



After huge anticipation for the Battlefield 3 Beta, the open beta finally opened for the masses. People were given the ability to rank up and get some really awesome weapon attachments. Overall I believe that the multiplayer beta matched the anticipation for the title. However, for console players you were only given the choice of playing one map with one game mode. PC players where given the opportunity to not only play on the subway map but also on a map where you were given the ability to control an airplane. My friend that has recently purchased a new graphics card just for Battlefield 3, even says that the airplane map is better than the subway map. So I imagine that the experience that I was given in the beta will only get better. In addition, there is a lot more variety in game modes and maps to break up the total consistency in the Beta. The only thing I regret is that my new computer I am building will not be available until November, so I will not be able to play Battlefield on release day sometime October.

The Beta is not without any bugs or problems. Occasionally the screen will turn grey and you cannot differentiate between many of the objects. However, this problem can easily be fixed if you pause the screen or if you die. If you do not include some rare graphical issues, the Beta and graphics are close to the top of many current video games. The physics of the guns, the characters, and the environment are top of the line and they really show off the new additions to the Frostbite 2.0 engine. In addition, as I said before I am playing on a console so you can expect even better graphics and effects on the pc version. One of the most annoying thing for when playing an fps is if the motion between aiming and not aiming is smooth. Some games fail at this aspect of aiming and it destroys the experience; Battlefield 3 is not one of them and really manages to pull the aiming aspect off. One thing I would have changed or added onto was the mapping and configuration system on the controller for Battlefield 3. The configuration system is split between the actual button and the thumb sticks. I would have like more button mapping options or customizable button mapping like on pc. In addition, in the default button mapping options I would have liked to see a picture of what the actual configurations are changing and what every button actually does, instead of having to test out each button in multiplayer. The default button mapping takes a little getting used to but I believe that once you master it you will have a more fluid control setup. However, it does not seem exactly as tight as Call of Duty, but it is not far off.

The level up system is one of the best in an fps, the selling point is that you can level up certain guns the more you use them and that the more you use a certain class the more things you unlock for it. This allows you to actually get things you desire based on what class you usually use and it does this without making you actually worry about an awful currency system. One of the best options for the guns and equipment is that even if you have unlocked all of the attachments and the additions you can still rank them up through levels, the level up system of the guns is extremely satisfying because it adds another excitement factor for every kill.

Since I have not been able to play with any vehicles I cannot comment on their factor inside gameplay or the difficulty in controlling them. However, I have realized that the first gadgets that you can get for the classes seem a little less destructive unlike the landmines and the airstrikes in bad company 2. The call aspect is a new addition to the battlefield series and based off of the use I feel its essentiality. The crawl feature is ideal for rushing and defending positions. Although, I believe there are a few more campers that are harder to find, I do believe that the crawl aspect is better than worse.

The spawn system of Battlefield 3 is pretty close to the spawn system in Bad Company 2. You have the option to either spawn in the spawn area or on your teammate. I believe that the spawn system on top of your teammate should be altered a little to stop you from spawning if you teammate is getting fired at or if there is an enemy near. On both sides of this spawn system there is bad consequences. If you are the enemy and you are attacking someone and someone spawns on their teammate it will give the enemy an unfair advantage against you. Also if spawn on someone and they are in a hot zone it is easy for you to get targeted in a foreign location and get spawn killed.

So this is my overview of the Battlefield 3 multiplayer Beta. I would love to see your comments on the topic and to get some questions about other aspects that I did not address in this article. Please share your opinions about the game so that I am not the only person’s opinion that has been introduced. I do have a video that contains a simple montage of the multiplayer which in essence is a montage that contains only pure in game sound and music instead of music synced with the gameplay. Also it does not include any video editing and just has raw edited together good footage in the middle of the action.

-Update- There is a lot more serious bugs that I have encountered, including an area on the map where you constantly fall through the ground and you can attack people above, or you just get stuck. I may make a video in the future showcasing this glitch.





-Update- The video showcasing the glitch.