Battlefield 3 producer 'ashamed' of Bad Company 2

In July 2010, just a few months before Fable III was due to ship, Lionhead boss Peter Molyneux declared predecessor Fable II had "huge design flaws." That distaste for previous work isn't unique among developers as Battlefield 3 producer Patrick Bach had harsh words for his previous project, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, saying he is "ashamed" of it.

In an interview with the Wall Street Journal largely focused on game testing, Bach explained how he often finds himself critical of his previous titles.

"I don't know why, but I always feel ashamed about the games I'm involved in making," Bach said. "I can't even bring myself to start up Battlefield Bad Company 2, our last game, because I feel so ashamed. I know it is a great product, but still I only see the things we could have done better."

Due out in under a month, Battlefield 3 is garnering strong reception prior to its release on October 25. However, such pre-release positivity does little to quell Bach's anxiety about the game's release.

"I'm still extremely nervous, not about what other people will think, but about how I will feel about the game," Bach said. "My biggest worry is that I will feel bad about the product. For me, my job is very personal."

Though the game isn't due out until October 25, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC gamers can try out the title today. An open beta for Battlefield 3 is now live, with players able to sample the game's Rush mode on the Operation Metro map, set in the subways of Paris. The Rush mode has two teams fighting over key strategic points on the map, with one squad designated as attackers and the other ordered to protect the locations.

Despite the game's imminent release, Bach said the beta is for more than just marketing purposes.

"We couldn't release the game today," he said. "You can't just put the bonnet on the car and drive it out of the factory before you have assembled the stuff inside it and know that it works."

Battlefield 3--which EA says has been in development for three years--will sport both a single-player campaign and an online component, which can be played with up to 64 players (for the PC version only). It will also support co-op play for its campaign and will let gamers pilot jets, among other vehicles.

For more on the game, check out GameSpot's previous Battlefield 3 coverage.