Frequently just passable but occasionally brilliant, Battlefield 3 is an awe-inspiring albeit inconsistent experience.
+ Immersive and intense multiplayer action
+ Wide variety of experiences
+ Squad mechanics are better than ever
- Gunplay feels loose and imprecise
- Environmental detail can obscure targets
- Online backend is a bit iffy
Everything about Battlefield 3 has a split personality. The shooting mechanics, the online server browser, the visuals, the function of vehicles - none of them are bad, mediocre, or superb with any sort of of consistency. They instead occupy this strange quantum state in which they all rapidly fluctuate between being the best thing to happen to gaming and something pulled out of a bargain bin or your worst nightmares. As a result, Battlefield 3 is nothing if not inconsistent. When the stars align just so, it feels absolutely perfect. However, a lot of what could have been great about the game ends up being just above average. It's a great deal of fun, but with no shortage of frustration and disappointment.
The first stop in the Hall of Disparities would be the single- and multiplayer components. The former is a forgettable and frequently on-rails budget shooter that borrows Modern Warfare's insufferable machismo without any of the fun. You spend almost all of your time with your AI squad going through the motions as you unravel a useless story. It's a short and derivative exercise that adds no real value to the package.
So let's get to the multiplayer, which fares far more favorably, but with some major caveats. Firstly, you'll need to navigate through EA's unsavory Origin service and the even more off-putting Battlelog, which is a webpage that entirely replaces the in-game server browser. Battlelog features great stats management and server filters, and is actually a cool little feature once you get over the initial shock. However, you're consequently unable to open the BF3 client on its own to do things like change settings or weapon loadouts, so you need to do all of that in-game, which means you're leaving your team and your squad desperately waiting for you to get back in to the fight.
And need you they will, for the multiplayer action in BF3 marks the return of the squad mechanic from Bad Company 2, and it is better than ever. Spawning on squadmates, mixing loadouts and specializations, and communicating with your squad (be it over voice, simple attack/defend commands, or a somewhat intrusive text chat screen) are all both necessary and easy to manage. Finding a squad that works well together really brings out the best in BF3. Of course, all of this codependence can backfire if you find yourself with a dud of a squad or team, as one-man-army shenanigans aren't as successful here as they are in other shooters.
And part of that may simply have to do with the fact that even though there have been many Battlefield games and many improvements since the original Battlefield 1942, the gunplay can still feel a bit vague. Hit detection can still be a bit spotty, and even on "hardcore" mode, enemies can sometimes take more of a beating than seems reasonable. It's better than it was with BF1942, in which the guns just straight up didn't work, but it's frustrating to see that a game that has such incredible production doesn't always have the shooting satisfaction to match.
However, the atmosphere can almost compensate, at least when it isn't getting in the way. The game looks incredible, movement is responsive and exciting, and there is always something happening on the field. The combination of tension and chaos favor a sort of cautious aggression - if the Call of Duty series is akin to charging in guns akimbo, Battlefield 3 is a carefully timed and executed door breach. If the chunks of what used to be a brick wall flying at you don't immerse you and convince you to find cover and use your head, then the gray-out effect from the new suppression mechanic or the callout of an enemy throwing a grenade just might. You could pretty much turn any thirty seconds of gameplay footage into the best action movie trailer ever; the atmosphere just feels right. Unfortunately, the detail can sometimes get in the way, as an endless stream of blown paper or dust can make it hard to navigate the map or find targets. It's a nice touch, but when combined with the imprecise gunplay it can sometimes make you feel a bit out of control or helpless.
The use of vehicles is similarly a mixed bag. Using a plane or helicopter tends to pull you away from the incredible atmosphere on the ground, and tanks respawn a bit too quickly considering their raw power. Personally, I find the vehicles to add more chaos than fun, and prefer the straight infantry matches. The same can be said of the game's supported 64-player scale. While its nice to have that type of play supported, it tends to exacerbate the lack of control that the loose shooting and obfuscating visuals introduce.
And that feeling of being not always fully in control is ultimately what makes Battlefield 3 oscillate between brilliance and mediocrity. For every "oh-snap" incredible bit of gameplay there's a span where you'll spawn in front of an enemy rocket five times in a row. For every satisfying headshot there's the time that the bullets just don't seem to go anywhere near your crosshairs. It's a world of valleys and peaks in Battlefield 3, but that at the very least means you can find at least a few things to really love about it, and more than enough of those jaw-dropping moments that you wish you could have on tape to show your friends.