Battlefield 3 Review - DICE's Epic First Person Shooter Returns

From the plains of a Middle Eastern oil refinery, to the streets of Paris, down to the Subway tunnels and then off to the skies of Caspian Border... Welcome back to the Battlefield soldier...

Introducing the third instalment to the Battlefield saga (not counting the previous two incarnations of the console centric Bad Company series) which goes back to its original roots as a large scale multiplayer warfare FPS. Based loosely on real world locations, large arrays of weapons, vehicles and numerous unlockables that would make even you perfectionists(Ed - I call them unlock addicts) smile. With a plethora of features for multiplayer, the game also sports a new single player campaign mode which takes players on this rather short journey through the viewpoint of various characters that are part of a bigger plot(Ed - A plot that's as original as cheap Petaling Street DVD Pirated Copy).

Also new for the first time is the implementation of EA’s Battlelog social networking service. Battlelog allows players to connect with friends, rivals and enemies across the world, all from the convenience(or inconvenience) of your web browser. This new platform also allows players to search for servers, organise parties or squads, form platoons (sort of like a clan page), host cooperative games and look up player stats.

The game's visuals gleam with the all new shiny FrostBite 2.0 engine which is DICE’s latest baby in the 3D graphics war. With a constant marketing blitz on its animation, destruction and lighting features throughout development of Battlefield 3(prior to release), the battlefield has never been so... visceral. However, Battlefield 3 isn't exactly perfect. The BF3 armour isn't exactly without any dent shall we say.


War Stories(Single Player)

The single player campaign story can be summarized in a sentence; Hero gets interviewed for some kind of issue, turns out the terrorists have stolen some WMDs and it’s up to the US to save the world (again), turns out the hero did something bad and is being charged for it. Oh and the Russians are in this as well except they aren’t the bad guys but you shoot them anyway. Sounds confusing, I know.

The plot is thinner than an anorexic super model

The whole story is pretty much given away in the BF3 launch trailer indicating all the plot elements and characters you would need to know under 2 minutes. The plot is thinner than an anorexic super model. Throughout most of the single player, you will be thrown around like some kind of ethereal entity, possessing people(well not literally of course) during flashback segments (which are actually the missions throughout the game). Blackburn and the Russian dude (which I can’t even spell since it's Russian) are probably the only two people you really care for in the entire 10 hours of gameplay. By the end of the story, you will be scratching your head with much confusion about the plot and under developed characters that you will be wondering why you didn’t just ignore the single player and go onlinefor what the Battlefield series has aways been known for... amazing multiplayer action.

Nope, I can't really hear you with all these planes flying above us(lighting is a big thing with the new engine)

The single player campaign consists of a variety of missions ranging from the generic and now common place setting in any modern day war game... middle eastern war torn cityscape of Iran, to doing it a little different with the populated city of Paris(certainly one of the more interesting levels) and then the skies of the Gulf Ocean. The missions themselves are your typical gauntlet shooters, where you have scripted sequences which tend to show off the new Frostbite 2 engine or try to dramatise a situation. I suppose it's entertaining to a certain extent, if you just like running around and shooting at stuff(you will still need to take cover in intense gun fight sections). The enemy AI is rather sophisticated, they dive, duck, cower and coordinate whenever possible, adding another bar of difficulty to the single player.


Gunplay has also been improved from Bad Company 2, where in previous versions, the player could only either crouch or go prone. Battlefield 3 allows players to dive and mount over obstacles. There are restrictions however, for example boundaries. Thinking that this is a Battlefield game, players would often think that flanking or going off a set path would have great strategic or tactical advantage.

The reality... you're only allowed to roam a certain ammount of meters before being brought back on a single corridor, this formula of gameplay has been used in other singleplayer FPS games as well, however to attach it to the title of Battlefield was very misleading. This instanced gameplay can easily be spotted within the first 20 minutes of gameplay during the first mission. You're directed to continously follow a waypoint regardless of how you would choose to approach a battle.

In this scene, the drama and tension builds up as time ticks away....no really

Apart from the lack of freedom, the game also disallows the use of vehicles in all missions. There are some scripted sequences where you can get into a mounted machine gun or be the gunner of a Super Hornet. However, these felt more like simplified segments to what could have been a much better gameplay experience that was demonstrated in Bad Company 2’s campaign. You'd only be able to use or do things only when the game tell you do do it.

With the single player, the Frostbite engine was given a full show of its capabilities, with its trademark large scale FOVs with new shading, dynamic global illumination to smooth animation transitions for both enemy and ally AI units. Vehicles themselves have never looked so perfectly rendered, which often become a distration during battle(Ed- I know... There is a tank right there! Sorry too busy admiring the markings on the tank).

Facial animations and such are also notable as characters showed rather lifelike facial movement as they spoke to the player. While its prettiness cannot be doubted, however, the game does have its fair share of graphical glitches which pop up from time to time on lower to mid range systems(some say its driver related, graphic card manufacturer claim its the game). On the rig that I played with, there were only issues which were related to when the game enters a large scale environment, which severely puts pressure on my GPU's requirement to render it all.

Being drenched and feeling miserable, with the new Frostbite 2.0 engine just turns it all to a wonderful experience. 

Overall, the single player campaign wasn't nearly as good as Bad Company 2 (which was just about destruction and had a sense of humour). Battlefield 3's campaign tries to do too much(and tries to hard to impress) in a short amount of time, which alot of players would agree wasn't even necessary in the first place(Ed - But hey, keeping up with the competition... so says EA). It falls flat on it's face for trying to hard(almost to the level of overdoing it). You'll have to approach the single player as a bonus with the game or an alternative to the multiplayer when your feel like relaxing(Ed - Or rather when your internet connection isn't working).


Online Warfare - This Is Battlefield!

The Battlefield series was never about WWII, but about
large scale engagements. They've done WWII, Vietnam,
futuristic warfare(with Mechs), modern day combat.
Battlefield 3 is the first time DICE went back to the same
setting as in their previous game(modern day combat)
for a sequel.
Screenshot: Battlefield 2

Battlefield 3's multiplayer incorporates the use of EA’s new Battlelog Social Networking web service. It's similar to how an in game server browser would work, except it keeps track of your stats, friends and even servers you visited when playing multiplayer. The Battlelog also provides players with access to updates on the latest BF3 related content and is also the place you go to for hosting coop games or organising parties to join servers. It also features the option to form your very own platoon (similar to a clan) on Battlelog or look up others that have already been already formed.


However, Battlelog has several issues related to organising coop games. Since the system requires the use of a compatible web browser, you will need to install a plugin in order for you to have full access to the matchmaking or party setup functionality. Due to the use of this plugin, there are issues where sometimes the plugin isn’t enabled by certain browsers. And then there are issues with certain PC setups not having ports open to allow for Co-op games. The are also issues with regards to detecting whether your plugin (which is called comm centre) is updated or not as sometimes the thing decides to not check if it's the latest version. Apart from these niggling bugs, EA maybe onto something with thier new approach to online gaming. It paves the way for something promising in the future of online gaming social platforms. Currently, EA’s been working hard on patches to wipe out all the bugs, so only time will tell if it's going to be a good or bad idea.


Part of Something Bigger

Battlefield 3's multiplayer can only be considered as the one and only true battlefield experience, where chaos, anarchy and mayhem rule each battle and where working as a single deadly war machine is the difference between either a win or a loss. The third installment of the popular multiplayer experience goes back to its roots with 64 player conquest maps, with a wider selection of vehicles and weapons, including two manned robots which are used for recon and on field repairs. They even decided to include a mortar to mix things up a little.

In Battlefield 3, Tanks handle a lot better than they did in Bad Company 2

However, it doesn’t mean that Battlefield 3 hasn’t picked up some features the devs have learnt from its other predecessors along the way. Introducing 48 player Rush modes, 16 player Team Death Match and 48 player Conquest modes. Each map is perfectly balanced to ensure that there isn’t any imbalance in how a side is stacked, however certain maps are a little bit weaker compared to the rest(such as Operation Metro). Things switch up a little during the different phases of battle.(NOTE: Map balance is something DICE will continually work on and improve. Things will change as the game is patched)

For example, on Rush for Caspian Border, the Americans are attacking Russian bases while starting from the top of a distance hill overlooking the first checkpoint where the first two Mcoms are. After blowing those two up, the Russians are pushed back towards a Gas station a few kilometers from the checkpoint. The final confrontation takes place in a large base assault, where the Americans have access to tanks and assault vehicles, while the Russians have jets and attack hellis. It's all about working as a team to get the job done.


Taking a step away from the actual maps and looking at the weapons for a moment, DICE has gone unlock crazy with the number of weapons included in BF3, from the classic M4A4 assault carbine, to the new and improved AK-74 assault rifle. Each weapon includes individual unlocks which can only be obtained through continued usage of the weapon during battles. Although most weapons don’t have the same amount of kick they had in Bad Company 2, like seeing an assault rifle tear through light cover, Battlefield 3 does come with more weapons than those seen in BC2. Each weapon with their own unique sound and feel.

It's hard to concentrate on fighting when the game is just so god damn beautiful

Even weapons previously seen in Bad Company 2 have had their gun models, sfx and overall handling reworked and improved(and rebalanced... thank god). The guns themselves have also been given the ability to do suppression damage. What this means is that if you're firing constantly at an enemy but not killing them, there's a fair chance that you'll be causing their vision to blur and lose accuracy when they try to open fire back at you. Shotguns and Light Machine Guns benefit greatly from this new type of damage and it also adds just a little bit extra thought into how you approach gun fights... more tactical.

Other notable changes from Bad Company 2 are the changes made to the classes themselves. The Assault class acts as both the frontline pusher and a onfield medic, unlocking the defibrillator for the first assault base equipment was sheer genius in getting players who usually do not play the medic class to start being in a more supportive role. The Recon has also been redone, first removing the ‘wookie’ ghillie suit, and replacing it with light armour flak jacket, and also replacing the motion mine with a placeable motion sensor array.

To top it off, the Recon class can also place a mobile spawn point for allies to use. Each class would also be able to unlock class specific weapons/items such as the mobile repair bot for the Engineer class or the Mortar for the Support class. Cooperation within a team is even more important in Battlefield 3 than it ever was in Bad Company 2. Players will need to coordinate well with their squads and the entire team to win objectives and push the team to victory.

Once a battle has been won, it feels more like the result of a combined effort, rather than just saying “Yeah, that was all me”

Vehicles now have unlockables for different perks or even weapons. These unlockables are at times excessive for certain vehicles such as for the jet fighters. These planes start out with only a vulcan gun which don't do much in terms of being a threat or provide support fire from above. It's only upon reaching level 3 or 4 when you unlock heat seekers, flares and air to surface missles can you be considered a big problem on the battlefield. Other vehicles that do benefit from the unlock system are land vehicles like tanks, humvees or IFVs. Unfortunately, these vechicles have maybe three to four different unlockables which can feel a little underwhelming compared to other vehicles.


Going back to multiplayer again, each battle has its unique qualities which draw you into the chaotic battlefield, with the inclusion of amazing sound design(gunfire, rocket explosions or even just plain infantry shouts), everything draws you that much closer into the war and makes you feel part of something much bigger. Once a battle has been won, it feels more like the result of a combined effort, rather than just saying “Yeah, that was all me” ...rather its more like "Yeah, thank God the engineers managed to keep our tanks up". It's not a one man army. It's all about being part of the best. In fact, the only way to really get this is to buy this game and play it.


Conclusion

In conclusion, Battlefield 3 is an awesome large scale battle playground, where working as a team is more important than getting kills. The singleplayer campaign offers a bonus distraction from the actual star of the game, so only take it for what it is...a bonus. Music score for this version of the game is worth noting as well (I can’t count how many times I get goosebumps from the BF3 theme). Currently, Battlelog suffers from minor bugs which very often leads to some frustration, but these niggling issues shouldn’t stop anyone from having a good time.

Genre	First Person Shooter
Similar games	Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Battlefield: Bad Company 2
DRM	Origin
Price	RM159/SG$64.90
Best Moment	Decimating a group of infantry in a tight corridor & watching my team roll out to the enemy front in formation

Pros:

• The Battlefield experience in a whole new package
• Tried and tested gameplay mechanics that have been proven to work really well
• Excellent SFX and music
• Unlockables that reward players for playing well and investing the time
• Jets!!!!
• Frostbite 2.0 is real pretty!
• Wide variety of maps

Cons:

• Graphical glitches on certain GPUs
• Too many unlockables. Certain items shouldn't have been made as an unlockable item. It seems they might have went a little overboard to have lots of unlockables and limiting vehicles such as jets, to very basic weapons in the early stages.
• Forgettable single player campaign
• Battlelog is buggy and isn't as integrated as well into the game as it could have been. Really? I have to Alt Tab out of the game to view a chat message on Battlelog?

Verdict: One of the best, if not the 'Best' Online Multiplayer offerings of 2011!