Battlefield 3 Beta Impressions

Ever since it was revealed that Medal of Honor Limited Editions included an invitation to the Battlefield 3 beta, we’ve all been eagerly awaiting its arrival. Just shy of exactly one year from Medal of Honor’s release, limited edition owners are now finally given the opportunity to try out Battlefield 3’s multiplayer component before the game ships next month. Before the beta opens to the public, which will go live later today, let me give you an idea of what to expect.

The beta gives players access to one map and one mode. The map is Operation Metro and the mode is Rush. Those who have played past Battlefield titles don’t need an explanation of Rush, but I’ll outline the mode for newcomers. Rush is an objective-based mode with two teams: attackers and defenders. It is the attackers job to assault two locations (A and B) and destroy them while the defenders try to thwart that goal, obviously. If the attackers are successful in their attack, then two more objects appear (once again A and B) and the map extends forward to place all of the combatants into an entirely new area. It is not uncommon to enter three or four different areas while playing in Battlefield’s Rush mode. In the beta, you can expect to move from an outside environment full of trees and stone bridges then through a dark, broken-down subway station and finally back outside into a more urban setting including streets, cars and tall buildings. The best part about each area is that they can be completely destroyed thanks to the new Frostbite 2 engine.

Upon entering the first battle, many changes and new gameplay mechanics were noticeable. For starters, the game moves along much faster than the Bad Company series. The slow-moving, heavy feel of those two titles (and even 1943) has been replaced by quicker movement and more fluid actions. It seemed to match a pace more akin to DICE’s Medal of Honor multiplayer than that of Bad Company. Then you add in the improved animations to make a more visually pleasing experience that flows smoother and plays better.

Let’s focus on the weapons for a second. DICE definitely kicked it up a notch in this department. The weapons feel more diverse, they are customizable now and the animations for each have been enhanced visually. No longer will engineers be forced to have a silencer on their SCAR. Battlefield 3 lets players choose what types of attachments to add and there are 10 attachments for each primary weapon, all of which vary depending on the weapon. What this means is two different assault rifles may not share the exact same ten unlocks even though they are in the same category. It can sway your preferences over one weapon or another. Attachments like laser sights and tactical flashlights have tactical advantages that some may not be aware of yet. These two unlocks can be used to blind opponents allowing you to take advantage of your disoriented enemy. If you’re looking for other ways to hinder your opponents sight without flashing lights in their eyes, simply shoot in their direction. The new Suppression mechanic blurs the screen when bullets are flying by relatively close to the player. This is easily achieved by grabbing an LMG, setting up a bipod and firing away at oncoming enemies. Suppression points will be racking up quickly. It is this level of detail that makes Battlefield 3 stand out.

Assault and Support have switched roles somewhat this time around. Support has access to the Ammo Kit and Assault is now in charge of dishing out Medkits and reviving players with the Defibrillators. The change is a welcome one as this new setup makes much more sense when you think about it. But there’s something more here that I’d like to focus on, the Medic specifically. There were many times during Bad Company 2 when I was revived mid-firefight only to stand up into a hail of bullets from the opposing team. I’m sure it’s safe to assume that some of you shared this experience. Well, that won’t happen anymore because DICE has put you in control over your ability to be revived. When a Medic approaches you to bring you back to live, you are given two options on screen. One accepts the revive and the other sends you to the normal respawn screen. This may not mean much to some people, but there will be plenty of players in the future who will be happy/relieved to hear this. No longer will you be forced to rejoin a fight at the worst possible time. It’s up to you to make the call whether or not the situation is suitable for you to enter the battle again.

One of the largest changes, and one I’ve purposely saved for last, is that players can now go prone, a feature missing from previous Battlefield installments on consoles. While the action itself is simple, it alters gameplay significantly. I’m sure many remember being restricted to crouching while sniping while playing Bad Company 1 and 2 online. Being able to lie flat on the ground hiding amongst the brush while you line up your perfect shot (with a scope that sways now) aids in obtaining that true sniper feeling. The environments are built in such a way that they promote this style of play and have countless areas where players can remain hidden or protected from enemy fire thanks to various structures.

Backtracking to that small “a scope that sways now” comment, snipers now have to do with scope sway when taking their shots, but this isn’t their only obstacle they must overcome. This leads into my largest complaint about the beta at the moment. Snipers also have to worry about scope reflection. Scope reflection produces a flash from the scope that gives away a sniper’s position. This was put in place to counteract the addition of prone (although all classes can use this ability). However, it has been implemented poorly. Instead of seeing a quick flash every-so-often, the flash tends to remain fairly consistent. This leaves snipers at a horrible disadvantage as they must be constantly moving around to avoid giving off this ongoing reflection. And this reflection is by no means subtle. There might as well be one of the tactical flashlights mounted on the scope. It’s definitely very bright and shows up in extremely dim-lit areas, which really makes little sense. This is only a beta, however, and the point is to see what works and what doesn’t before release so that tweaks can be made. Let’s all hope that this is fixed so that the Recon class gets a fair shot like the rest.

The Battlefield 3 beta’s only other weak points are contained within a few glitches and some ugly textures. The glitches can range from not being able to leap over a low obstacle even though the animation is shown to falling through the map completely. That last one may sound like an issue worth noting and, yes, it is, but the beta overall is so well done and addicting that these blemishes are easily overlooked, especially since this isn’t the final product.

The Battlefield 3 beta will end October 10th and the game will release October 25th, a wait that feels even longer now.