I played the “Battlefield 3” Beta a few weeks ago; since then I haven't been as excited for the games full release. The Beta was very choppy, had a lot of bugs, and wasn't as polished as I had hoped for. A couple of weeks after the Beta had been out, DICE General Manager Karl Magnus Troedsson explained the Beta was a month old “build” of the game, and didn’t accurately represent the final game. That statement gave me a some hope, but I still doubted that “Battlefield 3” would be as awesome as it was hyped to be.
Last night I went to the midnight launch of BF3 at my local Gamestop with my best friend; we stood in line casually, not as excited as we used to be. As I drove home with my copy of “Battlefield 3” I kept thinking, "this better not be a huge let down". As I put the game into my Xbox 360, I took a deep breath, and thought "here we go."
Playing the first five minutes of the game online changed my mind. The graphics are more than I expected, I was prompted by my Xbox to download an "HD" package so that it looked and played better. I assume this is a console only feature, because a strong enough PC can handle the graphics much better than any console.
Another thing that impressed me was the lighting. When I would catch the natural, or artificial lighting on a map, at a certain angle, I would get a life-like lens flare across the screen. The first map I played was set in a rain storm; each time lightning would flash across my screen, the entire environment would light up enough for me to make out every detail ahead of me. The upgrades in “Battlefield 3” are almost endless, whether it was scopes, under barrel attachments, laser sights, or grenades, DICE has ensured you won't get bored with one gun alone.
Vehicle warfare has always been something that DICE specializes in, and is no different in “Battlefield 3”. All of the ground vehicles function more smoothly than in their previous titles, and are so real that I felt I was in them. The air vehicles have been tweaked so the controls are a little more realistic. There were several times where one of my teammates would jump in a helicopter only to crash and explode into a hill fifty feet away. I laughed only to soon find myself subject to the same fate. I am used to the helicopter controls in ”Battlefield: Bad Company 2”, and assumed they would be the same in this game; I quickly learned quite the opposite. I found I had to use more control in order to maintain flight.
My last game of the night I had the opportunity to fly in a jet. This aircraft was very difficult to control, and has a bit of a learning curve to it. I was able to view the jet in a third person view, but as I tried to complete a sharp turn, I ended up crashing into the mountains below. I was not able to get into any dog fights during that game, but I believe this is because people are still learning the game and how it runs. I don't doubt that within the next couple of weeks there will be many dog fights going on in the air, while ground battles just as intense are going on below. The sound effects in this game are fantastic, and as real as they can be at this point. I could actually hear my bullets cling into place in between each controlled burst.
All and all this game has completely surpassed all of my expectations.
My only complaint is that the air vehicles are a little difficult to control, but I'm positive that they will become easier as time goes on. I am giving the first few hours of multiplayer gameplay a 4 out of 5 stars for its outstanding gameplay mechanics, graphics, sound, and customization. I did not give this a perfect 5 because the air vehicle controls are a little confusing at times, and can be a little overwhelming. I highly recommend buying this game. It is well worth it, and I've only played it for a few hours!
Until next time, keep on gamin' on!
No comments:
Post a Comment