T3ME had exclusive access to test the upcoming Battlefield ahead of it's release date. Below were our impressions.

 
Call of Duty is the franchise you’ll hear being compared to Battlefield most often, but there’s actually a world of difference between them. Where Modern Warfare 3 is still, despite some gun and class tweaks, a game for people who like to fight alone, Battlefield 3 is all about team play.
 

Battlefield 3: Single player

The single player modes are probably where the two shooters come closest – the basic idea is to run in a straight line killing stuff – but there’s still plenty to set Battlefield 3 apart. As new mission Operation Guillotine commences, we’re just one among many US marines galloping down a slope in the face of a mortar bombardment. Squad mates are bowled over by blasts to left and right – we barely make it to the bottom unscathed.
 

Battlefield 3: Playstation 3 version

Huddled under a graffiti-covered wall, we’re ordered to fire off an illumination shell before getting a leg-up over into the battle raging beyond. Though noticeably not as handsome as the PC version, the PS3 build we’re playing impresses with huge amounts of on-screen action, great lighting and detailed character models.
 

Battlefield 3: Ravi Flanker

Flanking is crucial in Battlefield, so we sneak down the side of the river bank below the wall and catch a party of dug-in snipers unawares. We’re armed with a rifle, its IR scope easily penetrating the darkness, but there’s a grenade launcher to use against especially stubborn goons and a shotgun for that up-close-and-personal flourish. Later, a grenade flies into a sandbag nest and blows half-a-dozen men into our laps.
 

Battlefield 3: Up in smoke

Battlefield isn’t always this blisteringly loud - Operation Guillotine polishes off with a brief, tense trip through an apartment block, shotgun in hand to smoke people lurking in closets. At one point we’re about to breach a door only for an enemy to kick it outward, knocking us backward but also, luckily for us, jolting our trigger finger.
 

Battlefield 3: Exfiltration mission

The second mission, a two player episode called Exfiltration, also spends a lot of the time indoors. Armed with silenced pistols, we team up with a fellow Marine to surprise patrolling guards and take out security cameras before they can trigger reinforcements. There’s a defector to rescue on the top floor, after clearing out the stairwell next to it, and then it’s back to the streets to escort a convoy of Humvees.
 

Battlefield 3: Friend or enema

Switching to a sniper rifle, we pick off enemies firing from balconies and windows before jumping aboard a Humvee to man a turret. Things go south shortly after, as our co-op partner attempts to rig a door with explosives while we rain death at an army of insurgents. He’s knocked down, and as we try to revive him, we’re caught in the crossfire. Game over till October 28th then.
 

Battlefield 3: First thoughts

 
Battlefield 3 is a blast. It’s nothing tremendously new for a first-person shooter, but it has the guns, technical mastery and depth to overcome that lingering sense of familiarity. Fold in a fantastic-looking online multiplayer, and you’ve got a stainless steel autumn must-buy.
 

Battlefield 3 availability: Out end of October