Games Thirst – Amazing Life
My Battlefield 3 beta review.
There was no way you couldn’t have been caught in EA and DICE’s hype machine for it’s upcoming shooter, Battlefield 3. Oh yes. “This November, we’re launching Battlefield 3,†John Riccitiello, chief executive of EA,said. “It’s going up against the next Call of Duty, which is presently the No. 1 game in the game industry,” he added. “A game that last year did $400 million dollars in revenue on day one. [Battlefield 3] is designed to take that game down.”
It didn’t stop there, however, DICE said in the past that, “what we’ll show on console [from Battlefield 3] doesn’t look worse than any other game out there,” adding, “It’s probably even better than every other game out there on console.” And that’s just for starters.
As you can see, the talk was much, and gamers the world over were expecting a beta that would deliver these promises. But it didn’t. The game’s beta hasn’t lived up to none of the standards EA and DICE bragged up so gleefully, leaving many with a bitter taste in their mouths, wondering what went wrong. Battlefield 3 is pinned by EA has a Call of Duty killer, but if that’s the way they plan on taking down the biggest piece of entertainment in the world, everyone at both firms should be fired. Dear DICE, I am disappoint. Let me explain why.
What left A Bitter Taste:
How can you release a beta that’s so bug-ridden mere weeks before Battlefield 3 goes on sale? Nothing works well in the game, and what works doesn’t satisfy. Firstly, you can’t really tell who your enemies are because all the soldiers look alike, and there’s really nothing to inform you that you’re standing in front of an enemy besides a tiny map. When you do shoot an enemy, you feel like it’s luck and chance. Bullets come from nowhere and hit you in the face, you’re dead. Camping is rampant. Throwing grenades is very awkward and they take way too long to explode.
Even the melee system is lackluster. You feel no sense of gratification when doing a knife takedown like say with Killzone 3 or COD. Yes, the game sounds good, but nothing above and beyond what Killzone 3 and other topnotch shooters provide. I’m yet to see Frostbite 2′s prowess.
Visuals. Nothing special about Battlefield 3′s visuals, guys. Nothing at all. Both EA and DICE talked this very thing up. We were expecting to be blown away visually when playing Battlefield 3. But, like one of its most ardent fans said in these comments, Killzone 2 looks better than Battlefield 3. There’s destruction but nothing close to what the two firms talked up. Certain things will take damage but others that should also be able to be destroyed, stand undeterred, undamaged doesn’t matter what is thrown at them.
It gets worse:
I’ve just now learnt that there will be no squad management in-game and no voice chat, it’s only accessible through Battlelog. That’s according to a tweet from DICE Daniel Matros. He said: “Voice chat and squadding will be on the battlelog side of things.” No wonder I didn’t see those options when I was trying to form a squad, and no wonder my friend online kept asking me if I could hear him. I clearly couldn’t and was wondering why.
So you’re telling me I”ll have to browse through Battlelog just to format the way I see fit my squad? So if I opt not to get the service, I won’t be able to talk to my friends? How counterproductive is that? How futile and backward. I’m also assuming this is why I can’t customize my weapons before a game starts? You know, the menu screen allowing you to enhance your weapons etc. Battlefield 3, for some odd reason, don’t allow for such customization on the boot screen.
I’m not even going to talk about the many glitches in the game, because I’m hoping DICE will fix those issues before launch, through a day one patch. Constantly you’ll “fall under” as if you’re underneath earth watching your friends and foes above. You can still kill them, though. I went on a killing streak when said glitch occurred. Lots of other problems but like I said, DICE is already hard at work fixing those issues.
I’m also confused as to why they only offered one map, and one game mode. Battlefield’s laced with game modes. They even added Team Deathmatch – so at least give us Conquest. Instead we’re stuck playing Rush over and over again. It’s a great mode, but nothing that hasn’t been done before and is similar to modes found in other shooters. Think of it as Operations from Killzone 3, but without the cinematic cutscenes. There are lots of maps in the full game so at least give two, a la Uncharted 3 in which three maps were eventually available. I don’t understand why DICE and EA didn’t think about these things for a game they’re spending millions to develop and even more to advertise. Just doesn’t make sense. And the argument that “it’s just a beta” will not stand either. A beta, especially for a highly anticipated game is not meant to turn people away and lose sales, which is exactly what’s happening with Battlefield 3. All over the internet, gamers who were once stoked about the title, have been canceling.
What Quenched My Taste:
The perks system in Battlefield 3 is amazing. There’s lots of rewards to be had throughout your playtime, and DICE is promising to support the game for years. In fact there are great rewards for almost everything you do in Battlefield 3, and it works pretty well. You’ll find yourself earning points, lots of it, even if you never manage to actually shoot and kill someone in the game, and the bonuses are also welcomed. DICE has definitely placed a lot of effort into the game’s perk system, and it works very, very well.
The gameplay is also a solid piece of work. You’ll feel it as you play. Everything is responsive and the core Battlefield gameplay mechanic is intact.
The visuals are not bad, but nothing as DICE promised, and what can be destroyed, when destroyed, looks good and feels satisfying. The Metro Map, although not the best I’ve seen, provides lots of avenues to wage war. From the a nice lush-looking park, to inside the Metro itself, and then into a city. All offering various routes of battle.
I also like what they’ve done with player ability. You can jump, stoop, and go flat on your stomach while moving stealthily. You’ll also appreciate, when it works, how you jump over ledges – the whole thing feels real, like you’re actually there doing it. It’s also something we haven’t quite seen in other shooters, and quite a nice distinguishing element from the bunch.
Water Scale
Overall Battlefield 3′s beta, while shows a game that holds promise, suffers from quite a few issues. You can definitely see DICE worked hard to make this one an epic affair, but as you play through, you’ll realize it falls short. It misses the mark. It’s like arriving at a place but barely getting there. Like finishing a relay race, fatigued, and not having time or the energy to pass the baton.
So for the many promises that were made and wasn’t actually kept. I am disappoint. For Frostbite 2 which is supposed to take things up a notch, but manages somehow to showcase nothing groundbreaking, I am disappoint. For all my hopes flying high waiting to play the beta, only to find myself speedily running away from it, I am disappoint. And for all the pre-orders lost, I am indeed, disappoint.
6.5/10
We’re hoping to have our review of the full game on the site before it goes on sale, or the very same day it launches. We’ll keep you posted on that.
