Battlefield 3

With a perfectible but thrilling solo, Battlefield 3 adds a new weapon to its arsenal. But its main one remains, no doubt, its multiplayer, as comprehensive and awe-inspiring as ever. With killer production values, one will forget the annoyances of Battlelog and Origin. It's a must-have.

Fresh and with plenty of personality, Battlefield 3 not only avoids Modern Warfare's shadow but raises itself as the new king of the genre.

For PC gamers at least, the decision by Dice to lead on our beloved platform has resulted in a game that delivers a truly next-generation feel. BF3 is an absolutely massive experience, but it's the explosive multiplayer mode that makes this the must-have FPS of the year. There's simply no other shooter that lets you wage war on a scale this huge, but even better is the infinite number of satisfying ways to lay the hurt down on your opponents.

There's certainly room for improvement, but there's no denying that so many different aspects of the first person shooter experience being dished out here are best-in-class. The multiplayer component alone is more than worth the price of admission and the solo campaign and cooperative offerings thankfully bring more to the table than they detract. With Battlefield 3, DICE have at long last raised the bar of PC gaming above the long-held bottleneck of console-parity, to bring us a game that's finally worth upgrading for and I dare say it carries with it a potential for a renaissance of the PC first person shooter.

Though the campaign is short and not too demanding, Battlefield 3 is without a doubt the best shooter of the year 2011. The multiplayer mode with its huge maps, brilliant 64 player battles, and the return of the jets is the best thing going.

In closing I would say that Battlefield 3 ups the gaming bar and stands on its own two feet. Its single player experience is stellar, but it fly's to new heights with its multiplayer experiences.

Battlefield 3 offers one of the best multiplayer modes out there. The Frostbite 2 engine is capable of amazing things in order to show the most realistic war we've seen to date. Its only flaws are an extremely short campaign and a co-op mode that could have been much better.

Multiplayer maintains the high level of quality DICE is known for, and the campaign is the best in franchise history. Outside of the annoying Battlelog and a tacked-on, uninspired co-op mode consisting of six short standalone missions, the only downside to Battlefield 3 is the lack of substantial changes to the multiplayer formula. However, that shouldn't stop longtime fans and newcomers from enjoying one of the best FPS experiences in gaming.

It's pretty easy when it comes down to it. If you're looking for an offline experience, look elsewhere. Battlefield 3 has a decent singleplayer - it's certainly better than some other games I've played recently - but it's not mind-blowing. If it's the best multiplayer game in the world that you're after, get your affairs in order. You're re-enlisting soldier.

This PC version is without question the Battlefield DICE wanted to do. It is the ultimate and recommended version of Battlefield 3, superior to the console versions. Although the campaign mode and the cooperative missions have much to improve, its competitive multiplayer is overwhelming and will provide hours of fun for months and even years.

Stunning online shooter packing a strong campaign and tech-demo quality visuals. [Christmas 2011, p.72]

As far as games are concerned, this year is over. Farewell, real-life, hello virtual battlefields. Battlefield 3 is going to be our second home for the next few months.

The true strenght of DICE's new title is its multiplayer component: massive battles, vehicles, destruction and an exceptional overall polish of Frostbite 2 offer an incredible piece of entertainment and raise the bar for online competition. Coop mode is also enjoyable, although it won't last long: good to have an afternoon's worth of fun with a friend, it makes you wonder why the whole campaign hasn't been made available for this kind of cooperation. As for the campaign itself, it's mostly playable, but still the weakest part: too much Call of Duty style, desperately linear and sometimes too slow, it doesn't add anything new to the genre.

Maybe Battlefield 3's off-line side is a little bit irregular, but its multiplayer options and amazing graphics justify the necessary upgrade of our computers. 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.

Battlefield 3 is the new baseline in first person shooter games and while the single player is short and painfully linear, you can only admire the atmosphere and the visuals. Multiplayer maps are too small for 64 players and the game needs a patch or two to fix some small issues but otherwise the online play is pretty much spot on - BF3 will be played for years to come.

The new flagship of PC multiplayer shooters, and pretty much the best looking game for years. [Nov 2011]

The only thing that is frustrating about BF3's multiplayer mode is EA's new Battlelog service. Battlelog is a browser-based interface that forces PC players to exit their game and reconnect if they want to change game modes. All in all, the function seems tacked-on and cumbersome.

Battlefield 3 then, from a campaign perspective, delivers the goods and then some. It's not perfect, but it's bloody close... infinitely more impressive than Bad Company 2 and irrefutable proof that DICE have now firmly stepped into the hallowed ranks of the absolute top-tier developers. COD or not, this deserves a place in your collection - not to mention a place in your heart.

It features a stellar multiplayer suite with practically limitless replay value and a mostly forgettable campaign. The coop missions are a nice addition, and to be fair, the single-player is the best in series history, but it still falls short of its contemporaries. Online warfare is intricate and rewarding, but it also presents a learning curve and a strong reliance on team coordination.

This is war. This is what we FPS fans have longed for for years.

It's the next level of multiplayer team warfare with an incredible engine powering it. Get a good PC and enjoy some of the best multiplayer action out there. The bugs can sometimes kick you out of the game. A ton of unlocks will have you playing a long time to get them all. The single player portion is pretty linear and not that interesting.

There is no doubt that Battlefield comes with some warts courtesy of a few mission features and the forced inclusion of Origin, but once these are ironed out we should have a title worthy of carrying the series name.

Battlefield 3 is a game that's informed, not bound, by both its predecessors and its competition. It takes what made the series great in earlier games and marries it to the innovations from more recent BF titles. The single-player and co-op campaigns both have their issues, but the multiplayer component is worth the price of entry alone.

Both a triumphant leap forward and a return to form for the Battlefield series. This is the best multiplayer shooter on PC. [Christmas 2011, p.58]

The most technologically advanced modern shooter with ideal multiplayer. [December 2011, p.55]

Battlefield 3 is primarily a multiplayer game, as it's always been. If you are looking for a game that will grab you for months, Battlefield 3 is the right choice.

Just forget the unsurprising singleplayer and you have the best online shooter available right now. Battlefield 3 has so much content that every shooter fanatic will have something to do. The detailed maps, deep gameplay and jawdropping graphics make this the best Battlefield ever.

Battlefield 3 for PC is an excellent game, probably the pinnacle of the whole series. Thanks to eye-candy graphics, it's easy to be hooked up by well oiled gameplay mechanics. The short single player and coop modes are compensated for by a great multiplayer, that gives us a real contender to the Call of Duty franchise.

Battlefield 3 deserves to carry on the name of its franchise, and it wouldn't suprise me to see it still being played in years to come as Activision keeps churning out its annual Calls of Duty. It's great to see games being designed for the PC in this day and age, and the pace, atmosphere, and level design is neigh-perfect. When a multiplayer game's only downfalls are slight inaccessibility and a mediocre single player campaign, there's something terrific happening.

An extremely beautiful looking game that takes advantage of the hardware in every way possible, resulting in an experience that's so huge and fulfilling that it will keep you satisfied for years to come, especially with all the DLC map packs int he pipelines.

Battlefield 3's multiplayer is a triumph, and while the single player campaign isn't the most original, or entertaining shooter, it's the online modes that will keep us playing for months to come.

Battlefield 3 is what the fans expected, total multiplayer war in huge maps, where tanks, jets and choppers deliver death to the grunts lying on the ground. Unfortunately the rest of the game is not as great as the online mode. The campaign is short and pretty boring, but visually astonishing and the coop is just a simple add-on.

The campaign may be pants, and the co-op may struggle to find a niche, but DICE knows multiplayer – that much is evident. In this regard, Battlefield 3 exceeds expectations.

Battlefield 3 is a great game. The campaign comes off as dull and repetitive after a few hours, but multiplayer continues to be a thrill a minute

Although its single player campaign lacks some inspiration, Battlefield 3 stands out as the pinnacle of modern day war-based first-person shooters. With its astounding visuals, sound effects and addictive multiplayer gameplay, it's a game that will be played and loved for a very long time.

Despite some problems, Battlefield 3 delivers right where it counts: online play. The single player mode looks great but is rather limited, and the competitive multiplayer might be a bit buggy and doesn't pull in all of the best features of every past Battlefield game, but it still lives up to the hype - and for those that were disappointed in the beta, it might even exceed the hype - and gives us a wonderful online experience that is unlike any other in the FPS world.

Battlefield 3 is amazing. The single player campaign is definitely the weakest link, even though it's more than just decent. The co-op missions are fun, but online multiplayer is the main reason you should get Battlefield 3. Here, the game doesn't disappoint in any way and stands as the strongest entry of the series so far. This is the best multiplayer experience I've had this year.

A great game meets expectations and excels in a multiplayer. However, it isn't a perfect title of its genre as the game's campaign misses several touch ups. Battlefield 3 will definitely hold up among present shooters and with its multiplayer it's going to stick its players to their screens for a very long, long time.

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 that's sure to excite shooter fans, whether they fired their first bullet in Battlefield 1942 or have just now heeded Battlefield's call of duty.

If solo play is your primary motivator, then it's hard to recommend Battlefield 3 as anything more than an audio-visual treat. The times where 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. It's not revolutionary, but it's the best Battlefield game, and that's saying a lot.

A great game, and it has largely delivered on all of the pre-release hype. We do however warn you that if you are looking to buy the PC version, don't be surprised if you have some issues. It certainly knocked some of the gloss off the game for us.

It's all a matter of taste, after all. They each provide a certain type of entertainment – when talking about Battlefield 3, it involves a bigger game, more open in its possibilities and more spectacular. But on a longer timeline, less frantic and with fewer Bruce Willis scenes than the mass appeal beast it set itself to dethrone.

There's no questioning the fact that Battlefield 3 brings a lot to the table. It's visually stunning and mechanically very sound in terms of gameplay. The shortcomings that are present, however, keep the game from reaching true perfection.

What kind of game is Battlefield 3? Well made, extremely impressive, pretty and rich in content. But still it has some flaws and suprising peculiarities.

Even though the single player campaign is quite poor and a replica of the Modern Warfare franchise, the multiplayer part of Battlefield 3 has no equal and it is sure to deliver hour upon hour of superb online battles.

Battlefield 3 may not offer much beyond the multiplayer, but there are so many ways to contribute and feel like a powerful soldier that after hours and hours of playing, all you'll want to do is play more.

Battlefield 3 is the most spectacular shooter of this fall, and I doubt that anyone will come even close.

No, Battlefield 3 is not the best game of today. But good looking – definitely. It also has an absolutely addictive multiplayer. Who needs more? [Dec 2011]

I expected a game made with passion, polished in every detail, something that will set the direction for others for the coming years and threaten Call of Duty's hegemony. Battlefield 3 turned out to be just a very good shooter – and that is simply not enough considering all the promises EA made. [December 2011, p.44]

It's hard to tell how it'll pan out over the years, but right now, this is a great game burdened with new, confused players, technical problems, and a lack of information as to how to be effective on the field. It's a Battlefield game alright, but it's going to need some time and work before it becomes a worthy time sink.

If you're part of the majority of fans who just want to skip straight into the online modes, there's no question: Battlefield 3 is stellar. The same can't be said for the rest of the package, so people uninterested in internet warfare would be best advised to stay away.

Brilliant and unrivalled multiplayer makes it a game worth playing, despite bugs and crappy singleplayer.

Battlefield 3 is a poor single player title, an amazing multiplayer game, but has layers of useless nonsense that hurt it in the long run.

Quotation forthcoming.

As audiovisually accomplished as any game has been, at least on PC, its deference to prescribed spectacle is an assiduous realisation of blockbuster gaming tastes, with an increasing reliance on 'video' rather than 'game'. EA wants Battlefield 3 to be all things to all people, and it's right in thinking that the addition of a singleplayer duck shoot doesn't detract from its other substantial offerings. But in this act of imitation, and limitation, it disregards the choice and tactical empowerment which make the series near-peerless and preciously idiosyncratic in multiplayer.

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. The PC version's online matchmaking tools are way ahead of the curve and a good example of how to do social networking in video games the right way.

Some of the best multiplayer action ever seen on the PC, although not without its issues - as well as a deeply disappointing single-player campaign.

Battlefield 3 is almost two games in one. We get a six hour campaign without any surprises, but we also get the probably best multiplayer of 2011. If you're looking for the latter, look no further than Battlefield 3.

The PC is the obvious choice for Battlefield 3 -- if you can run it -- but there's a catch. A very large, significant, infuriating catch that may prove a deal breaker for some people. The name of this catch is Battlelog, and it's by far one of the worst ideas in videogame history.