“Battlefield 3” is one of the greatest first-person shooters I’ve ever played, and it’s because it provided me with a gaming experience like no other.
I didn’t play “Battlefield: Bad Company”, and I didn’t play its sequel. My “Battlefield” experiences are strictly limited to “Battlefield 1942” and “Battlefield 1943.”
This is why when BF3’s campaign wasn’t as good as its hype train led us all to believe, I didn’t mind.
“Battlefield” is meant to be enjoyed with a ton of players all duking it out on a massive map with planes, tanks, boats, jeeps and mass amounts of infantry. BF3 delivers in that respect, and its multiplayer side of the game is nothing short of incredible.
The best experiences I’ve had with BF3 happened when the many layers of the multiplayer chaos all blend together.
For instance, I instantly jumped in an attack helicopter to start a match, and proceeded to take out flocks of infantry on the ground until a fighter jet struck me with a homing missile.
I ejected out of the helicopter, parachuting down to the battlefield below me, firing my M16 at helpless blokes the whole way down.
Once I got to the land below, a firefight between the opposing team and mine ensued. My life was ended once I was struck in the head by a sniper observing the carnage from a distance. Then I jumped right back into it.
This is when the game stands out.
Other aspects of the game definitely have major issues. For one, EA Online, the game’s server for multiplayer and co-op, always seems to be malfunctioning; there were countless times that I simply couldn’t play multiplayer because the game failed to connect to EA Online.
Another annoying characteristic of the game is the ridiculously long loading times, and not just in between games.
When I first purchased the game (at midnight on release day of course,) I rushed home totally stoked to jump right in to the multiplayer madness that I knew was coming my way.
Instead, I was forced to download an update for the game. Then I was baited into downloading some stupid HD texture installation that took at least ten minutes.
I’d expect the update, but the texture installation should already be built into the game regardless of how massive the core game is.
The campaign, which I mentioned before, is mediocre. The narrative is strong but the voice-acting ensemble just didn’t impress me.
This is where games like the “Call of Duty” and “Halo” franchises just exceed all the others on a consistent basis.
The missions also tend to be extremely linear and the battles all tend to have the same type of action.
The A.I. enemies don’t really do much except for run to their intended spot and fire at you.
This was the case throughout the game; you enter an area like a courtyard or something and the enemies pour out from doors and shooting ensues.
The campaign is the exact opposite of the multiplayer in BF3: it’s just not fun.
Like I said before, I don’t mind this in the least that the campaign didn’t move me. I bought the game for the “Battlefield” multiplayer I’ve come to love throughout the years and developers Dice and EA delivered.