Battlefield 3 Beta

I have seen the future of war... and it is beautiful!!!

The beta has finally hit the store, and after a few hours of playing, the game is shaping up to be exactly what most of us expected... for it being a beta. The haters will in fact hate, but keep in mind this is one mode, one map, and it is one of the smallest maps that focuses on infantry rather than the "typical" Battlefield-style maps and play. I assume this is to try to lure some of the console players away from the CoD upcoming release, but let's not speculate on this topic and move on.

There are a few inherent issues with the BF3 beta for the PS3 and consoles in general. First, there are no vehicles... and that is due mainly to the fact that the map chosen is "too small" for vehicles. Whether or not you believe this is a completely different ball of wax than how the game plays. The animations are for the most part smooth, and the textures are like nothing I have seen before. From the "hurdling" animation to the way the recently killed fall to the ground and twitch, the game 

This map focuses entirely on infantry, so it plays almost exactly to the Call of Duty games. This is not a bad thing, and the maps show off a number of technical and strategic advances. You start the board out in a park that sits outside of a subway terminal. It is completely open, with lush gazebos and foliage for you to crawl through and hide in. Once the two sets of M-Comm stations have been destroyed the battle moves into the subway, whose entrances have been razed by warfare and explosives. As you crawl and run through the rubble, you find yourself in a dark and poorly lit subway. As you creep up, you see scaffolding and a number of barriers that seem right at home. Beautiful lighting with flickering fluorescent lights line the cars... it feels like you are there, and the echoes that come from deep within are even more-so impressive once the two teams engage. 

As you enter the subway, you hear the clap of sniper fire. The clap and whizzing of the bullets is something that I have not experienced in this manner. The echo of the clap resonates throughout the tunnel and the bullet sounds as if it nearly took your ear off. The great thing about this map is it showcases how prone should be used. You are able to advance among the rubble and waist-height cover to get close enough to take out the snipers you would normally not have a chance at killing with an SMG or assault rifle. If you are not into the "open area fire fights" there are plenty of corridors for you to engage the enemy in. These are just as strategic, and require patience and teamwork to get the best of your enemy. I was hiding behind a wall that was blown up by an RPG, throwing me to the ground... and that was when I realized this game was going to be something special. You could see the water pipes to the bathrooms in the next room still there, and there was rubble spread everywhere around the explosion. I was then put down by the other 2 members of the RPGer's squad and commended them on their effort at my expense. 

All the praise above sounds great, but this is a beta and not without flaws. There are a few major bugs/issues that need to be fixed. First and foremost - there are glitches that allow players to hide below the floor when prone and continue to kill people. There is also an issue with the way you identify team members - they do not show up as "friendly" until you aim down your sights or put your crosshairs over them. While not a really big issue, this results in a lot of friendly fire and/or constant reliance on the radar. These are all minor things that will be discovered and/or fixed in the next few weeks. They have already been reported on the boards and DICE has noted they will be better in the final release. 

Let's just hope that DICE is able to iron out these issues and give us the polish that we deserve and expect from them upon release on October 25, the day my life may officially digress into an online cesspool of wins, losses, KDR, and trying to obtain all the unlocks DICE plans to provide us. Until then my friends, stay frosty!!!