Battlefield 3

A phenomenal multiplayer FPS with a polished campaign and smart co-op. Looks and sounds great, but - next to the PC - exposes the limits of the PS3 hardware. [Christmas 2011, p.90]

Maybe Battlefield 3's off-line side is a little bit irregular, but the multiplayer mode is outright stunning. Those players looking for a game full of innovation will be disenchanted, however if you're looking for an amazing competitive on-line experience this is it.

You won't find a better multiplayer experience.

The nine multiplayer maps seem to be designed specifically to let players come up with their own creative strategies. Compared to COD, this gives the player a real sense of freedom. There is no such thing as a perfect strategy or a trotten path. [December 2011, p.74]

The appeal of Battlefield 3 ultimately lies where it has for the entire series, which is some of the best multiplayer in existence. EA will probably be disappointed by poor reception to the single-player campaign, but the game as a whole is guaranteed to be popular so long as enough people can sink their teeth into Conquest or Rush.

Battlefield 3 is not that greatest game but rather, it's a very good game and although the single player campaign is a little dull in terms of story, there are some stellar moments in it to help get you through to the finish line and actually make you crave more. This is where the multiplayer aspect comes into play, especially with its realistic warzones and elements of Hollywood to make it bigger than life. With co-op missions, leaderboards and some great vehicles, Battlefield 3 is a definite must have for any first person shooter fan!

You don't want to miss this one. Once the patches roll in and clear up the issues we'll have something truly special here. I'm giving DICE the benefit of the doubt with some problems because I think they'll be cleared up in the not-too-distant future.

DICE's latest shooter combines an extremely in-depth multiplayer experience with a fully fledged single player game. But the two brightest stars are the game's lighting and sound, which set new standards within the realistic FPS genre. Battlefield 3 is a Swedish war export we can be proud of.

As a solo game, Battlefield 3 on consoles is even less the sum of its parts than the PC version, due to compromised visuals and a legion of technical issues, some of which might stand in the way of actually finishing the game. When Battlefield 3 does its damnedest to go toe-to-toe with Call of Duty are the times it stumbles the hardest. But when DICE is doing what it's always done best, Battlefield 3 is a uniquely mesmerizing multiplayer game with a seemingly endless number of ways to feel like a success.

Speaking about its multiplayer side, Battlefield 3 is awesome. The competitive online play and the six intense co-op missions offer a great experience, far away from the disappointing beta code. The single player on the other hand proves to be weak, but not enough to ruin the complete package.

There's a lot to love about this game, and not a lot to criticize. It's a wonderful experience that brings online and offline intensity to an entirely new level. DICE and EA did a great job with Battlefield 3 and I hope they continue this trend for the next game.

All in all, I'm quite impressed. The good old Battlefield multi-player experience was supplemented with a pretty good single player campaign. The graphics and sound effects are truly stunning, as is the deep atmosphere. This is what players want from a shooter.

Overall, Battlefield 3 is a winner. It just isn't quite the massive elite shooter that outstrips all other FPSs in every category. If you can deal with that, I'm sure you'll be happy.

DICE's adoration of and expertise with the online experience permeates every aspect of its multiplayer. Regardless of the narrative missteps or the occasional glitches, Battlefield 3 offers an unforgettable, world-class multiplayer suite so fun that it more than makes up for the package's shortcomings.

The less said about the ignorable single-player, the better. [Issue#212, p.84]

With a powerful new engine, amazing graphics, and gameplay Battlefield 3 lives up to its much hyped anticipation. Boasting hours-and-hours of unlockables, you can be sure that you will be playing this game from sunset to sunrise without notice.

Despite some annoying bugs, especially in the campaign, Battlefield 3 offers some amazing gameplay. A breathtaking singleplayer campaign alongside an epic multiplayer experience makes Battlefield 3 a must-buy.

The console version of Battlefield 3 is what the fans expected, massive multiplayer battles perfectly designed by the guys at DICE. However the campaign doesn't deserve the same praises, too short and not challenging at all. Visually the game is definitevely top notch, but it suffers from polishing issues and recurring glitches.

The short singleplayer campaign is disappointing, but we've come to expect that from the Battlefield franchise. Online this third iteration is still among the best shooters out there, even though we feel like DICE has made too much changes in an attempt to attract hardened Call of Duty fans.

Battlefield 3 is a fine objective-based multiplayer shooter, but that's it. In all other respects, it comes up short.

Sadly, Battlefield 3 is only capable of being the game it should be on a decent PC. As good as it is on the console (looks pretty good for a console game, and is technically pretty stable) - it is still a shadow of it's true self. We don't know if DICE actually favoured the PC as a platform over the consoles, but we feel they did try their best. Sadly, the ageing console hardware naturally limits what is possible.

As you might expect, the PC version of Battlefield 3 still boasts better visuals and larger matches than its console counterparts, but competitive multiplayer on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 is incredibly addictive, immersive, and exciting.

For all the shortcomings in the single-player, and the triumphs in the multiplayer and co-op, DICE deserves a fair amount of credit for creating worthy competition to that other modern-shooter.

Battlefield 3 is a great multiplayer game, despite the problems with the console version. However, if you are interested in the game for its single-player mode, we can't hardly recommend it. But if you are looking for a multiplayer game different from the others on consoles, this is a sure bet with many hours of fun.

The game's issues are outweighed by the fact that no other game on the market plays like this.

Hopefully EA reconsiders its approach to toppling Call Of Duty in the future, and allows its games to develop their own personality, rather than imitate something else.

Despite its incredible competitive online play, we can't ignore the shortcomings of its campaign and Co-Op. [Jan 2012, p.66]

Battlefield 3 ships an unbelievable mutliplayer with a short, unoriginal campaign.

Those who don't bother with the solo campaign won't miss much. Indeed, the online experience in its different incarnations is so addictive and gratifying that it's almost enough to let the balance and technical issues slip. But only almost.

Battlefield 3 for the consoles is a big step down from the PC version. Still, it is almost two games in one. We get a six hour outright mediocre campaign without any surprises, but we also get the really unique and totally awesome multiplayer that only the Battlefield series delivers.

A lack of sparkle in Battlefield 3's campaign is offset by engaging and addictive large-scale multiplayer battles that have few equals, along with a co-op game that is thoroughly enjoyable while it lasts.

The mediocre campaign is rather disappointing, and is easily the game's biggest drawback – the real value here is in the competitive multiplayer modes. There's plenty of great online competitive shooters out there, but few encourage friends to work together as a team with such refined gameplay, where vast terrains, powerful vehicles, and high-tech gadgets provide such a bevy of tactics and options to be utilized to conquer the enemy as Battlefield 3 does.

Exactly what Battlefield fans most likely wanted: a chaotic, gorgeous multiplayer game with small, but important tweaks to what already worked in past games. That it includes a short, somewhat mediocre solo campaign and some hit-or-miss co-op action does not detract from the fact that, online, this is the best Battlefield game yet.

Battlefield 3 isn't quite the Call of Duty killer many were wanting, then, and it's especially jarring to view EA's 'above and beyond the call' marketing brouhaha in light of the fact Battlefield 3 falls to its most damning lows when it's trying hardest to compete with the latter.

So it's a flawed package then, but it's also one that contains some of the best graphics ever seen on a console, and is one of the premier multiplayer games in existence. [Christmas 2011, p.94]

Whilst I questioned the mechanics of a game like this being the most valuable component, I am finding time and time again that when juxtaposed against the more alluring and decorative Call of Duty, I would rather spend my time prone in a ditch with my teammates on Battlefield 3.