"Above and beyond the Call."
Gameplay
Battlefield 3 may look like a more sparkly version of the previous Battlefield game - at least until you play it.
The guns in Battlefield 3 are mostly new to the Battlefield series, but other popular favorites like the Saiga are back. In the game's campaign mode you will have six different weapons at a time, which is a lot different from the game's multiplayer. You can have two main weapons (shotguns, assault rifles, sub-machine guns, light-machine guns, sniper rifles, etc...), one pistol, a knife, grenades and some sort of equipment, such as C4.
Unfortunately, you don't get to utilize a lot of the things that you'll experience in the multiplayer in the game's campaign, mainly vehicles. Battlefield 3 has a vast array of vehicles, more than any other Battlefield game to date, but most are only useable in the multiplayer. You'll get to gun in vehicles quite often, but hardly ever are you able to actually pilot/drive them. This won't hinder you too much, except that you won't have any experience flying when you go onto the online Battlefield, when you'll see just how hard flying is, especially in jets.
Jets are very difficult to control, but eventually you will get used to them. There isn't really anything you can do outside of multiplayer with jets to help you learn how they work or how to control them, but after a few hours of practice, you'll get better. Just make sure to pick a server with fast vehicle respawns or an empty server where you and your friends can practice together.
The default controls are a bit different than most FPS games at first, but you'll get used to them very quickly. If it really bugs you that much, there are a bunch of different control schemes to choose from on consoles, and you can completely configure your own controls on PC.
Graphics
Battlefield 3 has superb graphics, definitely some of the best on consoles to date. On PC, if you can run the game on ultra, it looks beautiful. That's not to say it doesn't look great on the lower resolutions, but you still do need a pretty decent computer to be able to run it at all. Once the game gets the update that enables players to use their NVIDIA 3D Vision Kits, gamers will be able to experience the Battlefield on a whole new level.
The campaign does look a bit better than the multiplayer, as the multiplayer will sometimes have some visual artifacts and visual glitches here and there. Sometimes you might have to close the server and re-open it entirely, which isn't too big of a deal. Some players have also experienced crashing when starting up servers once in a while, which usually isn't a problem with their system.
One of the most impressive things in Battlefield 3 on a graphical scale is the lighting. Though it can be frustrating and may get you killed, the sun's rays are very real-looking. They really add to the realism in Battlefield 3, and sometimes it feels like you're actually looking at the sun (don't stare too long!), and if you're in a dark level, it might even feel like you're looking at the sun. The game also does a good job with the Tactical Lights and Red Dot Sights in multiplayer, because if your character looks at an enemy who has one of those attachments, he might find it hard to shoot at them with the light in his eyes.
The cut-scenes in the game's campaign look marvelous, and the characters are animated perfectly. They do a good job of looking more human than robot, which is a feat that many games have struggled with recently.
Sound
The sound effects in Battlefield 3 are just as pleasing to one's ears as the visuals are to one's eyes. This game does an amazing job of simulating a real battlefield - you'll hear every bullet whiz by your head, every tank shooting off in the distance, and if you've got a headset you'll be able to hear a sneaky enemy coming up behind you to knife you and take your dog tag.
The explosions are the some of the best visually, but more importantly they sound realistic. Every sound sounds different from different angles and different places on the map, and it really does seem very real. Mind you, I've never seen that big of an explosion, but I can tell that it would be very loud.
The sound-track is the a lot of the same Battlefield themes you've heard before, but they've been improved upon and are much more catchy.
Story
Battlefield 3 has a great story that is very fast-paced and exciting, but unfortunately it's not all that memorable. This is excused by the fact that Battlefield 3 is centered around its multiplayer. The parts that you will remember are the exciting parts, which is most of the gameplay in the story. The parts you won't find all that memorable are the long talking sessions, which aren't necessarily boring, they just don't excite as much as the action.
Multiplayer
I know I've already talked a bit about the multiplayer in the past few paragraphs, but since Battlefield 3 is centered around its multiplayer, it was quite hard to only talk about the campaign. I'll be posting guides for each cl@ss over the next few weeks, as it would take a few pages' worth of information to talk about each one in depth right now.
The four cl@sses in Battlefield 3 are:
Assault - the Assault is for the person who wants to go right into the battle, plus DICE removed the Medic from previous Battlefield games' multiplayer and combined it with Assault, so now you can heal your teammates while they help you out from behind, and revive them when needed.
Engineer - the Engineer is meant for the driver/pilot on your squad. Engineers make great drivers and pilots, as they have the ability to repair vehicles when they are damaged, so even if they're not driving/piloting, they can still repair and gun down enemies.
Support - Support probably sounds the least exciting, but it's probably the most fun if you're good with C4 and Mortars. Support is the heavy cl@ss, featuring LMGs, C4 and Mortars. You'll probably get a lot of points with it and have a lot of fun taking down the enemy vehicles with this cl@ss if you take the time to learn it.
Recon - Recon is meant to back-up your squad by hiding up in mountains or perching somewhere and sniping off enemies that go to blow up your squad's tank or try to knife one of your buddies. This is the one that probably seems the most appealing at first, but takes the most time to learn.
Longevity
Battlefield 3 is going to last you a long time. By the time you get bored of Battlefield 3, Battlefield 4 will probably be close to coming out, as it was just confirmed by DICE and EA. The campaign is a pretty decent length, but really isn't worth going back and playing a second time, unless you aren't planning on playing much of the multiplayer and want to get your moneysworth.
The multiplayer alone will last you hundreds of hours, and it's really easy to get into. It isn't as easy to get kills as a lot of other FPS', but the realism and teamwork will have you hooked in a matter of minutes.
The Verdict
Battlefield 3 is an amazing game, with some of the best graphics and sound in the business. If you plan on just buying it to play its campaign, you might not feel like you got your moneysworth, but that's because the multiplayer is where it's at. Battlefield 3 is the multiplayer experience of 2011.
Pros:
• Amazing multiplayer
• Fun campaign
• Superb graphics
• Sounds great
Cons:
• Glitchy
Gameplay: 9.5
Graphics: 10
Sound: 10
Story: 9.0
Multiplayer: 10
Longevity: 9.5
9.5/10