by Susan, HSM team writer

“Dollars and guns are no substitutes for brains and willpower” – Dwight David Eisenhower

 Re-creation of chat/voice/text log on Battlefield 3:

SpeedRacer1955: ” What the hell..he must be using a PC to play this game.. no one gets 27 and 0… I am so over this game..”

Olivia_Allin: “Oops, Sorry…”

Godzprototype: ” Hello ladies”

Jersquall: ” I just got knifed by Sue.”

Sue: ” Somebody take out TJ and Geo in that fricking tank, it’s ******* me off !!”

One Cheekyguy: “Hello ladies.”

TSFRJ: “Don’t blow up the trains.”

geomon19: ” Why do we have always have to play so freaking late at night?”

renegadesquad: Hello ladies.”

KLC_KILLER: “Take that *****!”

It goes on and on…

I have played many games, but there is something about Battlefield 3 that puts it on my all time greatest series ever played list — so far.

Initially, I  had no interest in playing this game. I was busy playing Modern Warfare. I was a third-party merchandising representative for Activision. When Modern Warfare 3 came out, I was the Event Coordinator at the Best Buy midnight release party. It was all set up in their Home Theater room. It was pretty impressive, I thought. So I had some interest in staying with the brand. But then Olivia kept pushing me to the Battlefield franchise, and I haven’t looked back since.

I started getting into this type of video game (FPS) back in the late 90’s when Medal of Honor came out. The game I started with was called Rising Sun, I believe. It was also the first time I had played an online game. I had a hard time putting down the controller, and would spend hours endlessly looking for an online match, even if it was one-on-one. I continued on with the series, but eventually Call of Duty came along. Modern Warfare 1 & 2 were awesome. Black Ops, spectacular. I couldn’t get enough. Olivia and I would spend a lot of time playing these games until our fingers were sore.

So I bit the bullet (pun intended) and purchased Battlefield 2. I read the reviews, saw the video game trailers, and to be honest was ready to be disappointed. People kept saying how the maps were so big, it takes forever to get across them and how the gameplay was just basically a free for all. Spawn, get shot, die, spawn, get shot, maybe escape only to die again quickly.

But let me digress for a second.

That talk reminded me of Black Ops game play, minus the people who were “boosting”. Boosting is where two people would go and hide somewhere, kill each other, spawn over and over on each other to the point of then nuking the game and ending it quickly while they had a 50 and 0 score or something stupid like that. Bad enough people use lags switches to attempt to modify they game experience. Those people, if caught, should face a firing squad in the lobby and be banned forever.

I started playing Battlefield 2 and was instantly hooked. It took me a while to adapt to the different controller functions from Black Ops.  I kept squatting when I wanted to knife someone, and I kept throwing a grenade when I wanted to zoom in with a rifle scope. To this day it still messes me up, so I had to make a choice which game to play for a while.

I initially started in the game with the campaign mode. I figured that if I can learn the layout of the maps at the campaign level, then the on-line would be a little easier to figure out. I managed to breeze through the game at the “easy” level, so why not try the top level? Bad idea! Not only would I not survive two minutes, but I would be lucky if I could even get a shot off.

So it was time to venture into the online multi-player aspect of this game — which is why I had purchased it in the first place.

Battlefield 2 is a FPS type game, and was very similar to Black Ops in respect to game play, minus the previously stated issues I had with the controller adaptation. I thought the graphics were better in detail, and that the sound effects were more realistic than Call of Duty. The bullet drop effect made it so you really had to plan out those long shots. When Vietnam was available as an add-on, it was like I reliving  the past. Even the game music was something that I could enjoy, not some screaming metal crap. I camped out in a patrol boat and pretty much wasted everyone I saw running around from almost 300 yards away. Getting into a Huey and flying around was more fun than a person should be allowed to have.

Then came Battlefield 3. And yes, I did pre-order it.

I COULD FLY A PLANE !! That is what I love to do in video games such as these, and I had high expectations for this. It was the first thing I did. Actually the first thing I did was turn on the surround sound and make sure the bass mode was on full. I pushed  the throttle wide open and engaged the afterburners, and I was off into the air — then into a mountain side. I apparently needed to invert the flight controls. Everyone wanted to be in a plane, so it took a while to get back in one, but in the meantime I got to explore the battlefield and check out my weapons. I did buy the add-ons for weapons and such for my soldier. If I am going into war, I am going to be ready for it. My trusty shotgun did what I was hoping, which was decimate the enemy. The tanks were taking out buildings. The four-wheel ATVs were too addicting. I could parachute down and land in some high-rise and get those sniper skills down. I gotta say, that bullet drop really makes it realistic in attempting to pick off someone at 600 yards.

EA continued to develop the series with a lot of bonus packs — Close Quarters, Armored Kill, Aftermath. Each one having a unique play on the game of war, and each one more exciting than the previous. After almost a year of the game being on the market they released the expansion pack, End Game. This game included four new maps, new game modes such as capture the flag, new vehicles  such as motorcycles, APC’s from a C-130 drop ship, and of course, another attempt at Air Superiority. This time they have fixed the issue of you being stranded so far away from the action. When you join this game, you are spawned in airplane and cannot eject. The first time I joined this game what came to mind was the all time great movie, Top Gun. When Maverick saw all those planes in a dog fight and almost crapped his pants, that’s how I felt.

Flying around the blimps really helps you get acquainted with flight controls of a plane if you did not know how to before. You need to master “S” moves and other aerial combat evasive and offensive maneuvers. Power into a turn and hit the brakes, and then more power and then more brakes will have you almost turning on a dime when you need to so you can get that hotshot off your tail before he flames your okole. Don’t rely on your missiles, and really attempt to get the hang of using your gun.   Maybe a flight school of sorts would be a nice addition.

A couple things I wasn’t liking but deal with are the limited visibility while in the cockpit and too many damn planes. Just as in a racing game I use the view from inside the car and do the same in a plane — I want that real life experience while sitting on my couch. I was limited to how I could look around, and that forced me to change my view constantly. I have enough problems trying not to fly into the ground, let alone having to change my view all the time.

The other is an issue I have with the game in general, and one I didn’t with the Call of Duty games — one-on-one mode. I cannot create a match that lets me start the game with just two people. The lowest so far has been four people. Olivia and I would spend hours shooting each other in *BLOPS (Black Ops) but are unable to in this current version of Battlefield 3.

Overall this game provides those “holy **** did you just see that!” game moments that totally catch you by surprise. What other game can you eject out of your plane, RPG the enemy tailing you in parachute mode and then soar back into your own plane and slam the afterburners to full open and save the day? Can I get a Hooyah! I see BF3 as a players’ game, and giving them the place to inspire such action. Fun is a little word that is often misused as a platitude, but it is why I keep coming back to this game — actually it’s more like it is why I cannot stop playing, and to be honest, I have gone for a personal record of 16 hours in game. No Shame.

You can view plenty of game-play footage and how-to videos all over the Internet. If you have a Facebook or Twitter account, I recommend you follow or like them. They have always been expeditious in their responses to issues from the community. Create your account on battlelog.battlefield.com and join in with a group of people who enjoy this game so much. You may also get three different Battlefield t-shirts on Playstation Home for your avatar. As Commander of the squad GSG-( Get Some Gang) and to use an EA slogan- “…Get in the game”, I will see you on the Battlefield, and it’s not personal when I sneak up behind you and remind you that being a camper never pays.

Aloha and Ahiu Ho — Sue

P.S. Battlefield 4 is coming out soon. Pre-order to get into the beta.

Battlefield YouTube channel

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2 Responses to “Review of Battlefield 3: End Game”

1. Jersquall says:

   June 23, 2013 at 8:17 am

   I had spent every summer the last 4 years playing some Battlefield with you crazy butts. Speedracer has always been the glue. Would think so the way he cursed the polygons from 1941- BFBC2-BF3. He loved every damn minute of it lol.
   So did I.
   summer time.

   Reply
2. KLCgame says:

   June 23, 2013 at 6:46 pm

   Glad to see the summing up of an average night playing BF3 at the top, Great job Sue.

   Reply