If you’re looking for something to pick up from this review of Battlefield 3, it must be the fact that this isn’t just another first person shooter title. There’ve been shooters that offered a decent amount of satisfaction when it came to slaying bad guys. And then there were those with graphics and sounds as their intense strong points. We’ve even had games reaching near epitome of the first person shooter genre. But Battlefield 3 doesn’t seem to fit into any of the above categories. Now that needn’t be taken as a criticism for the game, as here’s the sincere point we’re trying to put forth. This title picks up all the strong suits of modern day first person shooters, and offers gamers an experience that can only be rendered if some of the best games till date were to be combined together. And all that, while hanging on to the trademark Battlefield essence.
Now there just had to be a catch to that. Well, keeping with the fresh trend of delivering tremendously massive multiplayer experiences and leaving the campaign to be a ‘few hours’ affair, Battlefield 3 will manage to frustrate every single player aficionado out there. This feeling of ostracization it seems, has become a regular one for campaign fans of late. The short shindig transpires in 2014, where SSgt Blackburn is being interrogated by CIA officials in a dimly lit room which does well to demonstrate the aptitude of the much hailed Frostbite 2. An evasive terrorist, a radical threat to America, a few Mid Eastern sequences and tragic death of near dear ones, the cinematic campaign of this game kicks in a rather formulaic plot which holds nothing that can be branded as novel. However, that’s where the situations pour in and make up for the dizzy storyline with some brilliant gameplay treats.
Battlefield 3 takes you as close to real war as possible, by transcending the battles right into your living room with the help some spectacular sounds and amiable graphics. It’s the attention to infinitesimal details that gives this title’s gameplay a boost. Take the jet sequence for instance. We’ve never peeked inside a FA-18 before, but as the character occupied the back seat of this jet, we were rest assured that this is what it’d feel like to fly such a machine. The sounds have been excellently engineered in all the sequences, with each one of them having its own crystal clear quality. The audio of a fired bullet will sound differently, depending on the environment the player is in. From explosions, to sniper sounds, to every little noise that a battle tank makes, the accuracy of the game’s overall audio is sure to leave you spellbound.
Enemies in Battlefield 3 have been imbibed with a considerable amount of AI. They can hide behind different objects and sneak out from both sides, to leave you guessing all the time. Also, think twice before you run towards them, as they now have the ability to unleash melee attacks upon players. An aim-assist feature does well to track the enemies for you, but any true first person shooter fan would definitely want to turn this trait off and face the real challenge. The game holds a pretty concrete HUD giving you all the essential information without having to spend a great deal of time scanning the screen for your desired information. An annoying feature however, is that friendly fire is a strict no no in the game and your counterparts are infuriating enough to land right in front of you during intense battles.
When it comes to graphics, Battlefield 3 seldom disappoints. Environments have been crafted to near perfection and the visuals are captivating enough to keep you hooked on to your controllers for hours on the trot. But the real let down comes from the many glitches which seem to have skipped Dice’s attention. Sometimes, AI characters pop out of nowhere, while guns are fired by unseen enemies. And these are just two of the game’s many hiccups that led us to believe that the Frostbite 2 game engine suffers from an acute case of amnesia. Moreover, our PS3 system froze twice in the middle of certain missions, forcing us to restart the game. And when we decided to do a little research about this, we found that YouTube is filled to the brim with video clips captured by gamers of the many faults in the game.
Battlefield 3 offers one of the most heavy-duty multiplayer experiences ever. Go online and the game takes a whole new turn with its online co-op mode (no split-screen), multiplayer matches and of course, the much awaited Battlelog. Four classes can be chosen from by a player, along with their load-outs, before entering matches. But the real fun in this game lies in the ability to utilize vehicles, which can be unlocked as your ranks grow. This title delivers all that was promised by Dice with regards to its online features. If only, that was the case with its campaign.
Final Word: Battlefield 3 is a first person shooter which has in its store a pretty amazing gameplay experience. If not for the serious amount of glitches, the Frostbite 2 engine performs rather beautifully, delivering some enthralling visuals that compliment the game’s incredibly worked upon sounds. Its multiplayer mode is as full-bodied as it can get, but the single player mode leaves you wanting for more. But with Modern Warfare 3 nearing release, it still remains to be seen who wins battle of war-based first person shooters.
Graphics: 9/10
Sounds: 10/10
Environments: 9/10
Gameplay: 9/10
Replay Value: 10/10
Overall (not an average): 9/10