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Battlefield 3

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"BF3" redirects here. For the chemical compound, see Boron trifluoride.
Battlefield 3
Cover art of Battlefield 3
Developer(s)EA Digital Illusions CE
Publisher(s)Electronic Arts
Sega (Japan)[2]
SeriesBattlefield
EngineFrostbite 2[3]
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
PlayStation 3
Xbox 360
iOS
Genre(s)First-person shooter
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Battlefield 3 (commonly abbreviated to BF3) is a first-person shooter action video game developed by EA Digital Illusions CE and published by Electronic Arts. The game was released in the USA on October 25, 2011 on Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360[4] and EA Mobile confirmed a port for the iOS platform. It does not support versions of Windows prior to Windows Vista.[5] It is a direct sequel to 2005's Battlefield 2, and the eleventh installment in the Battlefield franchise. The PC release is exclusive to EA's Origin platform.[6]

Gameplay

File:Battlefield 3 trailer still.jpg
A US Marine readies an AT4 anti-tank weapon in a Middle Eastern city, protected by his squad.

Battlefield 3 features the maximalist combined arms battles that made the series popular across single-player, co-operative and multiplayer modes. It reintroduces several elements absent from the Bad Company games, including fighter jets, the prone position and 64-player battles on PC.[7][8] To accommodate the lower player count on consoles, the ground area will be limited for Xbox 360 and PS3, though fly space will remain the same.[9]

During an interview with Game Informer Magazine, EA stated that Commander Mode is unlikely to be included,[10] which was met with some criticism on the EA forum.[11]

The game features maps set in Paris, Tehran, Sarajevo, Sulaymaniyah, New York, Wake Island and Oman.[citation needed] As a whole, combat takes place in urban streets, metropolitan downtown areas, and open landscapes suited to vehicle combat.[12]

Battlefield 3 introduces the "Battlelog"; a free cross-platform social service with built-in text messaging, voice communications (VOIP), game statistics, and the ability to join games that friends are already playing (though both players need to be on the same platform).[13]

Campaign

The campaign is set near the Iraq-Iran border, where the US Marine Corps are fighting the People's Liberation and Resistance (PLR).[14]

Players will be able to use vehicles during the campaign, but their use will be limited.[15]

Cooperative

A demo featuring the new co-op mode was featured at Gamescom 2011. DICE GM Karl Magnus Troedsson has confirmed that a split screen option will not be available in co-op mode.[16] Battlefield 3's new Battlelog social network, DICE noted, would be tied to all co-op matches, allowing players to try to beat friends' scores and to track their performance.[17]

Multiplayer

File:Bf3 caspianborder jets.jpg
Battlefield 3 reintroduces jet combat, which last appeared in Battlefield 2.

Battlefield 3's multiplayer matches see players take on one of four roles: Assault, Support, Engineer and Recon. The Assault class is able to equip themselves with defibrillators and medkits, as was the case in Battlefield 2142. The mechanics of the weapons have been changed to utilize the new engine: compatible weapons may have bipods attached which can then be deployed when in the prone position or near suitable scenery, and provide a significant boost to accuracy and recoil reduction. Suppressive fire from weapons blurs the vision and reduces the accuracy of those under fire. The Engineer class has been given a flashlight that can be used to blind other players.[18][19] The Recon class can put a radio beacon anywhere on the map and all squad members will be able to spawn on the location of the beacon.[20]

Several game modes have been announced, including Conquest, Rush, Squad Deathmatch, Squad Rush and for the first time since Battlefield 1942, Team Deathmatch.[21]

The PC version of Battlefield 3 does not feature a main menu; instead the game will be launched via a web browser from the Battlelog web site.[22] A server browser is present in console versions of the game, however.[23]

Synopsis

Characters

Staff Sergeant Henry 'Black' Blackburn
A member of the United States Marine Corps Force Reconnaissance.
Corporal Jonathan "Jono" Miller
Miller is a tank operator, taking part in operations against the PLR, before preparing to advance on what appears to be a burning city.[24]
Lieutenant Jennifer "Colby" Hawkins
Hawkins is an F/A-18 NFO (Naval Flight Officer) responsible for manning her aircraft's weapon systems while undergoing an airstrike operation in Tehran.
Dima
A Spetsnaz operative deployed in Paris to stop a nuclear threat.

Plot

Set in 2014,[25] SSgt Blackburn leads a five-man squad on a mission to locate, find and safely return a US squad investigating a possible chemical weapons site, whose last known position was a market controlled by a hostile militia called the PLR. Blackburn and his squad is later sent to Tehran to apprehend a high-value target named Al-Bashir. While investigating an underground vault in a local bank, Blackburn and his team learn that the PLR had access to Russian portable nuclear devices, and that two of the devices were missing. Being overrun and requesting for back-up, an M1 Abrams convoy led by Corporal Miller is deployed to extract Blackburn's team. Miller facilitates Blackburn's helicopter extraction, but is captured when waiting for a Quick Reaction Force. Miller is promptly executed by Solomon and Al-Bashir and recorded on a video file.

Meanwhile, Blackburn and his squad manage to get to a wounded Al-Bashir, who reveals Solomon's plot to detonate the missing nukes in Paris and New York. Blackburn's team also gets a lead on arms dealer Kaffarov, who was working with Solomon. Half of Blackburn's team is killed during an airstrike, while a Spetsnaz team led by Dima is also pursuing Kaffarov. Dima successfully interrogates Kaffarov, confirming Solomon's plot to Blackburn. To facilitate Dima's disappearance, Blackburn was forced to shoot his commanding officer operatives. As a result, Blackburn is captured and interrogated by agents within the Central Intelligence Agency and explains all of his previous operations in them in flashbacks. During Blackburn's capture, Dima attempts to stop the attack in Paris, but his team gets wounded in the resulting detonation.

Left with no other option, Blackburn and surviving squad member Montes break out of captivity to stop the attack in New York. Solomon shoots Montes, but Blackburn manages to kill Solomon in the resulting melee, as well as recovering the last nuclear device. Meanwhile, having been diagnosed with radiation poisoning, Dima writes a suicide note and attempts to shoot himself.

Development

System Requirements
Minimum Recommended
Microsoft Windows[26]
Operating system Windows Vista (Service Pack 2) 32-bitWindows 7 64-bit
CPU Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz or AMD Athlon X2 2.7 GHzIntel or AMD quad-core
Memory 2 GB RAM4 GB RAM
Free space 20 GB for disc version or 25 GB for online distributed version + 100MB for Origin Platform Installation
Graphics hardware NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT or ATi Radeon HD 3870NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 or AMD Radeon HD 6950
Sound hardware DirectX compliant Sound card
Network 1 Mbit/s broadband internet connection for Online play and Online registration and Activation

Battlefield 3's lead platform is the PC rather than a console.[8]

The Xbox 360 version of Battlefield 3 will be shipping on two discs due to the disc size limit.[27] However, the PS3 version of Battlefield 3 will be shipping on one Blu-ray Disc.

Battlefield 3 debuts the new Frostbite 2 engine. The updated Frostbite 2 engine can realistically portray the destruction of buildings and scenery to a greater extent than previous versions.[28] Unlike previous iterations, the new version will be able to support dense urban areas.[29]

Battlefield 3 uses a new type of character animation technology called ANT. ANT technology is used in EA Sports games such as FIFA, but will now be adapted to create a more realistic soldier, with the ability to transition into cover and turn their head before their body, as well as "drag fallen comrades into safety and mount weapons on almost any part of the terrain".[12][30]

Wii U version

On June 7, 2011, during Nintendo's E3 2011 press conference, John Riccitiello of EA games expressed his interest in Nintendo's upcoming system, the Wii U.[31] Patrick Liu, the executive producer of Battlefield 3 stated that EA DICE currently have no games in development for the Wii U and a port for the console "probably won't happen". [32]

Beta

The open beta commenced on September 29, 2011 for all platforms.[33] 48 hour early access was granted to those players who bought Medal of Honor: Tier 1 edition first-hand or pre-ordered the digital version of Battlefield 3: Limited Edition on Origin.[34]

Marketing and Release

EA CEO John Riccitiello stated that Battlefield 3 is aimed at competing with the Call of Duty series. "This November, we're launching Battlefield 3. It's going up against the next Call of Duty, which is presently the #1 game in the game industry," he said. "A game that last year did $400 million in revenue on day one. Battlefield 3 is designed to take that game down." EA is planning on spending over $100 million on a marketing campaign for Battlefield 3.[35] Battlefield 3 was revealed on February 3, 2011 by GameInformer magazine. A month of GameInformer coverage included information on building the game and interviews with DICE, as well as three trailers: a teaser and the first two parts in a series of gameplay from the level "Fault Line".[36] Several other trailers have been released, showing different aspects of the game, including both single and multiplayer, as well as emphasising the new engine.[37] On August 16, 2011 co-op gameplay and a "Caspian Border Multiplayer Gameplay Trailer" were shown at Gamescom 2011 showing the co-op mode and the first footage of air combat, respectively.[17] Trailer releases have also gained considerable momentum in the week before the release of the game internationally. EA and DICE have release a multiplayer trailer which shows the variety of maps available in multiplayer, with short scenes of actual gameplay. It also features shots of a map that is included in the "Back to Karkland" DLC.[38] EA and DICE have also released an official launch trailer, showing off the various missions in the Single Player Campaign of Battlefield 3. [39]

Electronic Arts' EA Games label, stated that Battlefield 3 is a "flat out superior" product to blockbuster FPS Call of Duty.[40][41] EA has also said it’s going on the "offense" in regards to its marketing on Battlefield 3, saying that it started its campaign early to establish a "beachhead."[42]

Pre-order promotion

File:BF3 Karkand Art.jpg
Strike at Karkand concept art.

All pre-orders of the Limited Edition will grant access to the "Back to Karkand" DLC pack, a reference to the "Strike at Karkand" map (a popular BF2 map), to include four maps and several weapons and vehicles brought over from Battlefield 2.[43] The maps from the expansion pack will be: Strike at Karkand, Gulf of Oman, Wake Island and Sharqi Peninsula. Pre-order at select retailers and Origin will include the "Physical Warfare Pack", granting access to time-based exclusive weapons and items, including a light machine gun, sniper rifle accessory, and armor-piercing ammunition. Also included is launch day access to the DAO-12 semi-automatic shotgun, which other players can unlock through game play.[44] Pre-ordering at select retailers will also provide the "SPECACT Kit Upgrade", the "Dog Tag Pack" and Battlefield 3 gear for the player's console avatar. Pre-ordering at Origin will give players a shotgun and beret for Battlefield Play4Free, and 48 hour early access to the Battlefield 3 beta.[34]

Originally the "Physical Warfare Pack" was to be exclusive to pre-orders, but fan reaction to this was negative, causing EA to clarify that it would be made available to all players for free later in the year.[45][46] All the content except the "Back to Karkand" pack will be available from day one. The release date for the pack has not yet been announced. On September 2, 2011, a trailer for the Physical Warfare Pack was released on YouTube showing all the content included within the pack in action in-game.[47]

Online Pass

To access the game's online multiplayer mode, players need to activate an Online Pass.[48] New copies of the game include one Online Pass for the original owner of the game to access the multiplayer. However, if a player buys a used copy they must purchase an Online Pass separately.[48] When asked why the developers implemented the pass system, game designer Alan Kertz replied, "because servers cost money, and used games don't make developers any money."[48]

Sales and revenue

According to EA, Battlefield 3 garnered 3 million pre-orders by the day of its release.[49]

Reception

Critical reception

Battlefield 3 has received critical acclaim, with a Metacritic score of 92 for the PC version, 83 for the Xbox 360 version and 87 for the Playstation 3 version. In their review IGN gave Battlefield 3 a score of 9.0 out of 10.0 for all platforms [64][65]. While praising the graphics and multiplayer, it criticized the campaign story and gameplay, citing "Its tale of global threats reads like twenty years of military fiction thrown in a blender and turned into a checklist... most levels feature a bottleneck where death hits out of the blue. Whether it's a grenade exploding without an indicator, a blast from an unseen enemy, or late-game quicktime event that introduces a new button." The review also criticized the glitches in the game engine.[62]

Joystiq also present their review of the PC version, awarding it a 4.5 out of 5 stars. Stating that the campaign was "tactically linear" and that the A.I. within the game were "murderously un-fun to fight". Complaints were also made to the multiplayer aspect, stating that destruction was less than expected: "It's not Bad Company 2, and levels won't start out intact and end looking like the surface of the moon the way they often did in that game." Although, they praised its multiplayer experience as "unmatched", stating that this should be the sole reason to buy the game.[63]

Gamespot gave Battlefield 3 a 8.5 out of 10 rating for the PC version. They praised the deep multiplayer mode, great variety of vehicles, many well-designed environments and a great reward system for team play. However, they criticized the campaign for being "dull and disappointing" and using a "familiar formula." The cooperative mode was viewed favorably; the only criticism on the cooperative missions was that "there aren't more of them to keep you busy." [59]

References

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