Oh ho.Is time for the best blockbuster of the year
Much has been made about the graphics, so I'm going to spend a little extra time on this category. There's no doubt that it's one of the best looking games of the generation; the lighting is superb, the particle effects and intricate details are extremely impressive, and the atmosphere really is second-to-none. That Frostbite 2.0 engine is an absolute beast. It provides us with an invigorating, white-knuckle military atmosphere that keeps us rooted to the spot, wondering what's going to happen next. In truth, you really shouldn't be disappointed.
But let's talk expectations for a minute. This is not the PC footage we saw, and it's obvious. There's more pop-in than I had anticipated, and the PS3 version definitely has some screen-tearing issues. While the textures are arguably better than RAGE, and the latter also suffered from plenty of pop-in, id Software's product felt more like a refined painting in which we reveled at the extreme sophistication. DICE's production is beautiful as well but with so much going on, we're often forced to notice those small console drawbacks. This is still awfully pretty, though.
The audio is a definite highlight, even more so than the visual presentation, in my opinion. The satisfying, crystal-clear crack of your weapon – bolstered by the very distinct sound of each weapon type – and the whiz and crunch of bullets is fantastic. The cries of your allies, ranging from whispered orders to panicked yells, is very realistic, and the soundtrack rocks. The latter is a tad repetitive, though, and the enemy dialogue isn't as accomplished as the ally voice work. That being said, you definitely want surround sound or a good headset for this bad boy.
With such a mammoth title, I was looking for two things: an excellent campaign that leaves me breathless and the robust, singular multiplayer experience that is undoubtedly the primary reason most gamers are forking over their cash. For the latter, I think DICE has succeeded beautifully with a few small exceptions and for the former, I maintain that it's a worthy campaign and one well worth playing. However, it just didn't reach that pinnacle of single-player action I wholeheartedly expected.