Battlefield 3

Battlefield 3, a game that got a lot of people excited. Now if I am to be honest with you guys, I have to tell you that I have been playing for just over a year now. So maybe not quite 20 minutes but I haven't changed my opinions much since.

The Campaign
Unlike it's predecessors, Battlefield Bad Company and Bad Company 2 (I must add here the stories and characters of these two games were discontinued for Battlefield 3) The game is much more serious. not from gameplay but from writing. The quirkiness of the characters which made the Bad  game so entertaining. What we are left with is a Die Hard game. Having said this the campaign is definitely simply the precursor to the multiplayer. It did have it's moments, however if you tried (even a little) to do the mission your own way you would most likely end up dead in a matter of seconds. You definitely can notice that it is only an entrée to the online meal. If after 20 minutes of campaign I had to choose to keep or drop, I would drop.

The Multiplayer
The Multiplayer of this game benefits strongly from the nearly complete destruction (especially the ability to bring down an entire house on your opponents) and the dust effects (which in my mind are insane) aswell as the sound quality and depth really emerse you into the game. As far as customization goes Battlefield 3 leaves little room for want. With four different classes each with unique items (ie Defibrillator for the Medic) and weapons takes the game away from the excessive freedom of Call of Duty and puts you into a slight RPG type game where you must choose if you want to heal or resupply your team (only two examples). On top of all this, yeah I know there is even more there are none class specific handguns and shotguns to add to the carnage. To top off your character you can choose a "specialisation" which gives your character a perk ie. sprint or suppression (your vision becomes less blury when shot at). There is even more on top of all this there is an arsenal of vehicles at your disposal. From tanks to attack-choppers to humvees to transport-choppers to speed-boats and even jets, yes you can fly a jet and have dog fights above while your team pilots a helicopter around you and a tank below. It gets pretty messy sometimes but in the right setting, gametype and map it just feels so right! The multiplayer also allows for co-op missions, I have yet to test these as no one I know owns the game. If after 20 minutes of multiplayer I had to choose to keep or drop, I would keep.

Overall
If you don't play online don't get this game. It's as simple as that. The campaign is short and mediocre at best. The multiplayer, however, makes up for what the game fails to deliver in the campaign. The game heavily rewards teamplay do if you are more a lone gun, titles like "World at War" or "Modern Warfare" might suit you better.