Battlefield 3 releases in a few hours, and the review have started trickling in, with a lot of positive scores, high praise for the multiplayer but disappointing remarks about the single player campaign. Still, the game looks great, and the reviews do too. We’ve compiled all the reviews we’ve come across so far here.
Eurogamer Spain- 10/10
“Fresh and with plenty of personality, Battlefield 3 not only avoids Modern Warfare’s shadow but raises itself as the new king of the genre.”
GameSpy- 10/10
“For PC gamers at least, the decision by Dice to lead on our beloved platform has resulted in a game that delivers a truly next-generation feel. BF3 is an absolutely massive experience, but it’s the explosive multiplayer mode that makes this the must-have FPS of the year. There’s simply no other shooter that lets you wage war on a scale this huge, but even better is the infinite number of satisfying ways to lay the hurt down on your opponents.”
AusGamers- 9.8/10
“There’s certainly room for improvement, but there’s no denying that so many different aspects of the first person shooter experience being dished out here are best-in-class. The multiplayer component alone is more than worth the price of admission and the solo campaign and cooperative offerings thankfully bring more to the table than they detract. With Battlefield 3, DICE have at long last raised the bar of PC gaming above the long-held bottleneck of console-parity, to bring us a game that’s finally worth upgrading for and I dare say it carries with it a potential for a renaissance of the PC first person shooter.”
Meristation- 9.5/10
“Battlefield 3 offers one of the best multiplayer modes out there. The Frostbite 2 engine is capable of amazing things in order to show the most realistic war we’ve seen to date. Its only flaws are an extremely short campaign and a co-op mode that could have been much better.”
Game Informer- 9.5/10
“Multiplayer maintains the high level of quality DICE is known for, and the campaign is the best in franchise history. Outside of the annoying Battlelog and a tacked-on, uninspired co-op mode consisting of six short standalone missions, the only downside to Battlefield 3 is the lack of substantial changes to the multiplayer formula. However, that shouldn’t stop longtime fans and newcomers from enjoying one of the best FPS experiences in gaming.”
BigPong GameArena- 9.5/10
“It’s pretty easy when it comes down to it. If you’re looking for an offline experience, look elsewhere. Battlefield 3 has a decent singleplayer – it’s certainly better than some other games I’ve played recently – but it’s not mind-blowing. If it’s the best multiplayer game in the world that you’re after, get your affairs in order. You’re re-enlisting soldier.”
SpazioGames- 9.3/10
“The true strenght of DICE’s new title is its multiplayer component: massive battles, vehicles, destruction and an exceptional overall polish of Frostbite 2 offer an incredible piece of entertainment and raise the bar for online competition. Coop mode is also enjoyable, although it won’t last long: good to have an afternoon’s worth of fun with a friend, it makes you wonder why the whole campaign hasn’t been made available for this kind of cooperation. As for the campaign itself, it’s mostly playable, but still the weakest part: too much Call of Duty style, desperately linear and sometimes too slow, it doesn’t add anything new to the genre.”
3DJuegos- 9.3/10
“Maybe Battlefield 3’s off-line side is a little bit irregular, but its multiplayer options and amazing graphics justify the necessary upgrade of our computers. Those players looking for a game full of innovation will be disenchanted; however if you’re looking for an amazing competitive on-line experience, this is it.”
CVG- 9.2/10
“Battlefield 3 then, from a campaign perspective, delivers the goods and then some. It’s not perfect, but it’s bloody close… infinitely more impressive than Bad Company 2 and irrefutable proof that DICE have now firmly stepped into the hallowed ranks of the absolute top-tier developers. COD or not, this deserves a place in your collection – not to mention a place in your heart.”
Game Trailers- 9.2/10
“It features a stellar multiplayer suite with practically limitless replay value and a mostly forgettable campaign. The coop missions are a nice addition, and to be fair, the single-player is the best in series history, but it still falls short of its contemporaries. Online warfare is intricate and rewarding, but it also presents a learning curve and a strong reliance on team coordination.”
Everyeye.it- 9.2/10
“This is war. This is what we FPS fans have longed for for years.”
1UP- 9.1/10
“Battlefield 3 is a game that’s informed, not bound, by both its predecessors and its competition. It takes what made the series great in earlier games and marries it to the innovations from more recent BF titles. The single-player and co-op campaigns both have their issues, but the multiplayer component is worth the price of entry alone.”
IGN- 9/10
“DICE’s adoration of and expertise with the online experience permeates every aspect of its multiplayer. Regardless of the narrative missteps or the occasional glitches, Battlefield 3 offers an unforgettable, world-class multiplayer suite that’s sure to excite shooter fans, whether they fired their first bullet in Battlefield 1942 or have just now heeded Battlefield’s call of duty.”
Joystiq- 9/10
“If solo play is your primary motivator, then it’s hard to recommend Battlefield 3 as anything more than an audio-visual treat. The times where Battlefield 3 does its damnedest to go toe-to-toe with Call of Duty are the times it stumbles the hardest. But when DICE is doing what it’s always done best, Battlefield 3 is a uniquely mesmerizing multiplayer game with a seemingly endless number of ways to feel like a success. It’s not revolutionary, but it’s the best Battlefield game, and that’s saying a lot.”
Planet Xbox 360- 8.8/10
“Battlefield 3 may not be the absolute powerhouse I desired; as it still suffers from some irritating glitches and a mediocre campaign. If you’re not going online, there really isn’t enough to recommend this game. The multiplayer stands as a game on its own and is the absolute reason to pick up Battlefield 3 ASAP. If it isn’t all the unlockables that keeps you playing month after month, it will certainly be the exposure to a massive online shooter that creates a different experience with every match.”
Gamereactor Sweden- 8/10
“Battlefield 3 is almost two games in one. We get a six hour campaign without any surprises, but we also get the probably best multiplayer of 2011. If you’re looking for the latter, look no further than Battlefield 3.”
METACRITIC: PC-93 (based on 16 reviews)
We’ll keep updating this page as more reviews hit the net. Keep checking back, and if we’ve missed any reviews, let us know in your comments. Our own review of Uncharted 3 will be up soon, so keep checking back to read that as well. Stay tuned.