About the game
Battlefield 3 is a 2011 first-person shooter developed by DICE and published by Electronic Arts. It is the twelfth installment in the Battlefield series and a sequel to Battlefield 2 (2005). It was released on Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in October 2011. The campaign follows two characters, Henry Blackburn, a U.S. Marine, and Dimitri Mayakovsky, a Spetsnaz GRU operative.
The game combines single player, co-op and multiplayer. It brings back fighter jets, the prone position and 64 player battles on PC, which the Bad Company games had dropped. To suit the lower player count on consoles, the ground area is smaller on Xbox 360 and PS3, though the flying space stays the same. Maps take place in Paris, Tehran and other parts of Iran, Sulaymaniyah in Iraq, New York City, Wake Island, Oman, Kuwait City and the Persian Gulf. Multiplayer has four roles, Assault, Support, Engineer and Recon, and modes that include Conquest, Rush, Squad Deathmatch, Squad Rush and Team Deathmatch. The co-op mode is online only, with no split screen.
The campaign starts in March 2014 with Blackburn's squad in Iraqi Kurdistan, then moves to an Iranian coup and an American invasion. The squad learns that an Iranian paramilitary group has Russian suitcase nukes, and the plot follows the hunt for them across Tehran, Paris and New York.
Development began in 2009 after Battlefield 1943. The game uses the Frostbite 2 engine, which can destroy buildings and scenery and handle dense urban areas, and an animation system called ANT that was already used in EA's sports games. The PC version was the lead platform at first, then the focus shifted to consoles midway through. The Xbox 360 version ships on two discs, while the PS3 version fits on one Blu-ray Disc. An open beta ran from 29 September to 10 October 2011.
It was revealed on 3 February 2011 and released in North America on 25 October 2011, in Australia on 27 October and in Europe on 28 October. New console copies came with an online pass for multiplayer. Used copies needed a separate pass or a 48 hour trial. Five DLC packs followed, Back to Karkand, Close Quarters, Armored Kill, Aftermath and End Game. On PS3 the Back to Karkand pack arrived a week before the other platforms, and the later packs reached PS3 Premium members first. The PS3 and Xbox 360 versions were delisted from their stores on 31 July 2024 and the online servers closed on 7 November 2024.
Reviews were mostly positive. Critics praised the multiplayer and the graphics and were less kind to the campaign and co-op modes. Metacritic lists the PS3 version at 85 out of 100. EA said it sold 5 million copies in its first week, its fastest selling game up to then, and 15 million by June 2012. It was the fourth best selling game of 2011 in the United States. The sequel, Battlefield 4, followed in 2013.
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What critics said
Metacritic 85 out of 100 from 38 reviews (PS3). Individual reviews: IGN 9/10, GameSpot 8.5/10, Eurogamer 8/10, Joystiq 4.5/5.
Extra content
Five paid map packs followed the game, and they only mattered for online play. The game was delisted from the PS3 store on 31 July 2024.
- Back to Karkand: Four maps remade from Battlefield 2 (Strike at Karkand, Gulf of Oman, Wake Island, Sharqi Peninsula), new weapons and vehicles. PS3 got it a week before Xbox 360 and PC. Free with the Limited Edition.
- Close Quarters: Four infantry maps, ten weapons, HD Destruction and the Conquest Domination mode.
- Armored Kill: Tanks, ATVs, mobile artillery, vehicle maps and the biggest map in the series. PS3 Premium members first; non-Premium PS3 players from 2012-09-25.
- Aftermath: New maps and a crossbow with custom scopes and bolts. PS3 Premium members first; non-Premium PS3 players from 2012-12-11.
- End Game: Final expansion, developed with Visceral Games. PS3 Premium members first; non-Premium PS3 players from 2013-03-19.
Good to know
- The PS3 version fits on one Blu-ray Disc, while the Xbox 360 version ships on two discs.
- At E3 2011 Sony said PS3 copies would come with a free Battlefield 1943. That did not happen at launch, and EA first offered timed-exclusive DLC instead. It later gave PS3 owners a free download of Battlefield 1943.
- New copies carry a single-use online pass for multiplayer. Used copies needed a separately bought pass or a 48 hour trial.
- Back to Karkand came to PS3 a week before the other platforms, and the later packs reached PS3 Premium members first.
- Iran banned the sale of the game because of how it shows Iranian locations.
- The Physical Warfare Pack was meant to be a pre-order exclusive. After fans complained, EA made it free to everyone later in 2011.
- Online play ended on 7 November 2024, so the multiplayer and co-op trophies can no longer be earned on a stock console.
Made by
Director Tom Keegan, Producer Aleksander Grøndal, Producer Lo Wallmo, Writer David Goldfarb, Writer Adrian Vershinin, Composer Johan Skugge, Composer Jukka Rintamäki.
