Developed by DICE, Battlefield 3 boasts a flawless combination of daring combat and intelligent strategy. Your heart will be pounding in your chest with unleashed adrenaline as you take on the opposing team in an explosive war.
The multiplayer mode is what truly makes Battlefield 3 brilliant. It’s the knowledge that behind every camouflaged, knife wielding, gun-blazing soldier, that there is a real-life person at the controls. This makes every kill more satisfying, and forces us to step up our game. It’s all about skill, strategy and initially in my case, some damn good luck to come out on top.
The visuals of Battlefield 3 are spectacular thanks to DICE’s Frostbite 2 engine. It is almost as if we can feel the fury of the flames scorch our flesh, and the edge of the knife as it slices our throat. The detail is extraordinary – whether it’s the graffiti on the walls of a crumbling subway, or the meandering stream of a once tranquil forest.
Nevertheless, the best games are always cursed with a physics glitch or two, and Battlefield 3 is no exception. You may encounter soldiers standing on nothing but air, or find on close inspection, that the foliage can seem rather two dimensional.
The ambient sound is stunningly realistic, from the rush of your soldier’s footsteps, to the gun fire rising from the maelstrom. These sounds enhance the intense and addictive gaming experience with something that feels impressively realistic, but artistic at the same time. The whistling drone of a rocket launcher inspires both fear and fascination, while a pilot’s heaving breath places us in the mind of our character.
Battlefield 3 is chaotic, and I love it. Players will encounter moments of raw wonder. I witnessed a helicopter fall from the sky and crash directly before my soldier’s path. I froze with awe at the twisted beauty of the chaos, stunned by the pure unpredictability of the multiplayer experience. Smoke blackens the sky with glorious dignity as it rises from the horrors below. Every blade of grass is touched with a shattered grace, and gun shots can be heard in the distance.
The maps offer varied and extensive battlefields, from the desert wasteland of Operation Firestorm, to the abandoned cafes and run-down subway of Paris in Operation Metro, to the serene forest turned war zone of the Caspian Border. Diving from the cliff in Damavand Peak boasts an invigorating experience that will not be forgotten.
There is enough variation in the surroundings within each map to keep game play interesting throughout a potentially lengthy battle. Players get the sense that these locations have a history prior to becoming fields of war, thus creating an additional dimension to the virtual world.
There is a sense of comradeship among team members, acting as a source of motivation that reminds players of their mutual goals. Assault class team members can act as medics, reviving other characters that have fallen in battle. Although the temptation to play as an engineer loaded with heavy artillery can be too much to resist, I discovered the assault class also has its rewards.
Armed with a defibrillator in Operation Metro, I found myself in a close combat situation that had the ground littered with the dead. In this moment, I discovered that the thrill of reviving fallen comrades was in fact a worthwhile and gratifying calling. To be honest, I started laughing with the excitement of it. Healing can be just as an intriguing experience as killing in a virtual battlefield.
Standing by other team mates as you take on the enemy is a fulfilling experience in itself. There’s a feeling that we’re in this together, and that side by side we can take back what’s ours. However, I admit that there have been moments when this sense of brotherhood hasn’t lived up to my expectations. For example, at one point I found myself chasing an ally-driven tank with stupid desperation as it drove into the battle without me. At moments like this, it is fair enough to give into the hilarity, say ‘damn’, then carry on.
However, on some of the maps, having access to a vehicle can be vitally important to reaching the action, or else you may have a long run a head of you.
Another situation involved a random ally parachuting from the sky and falling into the water before my path in the Noshahr Canals. I saved him from a lengthy swim by waiting for him to climb aboard my boat, and couldn’t help but feel honoured in the act of helping out an ally.
A plethora of vehicles are available on certain maps, representing a major element of the gaming experience. The vehicles of Battlefield 3 mirror real-life weapons of war, adding further realism as we develop a taste for battle. Mastering helicopters and jets offers an exhilarating challenge. Helicopters may accommodate a pilot, a soldier to operate the helicopter’s heavy machine gun, and potentially another gunner.
The jets boast a phenomenal piloting experience, with powerful weaponry at your fingertips. I have met many a fatal end piloting a jet, but still cannot hold back the temptation. Watching the dark shadows of jets twisting with aerodynamic grace is an awe inspiring sensation.
In the pilot’s seat, you get a radically different view of the war below as you fly alongside the screaming enemy jets that are ravenous to take you down. I admit, it was nice to encounter a server titled “Noob Friendly Flight Server” – you can always trust the Aussies to help out an underdog.
The buggy ground vehicles are among the most fun to drive, bouncing through the streams and hills of the Caspian border for instance. But buggies do not hold the reinforced protection of tanks, nor artillery that is as threatening. Buggies thus offer an easy target for enemy foot soldiers or overhead helicopters. Meanwhile, the mobile anti-air vehicles are a thrilling way to bring down enemy choppers with brutal finesse.
Battlefield 3 truly sets the bar high when it comes to an addictive first-person shooter. In fact, prior to experiencing the epic warfare of this game, I had little interest in the war zone experience whatsoever. Unless performed astonishingly well, the sight of military tends to put my boredom radar on red alert.
The fact that I can spend hours in front of this game is sure saying something – with no sightings of dragons, unicorns, elves or even the slightest touch of magic to draw me in. The magic is all in the visuals and the intensity of the experience. Running beside my squad, with rocket launcher upon my shoulder as we hunt down the enemy captivates my mind with true immersion into the game.
There have been moments when a soldier sneaks up behind me and slits my throat. This experience has always choked my heart with surprise. I know I should be more careful to watch my back. Nevertheless, I find the experience to be a twisted exhilaration – like forcing yourself onto a theme park ghost train that you know will have you screaming all the way in terrified delight.
If Battlefield 3 can convert me to become a hard-core soldier, I don’t know what hope there is for the rest of you. Even if the campaign mode is less than satisfying, the multiplayer mode is just what a gamer needs for an intense experience that will test your cunning and stealth.
Rumour has it that we will be able to get our hands on Battlefield 4 in 2013. So, what are your hopes for Battlefield 4? How can DICE possibly beat the epic warfare of Battlefield 3? And lastly, what moments of pure awesome have you experienced in Battlefield 3 that you are dying to share?
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