Battlefield 3

"Less Bad Company, more Battlefield"

Developer: Electronic Arts
Publisher: EA DICE
Genre: First Person Shooter
Platform (s) : PC, PS3, X360
Release Date: Q4 2011


Battlefield 3’s basic premise could be summarized by a single sentence from the game's executive producer Patrick Bach (in an interview with Gameinformer.com): "I say honestly that we can now do whatever we want and the choices we made to the game are based on what we want, not what we have. In other words, the above statement - in relation to the Battlefield traditions - appears to be attempting to meet the best features found in many games. Among them is the impressive design of destruction scenarios.
 

In the Game Informer interview mentioned earlier, Bach became clear on the direction the current development team should take. For instance, smart additions and modifications that need attention will be addressed, all with the intention of producing results capable of maintaining the good name of this beloved and groundbreaking series. While the level of destruction Battlefield: Bad Company 2 demonstrated has undoubtedly set a new realism level in video games, Battlefield 3 seems more connected to the franchise’s roots, with scenarios packed with bloodthirsty explosions, thereby fostering chaos and destruction that best defines the realism of the battlefield.





If any doubt still remains regarding this orientation, just check the number of players that can share the same map in BF 3. Although the console versions are still prey to the maximum of 24 simultaneous players, anyone with a PC can provide 64 players with the luxury of blowing things up and shooting at everything that moves in the landscape; almost thrice as many compared to what you would expect on consoles.

A considerable part of the unique feel of the Battlefield series possesses is the massive array of weapons at your disposal, a feature the franchise has had since its inception. As for other parts of the game, details here are still very limited - almost non-existent, really. However, the presence of aircraft allows you to make some fairly consistent assumptions. According to site 1UP.com, one can predict that BF 3’s airpower will rival the strength of ground vehicles as a way to balance the whole situation. The possibility of naval units in BF3 hasn’t been ruled out, but this is still up to speculation. It does seem reasonable to assume that DICE will provide something beyond just the classic flak. Also, there is the promise of greater map extension, so there must be something other than just ships and airplanes to cover the entire area, right?


While details are scarce at the moment, it is normal to take rumors and speculations as a grain of salt for now. One of the rumors is the possible inclusion of new classes in Battlefield 3. It sounds like a very natural addition, but DICE seems to think that four is good enough to meet the standard amount of classes. However, specializations can be gained by further increases and weapon loadouts. Thus, the four original classes serve only as initial, cosmetic patterns, with unique skills and stat upgrades added later. In other words, even if two players choose the Engineer class, one player can get bonuses for anti-armor weapons, while the other could focus on vehicle repair, so on and so forth. But there is another significant difference compared to Class: the ranking system has been enhanced. "You could say it was a good feature," says Bach, "but looking at the numbers, you can see that nobody used it," he added. Thus, the strategic possibilities related to the ranking are no longer the prerogative of a single charge, meaning that virtually any player can deploy troops and command airstrikes.

 

Battlefield 3 should bring its own history. Its single player campaign aims to focus on very serious themes. Or, at least that is what DICE promises. In one mission revealed, the Marines must fight through the city of Sulaymaniyah (Kurdistan) - though they said the story will not be restricted within the Middle East. The war will also lead to urban regions of both the U.S. and Europe. Regarding other modes, nothing but the classic Conquest mode was revealed. But, following Bach’s philosophy of “we can do whatever we want to do,” you can think about a few additions they might include in the final product.


BF 3 will not only be hectic, but also realistic. Behind the unprecedented destruction of the elements that form the backdrop is a new, upgraded version of the Frostbite engine (officially called Frostbite 2). To give an idea of the power of new graphics engine, DICE has recently shown a sequence in which a seven-floor building turned into a pile of rubble in seconds.

Battlefield 3 seems perfectly capable of carrying the legacy one step further, maybe even several. After all, ensuring the idea of a highly chaotic environment that war has always been associated with in the Battlefield franchise is always a plus, and the neat additions only help make the whole thing even more convincing. There isn't any confirmed release date yet, but Battlefield 3 should reach store shelves in Q4 2011.

Marco Cecilio, NoobFeed