On Tuesday, Oct. 25, Dice released Battlefield 3 (BF3), one of the season’s most hotly-anticipated first-person-shooters. The environments are vivid, the weapons sound crisp and the buildings shatter from rockets just as a civil engineer would imagine. Although there are some flaws, the game is definitely worth a look.
The main campaign frames a story similar to a military thriller. The main character is being interrogated in some unnamed city about his knowledge involving a terrorist plot set to strike New York. Though the story is stereotypical, the real excitement comes from the gameplay. Missions range from ground fighting in an Iraqi city to sitting in the gunner seat of a F-18 in the middle of an aerial dogfight over the Iran-Iraq border. Every mission is different, and every mission will have you exited to continue the story to see what is going to happen nex.t
But in the age of internet, the real question is: How is the multiplayer? If you are expecting a Call of Duty style one-man army gaming experience, you will be sorely disappointed. Battlefield 3 is designed for squad-based tactics.
One of the games in online is “Rush,” where teams work either to defend or attack two stations. In this game the concept of squads shines. In order to arm, defend and destroy the stations, one man might be up for the herculean feat, but when three or more people work together, the task is becomes much more bearable.
For those who are familiar with the Battlefield series, there are a few minor changes to get accustomed to. Some of the more noticeable ones include a rearrangement of the various gadgets each class possesses. The assault class has switched gear with the support class. Support used to give med-packs and revive downed players with a defibrillator. Support now gives ammo instead of med-packs, while the assault class does all the doctoring. Another change is the inclusion of jet fighters in the game. Fans of the Battlefield series will know that vehicle combat is a big part of the game. Tanks, boats, jets and helicopters now fill the arena and give people ample opportunities to help their teammates.
All that glitters is not gold, however. There are some glaring problems with current build of BF3.
For consoles, connection issues seem to be a common occurrence. On average, about six out of ten attempts actually connect. Another prevalent issue is common to all massively multiplayer games: lag. If there is any sort of lag, your character moves as if stuck in thick gumbo, plodding along only to pop back few meters.
BF3 is a good game, the campaign mode is a decent military thriller and the multiplayer is fun. But the few problems that rear their ugly heads seriously impair the overall perception for the game. The beautiful destructive environments, fun multiplayer and exciting challenge make for a satisfying experience, which is unfortunately marred by connectivity problems.