates are brain-dead monkeys. No I'm not exaggerating. Everyone I play this with must think of this as COD with vehicles and I don't blame them. This is nothing like BF2 where random strangers would squad up and actually work together to accomplish objectives. There's none of that magic here.

So what's good? The graphics obviously. This game is one of the few reasons to upgrade your computer. Sound is solid but I wish weapons would have more bass. Battlelog novetly wore off fast, it just doesn't replace a traditional in game server browser.

So. this thing gets 2 flames because it's not really a battlefield game, just COD with vehicles as I've stated before. Plus the game's not even finished yet as they keep pushing out critical patches and are re balancing weapons/attachments/vehicles with every update.

Before I start, I just want to say that I would recommend this game to all FPS gamers.

I was really amazed by the graphics and gameplay of BF3. But there are some things to know about the game.

GRAPHICS(FB2) - 4/5.

The graphics seen in BF3 were unbelievable! It is a thrilling experience to play BF3 with all of its beauty! However, I was a bit discouraged about some of the quirks of the engine. We were first told that everything would be destructible in BF3, well that is not true. If you were looking forward to BF3 being a destructible playground, too bad. But it does bring tactic back in the game which is a good thing. There are a few other things, but most of the quirks are un-important, but important enough to get a 4/5.

GAMEPLAY - 5/5.

Yes a five out of a five. The gameplay in BF3 is... wow. Throughout all of the BF games, this one is the most tactical. Like seen in previous games such as BF2, you can't just clear a building with 5 or 6 guys no matter how good you are. You can't do anything in this game without your teammates. That in itself should be enough to put Call of Duty to shame:D . The game modes both are very tactical. Soloing a flag on Conquest usually will not work with multiple tangos. Same for rush, striking a m-com station alone will not work. Preps to EA/Dice for making the game with many overpowered tools, but still there is always someone who can take you down. I think that is what all Battlefield's have been about, like in BF2; You can take a tank but there is always Anit-Tank, Engineer, C4, and air support. You can take a Jet but there is always some AA. Take AA and then your pretty much dead. LOL, it is kind of like a intense game of rock-paper-scissors. But EA/Dice delivered a pretty good game of rock-paper-scissors.

SEQUAL TO BF2 - 3/5.

First, I believe EA/Dice did the very best they could to sequalize, but BF2 was made in 05 and BF3 in 11. It's very hard to make an extremely true sequal to a six-year old game and for it to be a great success. If this was about how much effort EA/Dice used, then this would be upraded to a 5/5. Great job! When Back to Karkand comes out, we should be seeing a closer sequal to BF2.

MAP DESIGNS - 2/5.

I was kind of hoping for some really intense tactical combat type maps. However, there is only one really good map like that. Operation Metro. It isn't that the other maps aren't good, but they are a tad bit un-balanced. I guess that's another quirk about Battlefield. You usually do play on a battlefield. IMO, the bigger the map, the more it seems to be as if it is a one man army doing the whole thing. However, EA/Dice have delivered some very good tactical maps that are outdoor. Such as Karkand, Sharqi, Omaha, and frankly, every map with Titan mode on BF2142 was great! That is one thing Call of Duty excels at, tactical maps. But I can understand that 64 players on a map like Wet Work(COD4) would get a little too intense. However, I was a tad bit disappointed in the maps of BF3.

RANKING AND UNLOCKING - 5/5.

The best system ever seen in Battlefield games. Really encouraging to keep working for new weapons and unlocks. All the weapons are great and perfectly powered for tactical warfare! Not much more to say.

SMOOTH PERFORMANCE - 1/5.

This is the main catch of the game. Even though minimum requirements may make you really happy! It is very hard to enjoy the game for what it is. So if your running a dual-core, 2GB of RAM, and a bad video card; Than you can forget all the pros and cons of this game. Lag will ruin the BF3 experience. However, the settings on the game can be changed to make your game a *LITTLE* better. If you have a behind computer and a PS3 or 360. Get BF3 for the console and don't waste time with the PC. But if you have a great PC, then I would highly suggest getting BF3 for it. However, I will give one little encouraging statement,"BF3 on low can still catch the awesomeness of Frostbite 2. But even more with it on High." A couple tricks to help troubleshoot lag is: Keep your virus protection program from blocking BF3. Make sure all drivers are up to date. Adjust the video settings and even some audio settings. Make sure all background programs are turned off. There are many more but I don't have time to type them all. I can't really speak for the console gamers, but as for PC gamers, this game is VERY buggy! Origin and Battlelog for one thing, I hope maybe EA/Dice have learned their lesson from this. I can't say that anyone likes the programs. Not only is the game buggy, but so is Battlelog and Origin. I understand that patches in the future will help solve these type problems, but until then I give a 1/5.

WEAPON CLASSES - 5/5.

Apparently, a lot of people complain about the classes being to un-stable or not enough. I disagree, there is nothing wrong with the classes being un-stable. And I believe EA/Dice were making a mistake with BF2 when they made seven classes. Four classes is a hotspot for EA/Dice and they shouldn't go back. In BF3, there is no BEST class. They are very organized for tactical warfare. Assault, frontline troopers who are the ones who make the biggest push in attacking. They are equipped with medical supplies and a defibrillator and an Assault Rifle. Recon, the marksmen of the game. They carry a sniper rifle with some other weapons that will help in their protection of the friendly units. If your deaths overtake your kills as a recon, than you are not doing your job correctly. A recon should be the spotter of the battle. Pass info onto your troops of hostile tangos in the area. A tip in playing Recon, do not rush in. Lay back and just protect. Believe me, you will have plenty of targets and you will still not die. Then there is the Engineer class. This class will be seen mostly on heavy vehicle maps such as Operation Firestorm and Caspian Border. Usually it is equipped with a SMG and a repair tool and an anti-tank weapon. Usually an upfront fighter along with the Assault class. Last is the Support class. This class has the same goal as the Recon. Except it is more up-front and is a bit more of a massacre type class. The Support class is usually behind the Assault or Engineer and far in-front of the Recon. Support class usually carries an LMG with a weapon mount. Also they can resupply friendlies. The Support class is not only good for protecting the front, but it is best for blitzing a group of tangos or breaching an area. Like I said, the classes in BF3 are well made and are definitely not a problem in the game.

ADDICTING - 4/5.

LOL, maybe it is a good thing that it isn't 5/5. BF3 is the by far a very anticipated game of 2011! When I started playing the game, I was not let down. However, I can't say that I will be playing BF3 for along time. Probably until the next game. But yes, this game is absolutely AWESOME!

ANIMATION (FB2) - 4/5.

Great when it comes to the animation! However, there are a few little tweaks to take into consideration. For one thing, blood splatter on the wall looks absolutely fake. Reminds me of the old Halo games. Big red splotches in different areas. As for movement, it really does look amazingly real! BF3 will really take you in the game. Running across a field and hearing all of your friendlies yelling and...wow...! So much happens at the same time in this game. It is almost overwhelming! GREAT JOB EA/DICE!

SINGLE PLAYER - 2/5.

Cheesy. But did have some very nice moments. Not like Call of Duty campaigns.

CO-OP - 3/5.

Good fun to have with a friend. But I was hoping to see a story developing in the campaign. Oh well, it isn't bad enough to complain about,

OVERALL - 4/5.

MY OVERALL OPINION: Good game, but seems like that it is missing something.

If you would like me to write other in-depth reviews of games. I play BF2, BF2142, BC2. BF3, BFP4F, COD2, COD4, MW2, TF2, Minecraft Beta. Would love to do another one. Just say what game and a review may be written!

Got the Premium Edition when it was on sale on line and met all sorts of folks in Co-op and MP and even joined a TS3 (Team Speak 3) room that made it all that more enjoyable. This is not an easy game to master, for some yes but the majority of us have to play a lot to get the 'feel' for it and make it more enjoyable.

One heck of a game and to me it set the bar for this genre. Battlefield series is not repeat not like CoD or MoH; in some ways yes in single mode. But in MP no way. There's just nothing like it on the other games. A close one would be ArmA or even FlashPoint with the way it feels but they are set up to where you command a squad or what not whereas this one you're on your own in Campaign play with another fellow in Co-op and back on your own again in MP (more or less) you do play with other squads but seemingly they go off and poop and snoop. Now if you have friends that you get along with and have a team speak server or know where one is that has this on their list then this game can be played for hours and hours with lots of things to do and the camaraderie that goes with it.

I've seen this jewel lately for under twenty bucks and that is the Premium version which is like a season pass (the seasons over) but a good deal and if you like this sort of thing you will not be disappointed. Like all things gaming everyone is chomping at the bit for BF4. CoD Warfighter The latest greatest doesn't hold a candle to this one maybe that's why you can find it for fifteen bucks talk about small maps any way this is one that goe s into the all time classic category.

BF3 is just another copypasta generic shooter. It sells itself as a semi-realistic FPS while in reality, it's meant to compete with Call of Duty. This means it's an arcade shooter; nothing wrong with that in itself, but combined with the fact that it emphasizes casual gameplay makes this just another product of today's horrible gaming industry, in which people generally don't want challenge, strategy, or competition.

This should be a $20 game at most, seeing as how it ships with only 9 maps, incomplete coop, and a 4 hour CoD-clone single player. Plus, PvP shooters just aren't strong on lasting appeal due to their lack of substance, especially casual ones. There's not much good about this game; even the graphics are drastically overhyped. It doesn't in any way, shape, or form, raise any bar. Sure it's better than Call of Duty for offering more level variety and vehicles, but overall is a step backward compared to games like Red Orchestra 2, Crysis, Crysis Wars, and others.

As everyone knows, the game has also been plagued by EA, making their useless Origin program a requirement, and making the abomination known as Battlelog a requirement. It's a shame that this game, like its close relatives, are lapped up each year. This was my first Battlefield game and I got it for $10, but I will never make that mistake again.

Full review here

This review came from: 11/22/2011

Once again, my awesome girlfriend has showered me with her love by pre-ordering me the limited edition Battlefield 3 a couple of months back, today was claim day and I finally got my hands on this much awaited game! Along with the Limited edition in game freebies, I got a pretty cool free shirt too as a part of the package, too bad they only had medium, it's a bit too big but what the heck.

Let's get to it! To anyone who has played games from the Battlefield franchise, you know that when comes to making awesome virtual warzones, Battlefield makes it to the top of the list, well, my list at least, but I’m sure many would agree. When I purchase a game, I consider 3 things, the campaign aspect, the multiplayer aspect and the replayability of the game.

First off, let’s tackle the campaign aspect of the game, the story revolves around a conflict between the Middle-East, some Russians and the United States. Since I hate spoilers, I won’t discuss this one too much. It’s a short campaign where you are put into various scenarios with some dramatic events and effects which adds more flair to the well structured storyline, the scenes are acted out well too adding more life to the story. Although the main scenes are quite one dimensional, which kind of show similarities to Call Of Duty Black Ops (I won’t go into any more detail, buy the game and play it to see what I mean). I was a bit disappointed though because the wit and personality of the previous games in the series such as Bad Company and Bad Company 2 weren’t integrated, I think that these aspects would have given the campaign more strength.

On to the multiplayer aspect, this is where the magic happens so to speak. There are two parts here, the Co-Op multiplayer and the real deal 12 vs 12 multiplayer. The Co-Op multiplayer is technically a two player online mission based experience, meaning you’re up against AI, yes, sadly it can only be played online and only 2 players can be utilized, and there are only 6 missions to play and replay, which are somewhat related to the campaign. To be honest, these missions are more challenging than some of the campaign missions, too bad there are only 6 to choose from. They also added a nice touch to it though, you can unlock weapons by earning points from the missions and the weapons you unlock can be used in Multiplayer. To unlock all weapons, would require multiple repeat playthroughs of the missions here. Now on to the icing on the cake, the real multiplayer, which I believe is the heart of this game. There are about 9 maps where the 24 player action can take place, each one varies in size and scenery as well, ranging from urban, industrial, military and more “nature oriented” locations. And one of my favorite parts of this game is the concept of destruction, which I first got introduced to in the Bad Company series. But in this game, it seems to have been enhanced and which makes it more awesome. Most of the structures can be damaged and destroyed using the various tools for destruction at a players disposal, this adds more dimension to a game because this can create new paths as well as remove locations to hide behind. This environmental manipulation is key in creating more strategic opportunities for you and your team and as we all know, it’s always good fun to just blow stuff up.

Of course, one can’t forget the vehicular aspect of the game, this time around, there is more variety added and each map, may or may not have vehicles in them, each map will also have a different set of vehicles available for use. From Humvees to Buggies to Transport Vehicles to Tanks to Rafts to Helicopters and to the latest addition, Jets. Each vehicle provides a tactical advantage, if used properly and effectively, these can turn the tide of a battle in an instant. Sadly though, there is no way to practice Jet flight and Helicopter flight offline which is needed because these vehicles are one of the most complex ones in the game but once mastered, they prove very effective and useful but to the inexperienced (myself included) they prove frustrating and annoying or entertaining to the rest of the players when witnessing an out of control jet or helicopter plummeting to the earth or heading straight into a mountain or building.

But I believe the most important aspect of the game is the one closer to the player, which is the class and loadout selection. It’s pretty much the same as Battlefield Bad Company 2 which is composed of Assault, Support, Engineer and Recon classes each having class specific loadouts. There are new items that have been added though such as the EOD Robot for the engineer which can arm charges and repair vehicles. There are class specific unlockables, including weapons and gadgets, as well as weapons specific unlockables that include accessories and attachments, you can also unlock specializations that enhance your classes, there are level specific unlocks as well. There’s one noticeable part of the multiplayer that is new and I find quite a fun challenge, it’s knife killing, in Battlefield 3, you can no longer just walk up to an enemy and slash him in the chest, it takes about 2 slashes or a sneak attack from behind which rewards you not just with the dogtag of your victim but a pretty cool short action sequence as well. Similar to the previous Battlefield games, the key to victory and progression is through the use of teamwork, because almost every teamwork related action is rewarded, from spotting an enemy to assisting in a kill. When your team is working well together, it provides an exciting and rewarding multiplayer experience.

Going back to the 3 things I consider when buying a game, I’d say Battlefield 3 gets 2 ½ out of 3, multiplayer and replayability which is pretty good considering that the campaign isn’t too bad to play. Overall, I think that Battlefield 3 is worth the purchase, you are sure to have a decent campaign experience, then once that’s accomplished, you can move on to the intense and fun multiplayer aspect of the game or just start right there and play the campaign later on. Either way, the game holds a high replay value as well as a challenging and rewarding experience. For those who enjoy a good first person shooter, intense multiplayer experience, I highly recommend this game, and as for veterans or fans of the Battlefield franchise, this is an automatic purchase.




Ranking:
Story: 8/10
Gameplay: 9/10
Graphics: 9/10
Soundtrack: 8/10
Overall: I think this game deserves a 9/10. The campaign is short but intense and exciting. The Multiplayer is really what makes this game shine.

Graphics: The graphics engine has been hugely improved from BFBC2 (which in itself had pretty good graphics). And overall, it is very impressive with its ability to show very large environments. Other strong points of the Frosbite 2.0 engines are physics destruction, lighting, textures when seen at a distance, and an impressive "sky-box."

MP: This game is mainly a MP game, and so most of the attention went into this section of the game. The MP is definitely impressive and supports 64-players amongst a plethora of large maps. And while the experience is not flawless, it is still very exhilarating.

Indeed, the multiple of classes and game types (Conquest, Rush, Deathmatch, etc) over several maps provide the player with hundreds of hours of immersive gameplay.

Great Support from Dice: Since its release, DICE has constantly supported the game with very large patches that aim to perfect the game, and the game has come a long way since then. Also, in 2012 several DLCs will be released for the game concentrating on infantry and armored vehicle gameplay.

SP: The SP is short, dull and a close copy of MW games both in story and gameplay.
Coop: The coop is fun but too short to make a difference.
Origin: This game is Origin-only, and has to be run with the program. I would have liked to keep all my games consolidated in the superior Steam platform.

Overall: A great game, with a great MP. Play it.