The story in Battlefield 3's campaign concerns something we've seen in many shooters these days, Russians and WMDs. Sargent Blackburn is being passively interrogated to find nukes set to go off in locations around America. The story then unfolds through flashbacks putting you in control of various soldiers. Unfortunately the story comes off as highly bland and derivative. The lack of development in any character doesn't do it any favours and through the entire game you'll be thinking that you've seen it all before. Despite this the game does feature a fair amount of authenticity and is at the very least believable as far as military shooters go.
Similar to its certain main rival, Battlefield 3 has three main modes, a sizeable campaign, a cooperative mode for two players and the substantial team based online component the series is known for. The campaign is a sizeable length but lacklustre to say the least. Set pieces are dull and the missions fail to capitalise on the series strengths in vehicles and environmental destruction. Many scenarios will probably be familiar to anyone seasoned shooter player. You'll take out tanks, hitch rides in vehicles and the same old gunner mission where you rain down death from an aircraft. The authenticity may be solid but the fun and variation factors are highly lacking. On top of this the campaign is chock full of cheap deaths by enemies with superfast knife reflexes and boring quick time events that remove the sense of control. Most players will play through it just once then turn their attention to the coop and multiplayer modes which fare much better with the online skirmishes winning the day for best mode offered. Cooperative play features missions for two players. Some involve defending locations, fighting through areas but the best of all puts you in the pilot seat of an attack helicopter. The missions are much more fun to play than the story mode but unfortunately there are only six missions to choose from and with only two player supports, no split screen whatsoever and only one mission involving vehicles it feels rather stripped compared to the survival modes and varied missions offered by other shooters.
Fortunately the stellar multiplayer more than makes up the overall value of the package with excellent team based modes including rush and conquest across many huge maps. Players rank up across fifty levels, earning experience points for different classes, weapons and guns subsequently unlocking upgrades to give them an edge in combat. Each player is divided into a squad with four classes to choose from, each dedicated to their own role on the battlefield. Assault pack assault rifles, med kits and defibrillators to heal and revive. Engineers are the main force in both supporting and destroying vehicles with the repair tool and heavy weapons. Support fires machine guns and refills ammo supplies and Recon sets up mobile spawn points while sniping from afar. On top of the classes there are many different vehicles to commandeer. Jets make a welcome return to the Battlefield series, provided you practice enough and are quick to spawn in the cockpit, tanks and attack choppers rain down heavy fire while the cars and smaller vehicles provide quick routes to the objective. Indeed the twenty four player matches (and a whopping 64 on PC!) offer endless opportunities to contribute to the fight and this immense differentiation keeps the Battlefield series main strength as fresh and satisfying as ever. The only problem with the multiplayer is a steep learning curve for newcomers. With no tutorials for how to fly jets or use equipment, players will either learn the ropes gradually or suffer the wrath of Battlefield veterans.
The gameplay in Battlefield 3 has received a few tweaks since Bad Company 2 in 2009. Players can now go prone, spawn in vehicles and unleash some nasty looking kill moves with the knife. Authenticity has been ramped up further with a new movement system. Whenever a soldier vaults or jumps over an obstacle their legs shift and move as if they have real weight. This can get a bit glitchy sometimes along with knife kills often failing to register however, despite these gripes the game feels great to play, and shooting still feels solid with recoil tending to be more exaggerated than bullet drop this time around. As Battlefield 3 is a team oriented experience you'll have to use the spot mechanic and voice chat sparingly to ensure a solid and quick victory. Be prepared to be dominated and dominated a lot by the more well-coordinated teams. But this works for the game's favour, more than any game in the series Battlefield 3 encourages players to think and forget about the mindless, fast paced action they are used to and adapt to a more realistic situation. The environmental destruction returns with the new Frostbite 2 engine which certainly enhances the online destruction significantly, it's just a shame that it wasn't included very much in the campaign. The balancing in online skirmishes persists well here, largely reducing the frustration factor. Death online often comes from player skill, not from a cheap, overpowered weapon or perk.
The frostbite 2 engine has created a truly epic looking game. Filled with exceptional lighting and sound effects, no modern first person shooter has ever been more immersive or engrossing as Battlefield 3. Vehicles shimmer in the sun and water effects stun the eyes from the view of a jet fighter. Gunfire and explosions is simply a feast to the ears in conjunction with the game running smoothly at all times. On the other hand, voice acting in cut scenes is ok but nothing special, fitting the stereotypes well, but failing to provide any sort of emotion in the characters. Animations are all top notch and authentic, making you feel highly invested in the games battles and wars. The main theme tune clicks in at the best moments, reminding you of how far the series has come from its world war two days.
Battlefield 3's multiplayer is simply incredible, both trumping and making up for the less exciting campaign and coop missions by a mile. Any fan of modern shooters and excellent online warfare simply has to buy this now for any console they own. It falls short of being the ultimate entertainment package but Battlefield 3's online play succeeds at making every player, either supporting or straight up killing a real part of brilliantly immersive conflicts from Iran to Paris to America and back again.
Rating: 8.5/10
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.