Battlefield 3 has been given its fair share of hype, especially because of the marketing war with Activision’s golden goose Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. In the end, what we’re left with is the same game we’ve been playing for half a decade. The campaign is short, dull and pointless; the developers clearly put the story on the backburner. There are a few cinematic moments, but it’s what you can expect from a game in this genre. The multiplayer is where Battlefield 3 shines—and in some ways exceeds—the competition. Playable vehicles bring an extra element to online matches and teams have to work together instead of just running around and shooting whatever moves. It’s addictive for awhile, but there’s nothing that makes Battlefield much of an upgrade. The modern shooter wars will end with no victors, except the game publishers, rolling in money.
This article appears in Nov 24-30, 2011.