Battlefield 3 (Limited Edition) (Xbox 360, 2011)

Battle Field 3 for Xbox 360 is the Best Multi-player game I have ever played. Well worth the purchase price of $44.00 with unused online multi-player code (for a used like new game). In fact it is well worth the $59.95 full price for a new game.

The Single player campaign is not as good as COD Modern Warfare 1, 2, or 3. Also the characters in BF3 spout the "F" word almost every other sentence. So I will have to admit I did not greatly enjoy the single player campaign. While it was a good single player game, for me the best part is the online multi-player features.

In online multi-player you can level up very well but it's not quick, that's good as you get more game time and earned items. You can spawn on any part of the map a team-mate is at, drive tanks, jeeps, helicopters (which i can fly well, but prefer to be a door gunner, or repair the chopper in flight), and fly jets (I generally crash quickly as I have yet to master the flying of jets).

I prefer the Engineer and support rolls as the engineer can repair vehicles and with upgrades has a javelin and stinger rocket. Support can upgrade with claymores, mortars, and passes out ammo. My nephews prefer to be snipers. And there are those that pass out med kits.

In conclusion: BF3 is the best game I have every player online multi-player, and is worth the price for that feature alone. However, if you do not play online? While it is good, I would only rate it 2-3 stars (my 5 star rating was for the multi-player online aspect.

Great game, absolutly loved the single player. Have spent alot of time on mulyiplayer and love everything except the problem with triing to earn kills with the planes. Imposible with the machine gun when enemy has guided missiles and flares and you have nothing. I can fly good and cant earn a kill before an enemy jet blows me out of air. Need to upgrade planes to start with missiles. Tanks and boats and helicoppters are awsome. Love the way you earn weapons and can apply your upgrades durring spawns. Once you earn the various weapon scope upgrades, they become way more accurate. Take the time to get scopes for all the new weapons you unlock. Biggest difference between the Battlefield series and the Call of duty is the vehicles in multiplayer. They add a major element to the ever evolving gameplay. Fantastic Game. Enjoy!!!! Twstdrob (xbox live)

AWESOME GAME. Completely different feel from Call of Duty, and in my opinion, a FAR better game. Many vehicles, weapons, and features make this game feel much more like an actual war battlefield and much more exciting. I own COD4, Modern Warfare 2, and Black Ops (and borrowed Modern Warfare 3 from a friend to decide whether I should buy it or not, but didn't enjoy it much at all). Had the same friend, who is a huge Call of Duty fan, come and try Battlefield 3 and he was very impressed. Call of Duty is more of an arcade-style faster-paced game (not saying it's bad or anything, I loved Call of Duty)and although I'm usually the fast-paced type of guy, the experience with Battlefield just doesn't compare with any other shooter game. If you still can't decide whether to buy this game or not, try borrowing it or at least look up some YouTube videos of the multiplayer gameplay.

MULTIPLAYER:

If you want to spend more time leveling than actually having fun, then this is the game for you. Why in the world does it takes 5-6 hours just to go up 2-3 levels??? It will take over 100 hours to unlock all the weapons and extras for each class. That coming from the company!!!! Who has 100 hours to unlock all the items for 1 class????? I like how in battle field 2 bad company you could use your xbox live points to buy all the weapons for a class right then. But no, in Battlefield 3 you actually have to spend hours, upon hours, to unlock a certain weapon or item. Then other problem with this game is the destruction of the environment. It seems they reduced the amount buildings that can be damaged by 50% percent. It is bad how in Battlefield 3 only about 10 buildings can take damage, and its a big map. I give a 2/5 just for the different kinds of vehicles, and a server browser for multiplayer, but other than that I regret this purchase.

If you are a fan of Call of Duty, or if you felt letdown by previous Battlefield installments, you owe it to yourself to give Battlefield 3 a shot. It will not disappoint.

(1) You need a pass/code to play online. The game comes with one free when buying new, but be aware of this extra expense if you are buying the game used. If on eBay, ask the seller if the code was used before opting to bid, unless you can justify spending more money once the game arrives.

(2) If you can, buy the Limited Edition with Back to Karkand DLC. The DLC is NOT included on the disc. I repeat: The Limited Edition uses the SAME code for online pass (see above) to download the DLC - so if the online play code has been used, so has the DLC access! If you buy the standard edition or buy used with a code that's already been activated, be prepared to buy online play access and/or DLC out-of-pocket!

(3) The single-player campaign is a little short. But when compared to Modern Warfare 3, I was able to play through them in about the same timeframe - which was roughly 6 hours per game.

(4) The online play is where the action is. It's generally more mature and a more satisfying experience overall when compared to Call of Duty (less "run'n'gun"). Leveling your character and weapons takes some time. You also have access to usable vehicles. There is definitely more of an encouragement and incentive to play tactically as a squad and team.

(5) There are a few glitches here and there (graphical anomalies, falling through the graphics in Co-Op Mission 3) and some interface flaws (can't view Assignments unless you back all the way out to main menu, can't back out of a match until it has started [30 sec countdown between matches], etc) - but these are forgivable when looking at the whole. This is as of 10 Mar 2012, before the "massive" patch that's in the works has been released which may or may not address these concerns.