Battlefield 3 Beta

I've been quite busy for the past week.  Yes, sure, I was working, but I was also wrapped up with something else: the Battlefield 3 Beta.

As a fan going all the way back to beginning of the Battlefield series with Battlefield 1942, I never miss a new Battlefield game.  My favorites before today would have had to be Battlefield 2 for it's team-based gameplay and command structure; and Bad Company 2 for the graphics and Frostbite Engine.  Well, Battlefield 3 appears to be a combination of the 2 games with a strong lean towards Bad Company 2.

Gone is the commander mode, which I mourn with great sadness.  Squad management lives on (to be much improved in the final release), and the new iteration of the Frostbite Engine (2.0) is absolutely stunning.  With up to 64 players, we are in for some epic battles.

The beta had some fun glitches, fixed for retail release. I won't forget you, Long Neck.

The two maps I've played so far were Operation Metro and Caspian Border.  Operation Metro, which is a Rush map, where you must blow up M-COM stations to move forward, while the other team must stop you from doing so, is a spectacular map played with up to 32 players.  Starting outside in a park-like open environment, then moving underground into a subway station, and eventually ending up in an urban environment, it takes you through the some of what BF3 has to offer.  No vehicles on this map, so it has more of a Call of Duty feel, which many players speculated was to attract (see: steal) potential Modern Warfare 3 players.  I love this map.

Caspian Border is your traditional Battlefield map, playing in Conquest mode (capture the flag) with up to 64 players.  This map has jets, helicopters, tanks, and jeeps...this is the Battlefield people know and love.  Slamming C4-laden jeeps into tanks in a suicide bomber fashion, shooting down jets with Stinger missles, rolling into capture points with your squad and leveling the place; this is what this game is all about.  And it's wonderful.

I have already preordered my copy from Origin, although I would have preferred Steam (which may or may not be available at the time of release).  The game is a must have for anyone who wants to play an online multiplayer shooter, and IMO, has surpassed the CoD series by leaps and bounds.

Check out this video of the Grand Bazaar map (for the retail release) with developer commentary: