Review: Battlefield 3 (PC)
By Tom Yeates | November 3, 2011 | Reviews | 7 comments | Share
I’m going to start with a bang here, do a little teasing so to speak. I’m going to give Battlefield 3 two review scores. There, I said it. If you’re taken aback by this, it’s ok, I understand your trepidation. However, Battlefield 3 has proven to be a game of many facets and in the grand old scheme of things, I think it would be unfair to lump the singleplayer and multiplayer together into a singular score when the experiences they offer are so vastly different. So, with that said – I should get down to the business we’re both here for, you and I – the actual review…
Hey Good Lookin’…
Trust me...It looks good.
First of all, it’s impossible to get into a discussion of the PC version of the game without pointing out how breathtaking the graphics are at points. DICE have brought us an engine capable of some truly excellent visual treats. Whether its smoke plumes in the distance, or the spattering of anti-aircraft fire into the night sky, Battlefield 3 looks fantastic. It’s a treat to behold when it’s in full motion and DICE should certainly pat themselves on the back for providing gamers with arguably the most stunning visuals currently available on the market. Aside from a few general clipping issues, the animation is solid, bordering on excellent. Which is to be expected now that DICE are leveraging the same ANT Technology used in the EA Sports games for realistic character animation.
In short, the game is stunning to look at. It’s one of those games that really hits it home how far games have progressed graphically in the past decade and I found myself constantly stopping to look around at little details in both the single and multiplayer components of the game. Light refracts beautifully, the camouflage on soldier uniforms is crisp and detailed and flares give off just the right glare to make it seem almost real. Battlefield 3 really is a thing of beauty. It’s something that not only applies to the visuals but extends to the game’s sound design too, which I think may well be the best around. Weapon reports are solid, punchy. Bullets whiz and rasp around your head. Playing with headphones or on a full set of surround speakers is a joy and it really adds to the immersion, leaving competition wallowing in the dust. Even the dust in Battlefield 3 probably has a sound effect…
Riding Solo…
Ok, so the singleplayer. Let’s talk about that for a moment. It’s been much maligned in many places. We’ve all heard the Modern Warfare comparisons and whilst I’m loathe to tread on familiar territory, I feel it’s neccessary to explain my own feelings on Battlefield 3′s singleplayer effort.
The early Jet mission is a definite highlight.
The comparisons to Modern Warfare are not wrong. It’s a first person shooter campaign with a taste for the cinematic using heavily scripted action sequences and a set of largely uninspiring AI opponents. It’s nothing special but I definitely think that it’s worth at least one play-through. It didn’t disappoint me as such, I enjoyed my time with it and as a visual spectacle it has moments where it surpasses Modern Warfare’s bombast…but it could have been so much more. Battlefield is a game renowned for it’s sandbox-esque gameplay – the so called “Battlefield moments” that no other game can really match. The singleplayer could have been more akin to this, DICE could have allowed the player more freedom in his or her movement. More freedom of destruction…but alas, they have not opted to do so. What we have is an enjoyable but ultimately un-repeatable experience. I cannot see myself replaying the singleplayer because it will just be the same experience and I think they’ve missed a trick here. This was an opportunity to give players a Battlefield experience but instead we’re given the same first person shooter experience we’ve had for some time now, except it looks and sounds really, really good.
I do recommend players at least give it a single run, probably on Normal to avoid the frustration at instant headshots as soon as you peek above cover. It’s a great thing to look at, and there are some genuinely good moments during the ride, but that’s all it is – a ride just like the rest of them. If you like Modern Warfare’s single player components then I definitely think you will enjoy a playthrough of what Battlefield 3 has to offer.
This face sums it up to be honest...
Lol, thought you gave the whole game a 7...
@sjaak - No, no. Far from it, the multiplayer is excellent. Having a great time in it and will continue to do so for a long time to come. I just wish they had made the singleplayer more like a Battlefield game rather than like a Modern Warfare game.
That said, the singleplayer is visually spectacular and is definitely worth a playthrough.
A very well written review.
I absolutely agree on everything (except that personally I did like the coop missions as for me playing them all through once on hardest settings with a skilled friend and lingering on the last level for a final tally of 200k points unlocked all the weapons for me )
I agree on the singleplayer--they can make it better. At least make the AI better, but at least the BF3 AI enemies are a notch over BC2's enemies. IMO, I think it's DICE's choice to make the singleplayer as linear as it can get because they devote much energy to the multiplayer component, which is what the game stands for.
Everything else I nodded to, as well.
Hello,
Do you have anyone who can look over this site http://www.fpscheats.com/topic122941.htm and fix the problem with EA and these Battlefield 3 Hacks? I have four people in my clan using the hack and it's simply not fair the way these guys can see every single enemy on the screen. The last guy using it had 17,000 points and was ranked 50 already. I'm currently serving in the Marine Corp and Battlefield 3 is what I do to relax (believe it or not).... but these cheaters have made me so mad. What can I do? It doesn't seem like anything.
I called EA support FIVE TIMES (was on the phone for 90 mins total) and every person I talked to said the game had no hacks out for it. I even sent them to the website and showed them the videos and screens and they said they were fake... c'mon, are they serious?
I also tried to post asking for help on the EA Forums and every single time they delete my post. After spending $60 and EA made $5 Million in sales the FIRST WEEK I think a deserving LEGIT player like me deserves some sort of answer about a fix. Can you help?
Regards,
Chris Johnson
Finally, a review of this game that makes sense to me. I found it kind of funny how most review sites gave BF2 such high reviews even though it had NO campaign and then gave BF3 a lower review because it had a mediocre campaign. Perhaps it's just me, but it it seems strange that a game should be punished for putting more effort into multiplayer considering that it's a multiplayer centic game. I mean sure, the campaign should be put into consideration but you almost never see a singleplayer focused game docked points for not having multiplayer if its main focus is indeed singleplayer.
fair, good review. Great one in fact.
I can't say that the SP was boring but also not that great so 7 is a good mach. As for MP, I think that the 9 is also right- one of my favorite MP games, but a bit more polish and even a bit more deph is certin parts could make 9.7
-Sorry for my english