Normally I'm not one to buy a game when I hear about something I don't like. In the case of Battlefield 3, I was pretty determined to just skip it when I heard about Battlelog. However, following the beta (I did not partake) all my clan buddies could talk about was BF3. So I sat there the lone man out playing my free month of Star Trek Online, until I just took a deep breath and said, "I'll just suck it up." So I sucked it up, and got Battlefield 3, if for no other reason than that me and my buddies haven't had a shooter to play together since the early summer launch of Section 8: Prejudice. And given my last review of Space Marine, which I hope some people found helpful, I decided to do another review, this time of BF3.
So here we go. I will advise all that I am primarily a
PC gamer, as Battlefield, really is a primarily
PC game. So this review will be
PC centric, as my Space Marine rabble was though that may not have been obvious.
I forget how many Battlefield games there actually are. Between Heroes, 1943, the Bad Companies, the console ports etc I've stopped keeping track. But Battlefield 3 is the "main" sequel to the very popular and loved Battlefield 2. Featuring the iconic huge scale battles littered with explosions and bullet sounds, Battlefield 3 is the next big entry in the series since the release of Bad Company 2 in spring 2010. The game is back, with tanks, and rocket launchers, and squad based combat in excess. Get ready to blast your way through expansive open maps and enjoy hillarous happenings that can only be found in a game such as Battlefield.
There are a few things for
PC gamers to be aware. Battlefield 3 has no main menu as we are accustomed to it. Battlefield 3 will run off of EA's Origin Platform, which is basically the EA version of Steam. When you run the game, it will take you to a webpage, Battlelog, from which you will search for games, monitor your profile, find friends, make parties, and basically engage in normal social networking. When you select a server from the Battlelog (or do a quick match) the game will connect and load the map and throw you in. You'll have to leave the server and return to Battlelog to change games. Fortunately, the platform does work better than I'd anticipated, which saves us all the frustration. I've had some crashing and odd behavior from the game manager, and there are a few glitches in Battlelog, but for the most part it works. It certainly works better than the past few
FPS' I've played at launch, so maybe EA is finally learning something. Some people like me probably didn't like the idea of Battlelog and as a result decided not to get the game. Having tried it, I still hate it for numerous reason (We'll have more on Battlelog later) but honestly, it's probably worth sucking it up and just enjoying the game.
Now that that is out of the way, we can get on with it.
Single Player
Wait, what? This is Battlefield, who cares about Single Player? So yeah, I have not really played the campaign. I have not heard good things, and I predict it probably amounts to some plot hole ridden contrived Tom Clancy style military thriller that's all the rage these days that the typical gamer will be impressed by but that people with more critical (maybe too critical) eyes will have a lot of problems with. But that's just me guessing. Mostly, since we play Battlefield games to enjoy the multi-player (and it is expansive) that's where my time has gone and where I've been paying attention. Maybe I'll comment on it when I get to it, but I'm keeping to the bread and butter for now.
Multi-Player
Yeah. This is what Battlefield is about and we all know it. The good stuff. Multi-player rocks. This may be the best
FPS I've played since Call of Duty 4, which is saying something when it comes from me. If you've played Battlefield Bad Company 2, you'll find yourself in familiar territory. Indeed, at times I think Battlefield 3 feels less like a new game and more like a release of BC2, but fortunately, DICE fixed many of the problems that BC2 had. Hit registration is better and no where near as wonky as it was in Bad Company. The knife works better, there is a better map variety, larger games, and some of the game imbalances, everyone glare at the Medics and their ridiculously overpowered LMG's, have improved. Gun play is great, and if you're a
CoD fan, you will get used to it very fast. Firefights can get very intense. This is really helped by the revamped environment destruction which is nowhere near as absurd as in BFBC2, where maps often ended up leveled beyond belief by the end of a match. Vehicle controls are solid (and with variety!), though I can't get the jets to work and have decided to just not use them as all I do is crash. Not surprising. I'm no good with the Helicopters either! Hats it seems were not meant to fly
The thing that I think really helps BF3 though, is the atmosphere. It's really very impressive. The maps look great, and the lighting is much improved (though bloom is still a stupid effect). You can hear the echos of players bullets, and the amount of fire you see flying around the map in a full server, and you won't have any problems finding one, really intensify the battlefield for the game. Very fitting really. I think the thing I appreciate most is that cover is very generous in most of the maps, and getting around on foot while long isn't a death trap like it sometimes was before. You'll find plenty of room to explore and wander in the larger maps, and the maps keep you on your toes by themselves with how many places there are for enemies to hide (or maybe you'll do the hiding). A 64 man server with jets, helis, tanks, and infantry running around can get pretty close to a high budget war film, and you should really just find a high spot to take a look at the field. The scene is worth it.
And are the scenes nice. Map variety is good, between Canals, Operation Metro, Seine River Crossing, and Operation Firestorm, there is variety in design and environment and lots of room to play many different ways in the game. There are two main game modes, Rush and Conquest. Rush is pretty much assault, with one team attacking map objectives while the other defends. Conquest is the familiar domination/capture points mode. Nothing to shocking, but between the small and large Conquest builds, nine maps, Rush, and the various Death Match modes, you will have plenty to do in game. Some of these maps are fairly linear like Damavand Peak and Operation Metro, while others are pretty expansive like Caspian Border and Kharg Island. I find that only one map is truly bad, and that's Seine River Crossing. Absolute crap as a map. Fortunately the rest range from decent to pretty damn good.
The classes have been revamped slightly, really the assault and the support just exchanged their medical and ammo packs. Other than that it's the BFBC2 set up. For those unfamiliar, it goes like this: Assault packs the assault rifles and the medical gear. This includes the med kit that heals allies and the defibrillator which can revive the dead. The Engineer packs the anti-vehicle weaponry and the repair tool as well as the neat
EOD robot which can arm and disarm objectives in the Rush game mode and kill enemies and vehicles! Support bares the LMG's, the ammo pack, and several useful tools that may make him the most flexible class in the game between the Mortar and the C4. Recon is the sniper class, and has a very useful respawn beacon and a radar. You'll find something in all the classes to like I think, though some people will like some more than others. I've found myself in love with the M27 and the Support class, so my bias is probably showing
The weapons are fairly balanced (mostly because I can find few differences between them). The class progression works, and you're going to find some nice toys for just about all the player classes from the Support's C4, the Recon's TUGs, and the Engineer's
AT mines. The game will actually force you
to make sacrificing choices, both in your class load outs and your vehicle perks. There's a few Co-
Op weapons, but nothing
that special.
I have a few criticisms of the weapons. As you get kills, you unlock attachments. Sadly, most of them are gun sights. I can appreciate having options, but I don't need 10 different gun sights to choose from in my fire arms! Why on earth would I even want a 6x zoom on my LMG? That's what sniper rifles are for! The tactical lights are annoying, but frankly, they don't help you against someone with a lick of sense. They just give away your position and someone will shoot for the center of the light and kill you. Same with lasers. Bipods I'm kind of meh on. I see the appeal, but the fore grip I think is more useful but that's mostly opinion.
Weapon imbalance. I have to bring this up so lets get on with it. Weapons work well, but there are some problems. Mortars are overpowered somewhat. I love the idea and its a fun weapon, but infinite ammo and dead on accuracy? I appreciate a way to kill snipers and counter mortar as a very worthy and wonderful game inclusion, but the shells need to drift and the ammo needs a limit. As it stands, a support can set up in the spawn and spew a shell out every 4 seconds and get kill after kill an entire match. I also just generally hate grenade launchers so insert typical noob tube complaints. The shot guns are a little to strong in some maps, and I think Fortunately though none of it is game breaking. Some people might not even have a problem with these things. Mortars when firing are very easy targets for other mortars, so get some counter fire and silence them. Most assaults seem disinterested in the grenade launcher and I've seen only a few shot guns, so its not bad so far.
My biggest problem is with infantry anti-vehicle. Namely, the engineers anti-vehicle weapons. Stingers are worthless. The flares on aircraft have a low enough recharge that they can fire off to block the first missile and be ready to fire off again when you shoot the second, especially with stealth as a vehicle perk. If it's an attack heli, both the pilot and the gunner can bring flares and you should just give up! Jets you ask? Jets just fly away. Hit the booster and outrun the missile. It'll kill itself after a certain distance. You need two people coordinating to really get air vehicles, and good luck finding that with random people (bring friends folks)! This problem is worse with tanks. Tanks with engineers, are virtually immortal, even now when I don't think anyone has the armor perks. The dumb fire rockets will not kill them. You almost need more than you can carry to get the job done, and you're likely to die before you can fire off more than three. Which then brings me to the Javelin, the guided anti-tank weapon, which isn't much better. It takes 3-4 to kill a tank, and you'll likely be killed after the second since you expose yourself to lock on. Vehicles take swarm tactics to kill as infantry, and I'm not really sure I like that... Really, your best chance is the Support's C4, or the Engineers
AT mines which are glorious now that you can drop as many as 30! This isn't the way I'd have balanced vehicles. Engineer repair rates are too high, the launchers are too weak, and infantry are easy targets.
The spawn mechanics of the game, are something I wished they'd fix. In the game, you often have the chance to spawn on a squad mate or certain vehicles like the venom, as well as the default team spawn. This system is fun, and really helps you enjoy the experience with friends, but it can be stupid in some places. Nothing's quite as annoying as killing a guy, just for his friend to spawn at the last second. This goes one of two ways. The guy who just spawned dies, which sucks for him. Or, you die, which sucks for you. It's more annoying when you engage a squad, kill all but the last guy who spawned on the third, who then picks up the assault's kit and then revives all his friends. It happens more than you'd think. I kind of feel like the squad spawn needs a limit, namely not allowing you to spawn on a squad mate who is in combat. Likewise, some maps can get you spawn locked with the enemy team spawn camping your team (woe is the team whose vehicles are stolen from spawn). Don't even get me started on the TDM mode. nothing like spawning, walking forward, and then being killed by the enemy who just spawn in the exact same spot! Fortunately I don't think must of us are playing Battlefield for TDM.
I also have a serious gripe with the team and map balance. Some maps are unfair to certain teams, some all the way through, some in stages. Likewise, if you're unfortunate enough to end up on a team of worthless twits who couldn't find the tip of their gun if you turned it around and let them look through the barrel, you'll be on that team, one game after the other. The game doesn't try to rebalance players between rounds, so the same teams get rebuilt over and over. If you unfortunately end up of a team that's constantly spawn locked (very easy on some maps) leave. You'll be stuck with them for awhile.
Despite my venting, I will remind everyone that multi-player is worth it. It is fun, and I can only imagine people not liking the game if this style of game just isn't their cup of apple juice. This is an awesome game, and if the developer fixes the absurdity of spawning in TDM, it's even a decent
CoD substitute. Some of the maps are poorly designed. I'd like to have words with the idiots who put together Operation Metro's Conquest mode, and who designed Seine River Crossing? A five year old? However there are some real gems, especially Canals and Operation Firestorm, which may be my favorite
FPS maps ever made. Battlefield 3 is fun, and I cannot stress enough how fun it is.
The big thing for me in the Battlefield games has always been the things that can happen, the variety of the experience. It's something every Battlefield I've ever played has had, and the addition of destructible environments just makes it better. No other game really lets you experience what it's like to run into the road as an enemy vehicle closes in, throw down some mines, and watch as a jeep runs over them and blows to bits. Or slamming your tank through the wall of that house and pouring fire from the gun into the enemies who thought they were safe behind inside. Or the joy of deploying from a helicopter onto the roof of a building to plant a spawn beacon to give a new angle of attack. It's the variety that makes Battlefield fun and this is no exception. Really, I just love forming a squad with three friends, getting behind the enemy team and making absolute HAVOC with mines, claymores, and bullets. Experiment in Battlefield. Jump out of the helicopter and pull your parachute while gunning down the unfortunate guy who happens to be below you. Run up to a tank and throw some C4 on it while its not looking. Sneak around the flank and set up a bipod and spray. Have fun people. This is a game the Joker would be proud of. Throw some chaos into the mix
Co-
Op
Briefly mentioned. I have played all the missions but haven't spent too much time with them. Co-
Op is fun, though there's only six missions and you'll end up playing them ALOT to get all the unlock weapons from this game mode. I suggest finding a friend though, as some of the missions don't work so well with random folks. The missions are fun though with some interesting challenges, though you'll get bored of them fairly fast. I will say that the last mission has a singular stupid moment where a quick time event pops in out of the blue, and you have little time to react. With no save points, failure means doing the whole mission all over again. Luckily the missions are only about 8 to 15 minutes long depending. They're fun though so I can't really complain about them. Have fun with it, that's all there really is to say. If we're lucky we'll get more, which I probably will never play cause I'm sure the DLC price tag will be absurd.
In Closing
I return now to Battlelog. It is horrible. The way the game is structured, will chew up your RAM, as there are essentially 6-7 programs that will run simultaneously while you play even though you don't need them. I actually find myself wondering why Origin must run to run BFBC2, as I'd think they could assure security from hackers (at least as game developers seem to imagine it) with Battlelog alone, and it would be nice to have one less background program between the EA core server, the game manager, your web browser, the game itself, Punkbuster, and if you're using party chat Sonar Host. Frankly the game forces you to run simultaneously the programs that function in a normal server browser sequentially, doing their job and then shutting off when they're done. It turns 1 program into 4, which unfortunately is just stupid to me. Battlelog works, but having to use it even for single player is just sad, and is not an improvement in any way. Promises of its speed are greatly exaggerated. Typically I wait 2-3 minutes to enter a game completely, half of which is loading. That's about 1.5 minutes more than I've had in server browsers that worked. However, the speed could improve in time, so I'll wait and see. At least it's not crashing out like BFBC2 was at launch, or so laggy the experience is ruined as in Black Ops, and that's certainly something to be happy for. Besides, in the end, 3 minutes isn't that much time. Some of us probably just won't care.
Overall I think Battlelog, the black spot it is, isn't enough to ruin the game. I certainly hope I never see it again and that EA will wise up and realize its a stupid idea, but then I'm cynical and everything must be doom and gloom so I expect to see it again and bemoan that I still have to deal with it. Don't let that stop you though! Battlefield 3 is worth it. It's ludicrously fun, especially with friends, and many laughs will be had in a multi-player experience this expansive. Play around with the toys you are given, and even when you lose I'm sure you'll be pleased. My suggestion is buy. Battlelog may suck but Battlefield 3 does not.
If you're a console player, rent it as always. You lose next to nothing and you'll either want more or play your keep.
PC gamers, I think this is fairly simple. If you like Battlefield, just get it. It is fun, and you will not be disappointed. If you're more of a general shooter fan, I think you should give Battlefield 3 a shot. It is fun, and you just might end up liking it. Or you could wait for the upcoming release of MW3 on the 11th. Don't expect a review from me on that one though. The papers have been filed and me and Call of Duty/Modern Warfare are no longer on speaking terms
