Battlefield 3 - Review

Heralded by some as the “Call of Duty Killer,” the Battlefield series has attempted to offer an alternative to the yearly COD franchise.  The BF3 release was followed by positive critical reviews, but really, does this game live up to the all the hype? 

Gameplay
Much like Battlefield Bad Company 2, BF3 sticks to the formula that has made it successful in the past.  Nothing too critical to note, but everything controls well.  Aiming down sights feels good, and your soldier gets around just fine.  I don’t like the new “vaulting” maneuver they put in for jumping over objects.  You mean that I can slide over everything?  Boxes?  Fences?  It’s a little strange to say the least.  Also, they took out the awesome animation/noise when you get revived in multiplayer.  I’m just nitpicking on that.  I will note they have implemented a new version of their famed “Frostbite” engine.  It’s supposed to result in more realistic destruction throughout the game, but to me, it’s disappointing.  I’ll touch more upon this later.

Graphics
I don’t know where to start with this…well, let’s split it into two categories.  In the first, which would be daytime, this game looks pretty amazing.  The level of detail in the environments along with the soldiers is pretty astounding.  Make sure you install the HD pack to really see this game at its best.  Category two, night time...wow.  What a stark contrast from daytime.  I know that the development team was going for realistic lighting, but to me, it turned out all wrong.  Lights are blinding to the point where you can’t see a thing on the screen.  Enemies are impossible to spot, and there is a weird type of glare in the corner of the screen.  I don’t understand how that’s realistic at all.  When I look around at night, there is no glare in my vision.  High marks for the first category, but the poor quality of the night time graphics cannot be ignored.  Awful.  Be sure to let me know if you feel otherwise and I’ll recommend a good optometrist for you.

Sound
Similar to its competitor, BF3 sounds great.  All of the explosions, grenades, and guns sound very realistic and give you the feeling you’re actually on a battle field.  The shouts from soldiers are crisp, and the proximity of others to you is translated well through surround sound.  In the campaign, the voice acting is good, although there are plenty of awful one-liners spread throughout the story.  I couldn’t help thinking they were trying to put more swear words into the game…some lines felt very forced.  Overall, no major slips in the audio department.

Campaign
Unfortunately, some of the weaker elements of COD make their way into Battlefield.  The campaign is probably the worst aspect of the game.  That doesn’t mean it’s not worth playing through at least once however.  I started my first and only play through on the most difficult setting, which wasn’t bad except for one of the later levels.  I really enjoyed the way the story was told, but the first third of the game started off very slowly.  It also included many night time levels, which had me pulling my hair out due to the issues I wrote about in the Graphics section above.  Enemies were impossible to see, and I simply couldn’t enjoy the game.  Both the story and the pacing picked up in the 2^nd half, and the game came to a satisfying conclusion.  It was all very linear, like most shooters, but this one felt even more so at times.  Oh look, no co-op!  Not surprised at this point.

Multiplayer
Finally we arrive at the real reason you’re thinking about getting this game.  The online component remains solid in BF3, with some good additions, along with some questionable changes.  Let’s start with the good.  Team-based play is promoted through the online modes and the multiple classes that are available.  This is a nice change from the COD series, as even though you might feel like a lonewolf, you’ll often find your teammates nearby.  The guns, attachments, and various perks are well-balanced, and nothing feels overpowered or overused.  Another area where this game excels is map design.  As opposed to the smaller maps of COD, BF3 maps are much larger, but are fun and play well.  There were a few times when I had difficulties finding opponents, but in general the action tends to rove around.  Also the leveling up and rewards is well done, providing incentives to keep playing.  Some of the staples, such as lack of streak rewards and spotting enemies still fit perfectly.  Now onto some of the misses.  The biggest one for me is presentation and menu navigation.  Choosing your loadouts has gotten difficult and overly complex.  There are two soldiers (American and Russian), but you can only change the American setup in the menus, while the Russian can only be modified during a game, which is ridiculous.  The rewards and medals screens are cramped and gun progression screens just aren’t there (they are on the website instead).  Oh, don’t get me started on the annoying static animation in the menus either.  Ugh.  In-game, vehicles are over-powered.  I understand that tanks are sturdy, but why have javelins and anti-tank weapons if they don’t do any damage?  The biggest reason I loved Bad Company 2 has also lost its luster.  Destruction of buildings, walls, etc. has been scaled back considerably and is barely a factor.  I’m not sure why this decision was made, but to me it’s a big departure from what made the series so unique. 

Overall
Battlefield 3 has received a ton of praise in the gaming community…but I’m not really sure it deserves it.  It’s definitely a solid game, but there were many changes to this entry that have left me scratching my head in confusion.  Regardless, the campaign is worth a play through, and the online component is still fun.  If you’re tired of Bad Company 2 and looking for another BF shooter to keep you occupied, it will probably get the job done, but don’t expect all your favorite aspects of the series to be intact. 

Rating	Description
9.0	Gameplay The game controls smoothly and maneuvering around the battle field works well.  What happened to all the destruction of the past entries?
8.0	Graphics The highs are high, but the lows are awful.  Daytime settings look great, but the lighting at night makes me wonder what they were thinking.
9.0	Audio Explosions are powerful and in your face, along with gunfire and spoken dialogue.  Some questionable voice acting and cheesy one-liners could use some work.
7.5	Campaign It surprised me in places, but still feels like an afterthought.  The narrative was well-done and picks up in the second half.  No co-op again.
8.0	Multiplayer The online modes encourage teamwork, which is great.  Maps are well-designed and fun to play.  Menu system is terrible and destruction has been scaled back.  Not a good thing.
8.0	Overall (Not an average of above scores)