Duey Decibel
13,162
TA Score for this game: 1,188
Posted on 23 May 12 at 19:23 |
This review has 12 positive votes and 0 negative votes. Please log in to vote. |
Hello gaming brethren and...(sistren?) Thanks for checking out my review on Battlefield 3. So, as everyone knows Battlefield 3 looked shocking on the trailers and pretty much promised to knock blocks, so let's get down to it and see how it measures up to the hype.
Single Player
In my opinion, I thought the single player was...not bad... Taking a page from the first Max Payne game, the story starts at the end and progresses through flashbacks of your main character Blackburn and sometimes trails off to other characters like a jet pilot, a member of a tank battalion and a Russian special operative named Dima, as a counter part to prove Blackburn's story is false. This isn't a bad thing, it allows players to get an idea of what the problem is and how the solution will be found without revealing too many key points of the story that may cause the player to lose interest. The difficulty was adjustable (Though I found normal to be challenging enough.) Letting players who were interested in either story, challenge or both, to make the choice between easy, normal, and uh...masochistic. The length of the single player campaign was very much like most FPS games, short and sweet. Personally I don't know how they could have made a story about a secret conspiracy in a war any longer to play out, so I had no problems there. There were a few, "whoa!" moment's like buildings collapsing, earthquakes, quick time button fights, RPG missles crashing through windows and zipping past your head and other war game thrills. All in all, it was an enjoyable experience
but nothing truly groundbreaking in my opinion.
Co-op
I truly had fun with Co-op. Not only is it a way to play the game without having to be competitive with other players if you're simply not ready for that yet, but it also rewards players with weapons and items not obtainable through normal game play. It features game modes not necessarily story based so as not to leave any black holes in their story that just confuse players. These modes also coax players into tight teamwork for future application in the multiplayer mode I'll be getting to after this. There is actually a segment in which one player pilots a helicopter and the other operates the gun. This was a blast for me, as I was hoping I would be the heli-gunner but turned out to be the pilot. It put just enough pressure on me to where I would quickly learn to fly a helicopter without crashing it into the ground or mountains before the real threat even arrived. (Trust me, aircraft controls are a whole different ballgame in Battlefield 3, not just anyone can hop in a jet or helicopter and clean house.) This was a very positive learning experience for me as a player for it allowed me to use my knowledge as a pilot to be more reliable and versatile for my team in multiplayer Other than that, there was a stand off mode similar to the first level in story mode, an office breach, a sniping session and things like that. A challenge, a learning experience for those new to the game, and a rewarding way to get to know your way around the game with a partner who perhaps could teach you a thing or two along the way.
Customization
By customization I don't mean anything along the lines of Rainbow Six Vegas. I am simply referring to the ability to change your soldier's load out and camouflage patterns. This is an excellent feature that fits right into the game without any clumsy hard to navigate user interfaces and menus. You can set up your primary weapon, secondary weapon, any combination of attachments you have unlocked for those weapons, any gadgets you have and any specializations you have at your disposal. This is possible for every class, Assault, Support, Medic, and Recon, meaning that if you have to change your role in the battle in a moment's notice, you can have everything set up before the battle so all you need to do is highlight your preferred class and spawn on the battlefield, without needing to sit in the menu and adjust every weapon, gadget and attachment, which would definitely slow things down.
Arsenal
Every FPS needs an appealing arsenal of weaponry and Battlefield 3 doesn't disappoint. There are a slew of weapons to chose from, (most of which I have never even heard of.) Assault rifles like the AKS-74u, M4A1, M416, AEK-971, AN-94, and a few M16 models as well as widely known sub machine guns like the P90, MP7 and others. There are also higher powered weapons like 50.cal sniper rifles, shotguns with grenade rounds, laser guided missiles and anti tank and air weapons for those times when you need to take out the enemy's armored support while on foot. There are so many weapons to chose from that when you are on the battlefield, chances are that at least a few people between either team prefers the performance of one weapon over the choice of another player often time's leaving you to witness a player being taken out and the other player simply ignoring the more powerful weapon left lying on the ground. It always a impresses me when I can be outgunned by a man or woman who is skilled with a pistol while I prefer an assault rifle or shotgun. Battlefield ensures that the performance of the weapon depends on the player, and for that, I applaud EA and DICE.
Multiplayer
This is where the real fun begins. Maps can be massive depending on the game type played. During team deathmatch or squad deathmatch, teams (Russians vs Americans) are given tickets. Each time a member of either team dies, one ticket is depleted. First to hit zero tickets loses.
These games are usually played on the small variants of the maps but not too small, so as to allow the action to flow smoothly, but still give players who prefer to be a sniper some room to breathe.
Rush mode
This is fun. The map is divided into sections, usually three. The first would be the park area. (as an example I'll say Operation Metro) Within these sections are usually two objectives which the defending team must prevent from being destroyed. In order to do so, they must hold off the assault team for 100 tickets. If they manage to do that, then they win outright. On the other hand, if the assault team manages to destroy both objectives before their tickets reach zero, they will be granted 100 tickets back (Never to exceed 100 to be fair.) and progress into the subway station. The defending team will then be spawned to their next defending area. (So as not to be left behind by a particularly relentless assault team, and therefore offering no resistance or challenge to the assault team.) The rules for the defending team stay the same throughout, as well as the assault team. They must destroy both objectives once again. If that is accomplished, then they move to the last area of the map, a once busy street with cafe's and storefront lining an overlook of the avenue. There are two more objectives here for the assault team and after these are destroyed the assault team will finally claim their well earned victory. This game mode is particularly enjoyable when tight team play is applied as it makes the defense sturdier or the assault all the more fierce. It also appeals to those players who enjoy a game where at any moment the tide can turn. One minute the push is going smoothly and the next they meet stiff resistance that requires more than just gung ho tactics to break through.
Conquest
This mode is quite intense and just as active as the last two. Teams are placed on a large variant of the chosen map and given three or more points to secure, these points are namely flags to raise. Players may see the most use of vehicles like helicopters and APC's in these game modes as they are a faster and safer way to transport more than one person to a flag at a time. Both teams must raise as many flags as they can and vie to protect all of their flags. If either team controls all flags, the opposing team's tickets will drain at a steady pace until a flag is raised in their teams name. This is just as enjoyable as any other game mode, as it can be a true tug of war and can last for quite a long time. The amount of tickets can be adjusted as with any of the game modes but I believe the default number is 500. Lots of fun to be had here and players can literally play each role to the fullest in this mode. No complaints out of me.
Sound
The sound quality in this game is amazing. If you have a nice stereo system or you use Turtle Beach headsets, you'll understand what I mean. Gravel crunching under footsteps, jets soaring or exploding overhead, gun reports echoing in the distance, car engines revving up, glass braking-grenades exploding-people screaming-bullets whizzing-tank shells booming!!! Total audio overload...Very nice on the effects. Applause goes out to EA and DICE's sound guys on this game.
Control
The game controls pretty well most of the time. It feels a bit like Mirror's Edge when running and vaulting objects. Gun controls are on point and easy to use, right trigger fires while left trigger zooms and the D-pad toggles fire modes, flash lights and laser sights if applicable. The game takes some getting used to if you are accustomed to more traditional games like halo or call of duty.
Sniping is a reputable skill in my opinion due to a realistic bullet drop, apparently bringing the Coriolis effect into play somehow and perhaps even wind. I have a slight complaint about how sniper rifles and shotguns don't seem to do massive damage as they normally fire high caliber bullets. Hip fire is discouraged unless you are very close or have a laser sight and recoil is sometimes realistic and sometimes just plain disorienting and often leaves some players believing they filled their enemies with lead only to be shot one time and killed by a person who at first didn't even see them.
These things are able to be remedied somewhat by attachments and bi-pods and such, which makes players realize that this isn't the typical run and gun shooter. No real complaint aside from the fact that I wish bullet detection was just a tad bit more spot on.
Summary
The game is great. Maybe not as great as the hype, but in my opinion, nothing is ever as great as the hype suggests because sometimes gamers just expect too much. I can have fun for hours on this game and I'm not even that good at it, but it always keeps me coming back for more losses and often strange and random enemy encounters and mishaps. If you want a somewhat realistic war game to play online that has good to great everything and a total sense of unpredictability, ( I almost got run over by a tank but when prone and it rolled harmlessly over me...If only I wasn't a sniper when it happened I would have put some C4 on it like in Captain America. ) then Battlefield 3 is your game. You won't be disappointed. If anyone is looking for someone to play Battlefield 3 with on some Wednesdays through Saturday's then you know my gamer tag. Hit me up and we'll play. Duey Decibel signing off...with a smile?
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