Reviews// Battlefield 3

Modes of play can be slightly confusing at first, especially if you haven't played a Battlefield game before. Conquest mode has been a fan favourite since its introduction in Battlefield 1942. It is a mode that combines survival and Capture the Flag, the aim is to capture an area in order for the opposing team to lose lives or 'tickets', as they're called here. The more bases you control, the faster their tickets drop. The first team to lose all their tickets loses the game.

Once you understand it, it's an amazingly fun game mode but close games are all too rare with one team usually ending with over 100 team tickets left unused.

Rush is my personal favourite. The attacking team tries to take over two bases in order to push their enemy back to another part of the map. The defending team try to reduce the attackers' tickets. Using them all up means a win for the defenders. Places are then swapped.

Deathmatch modes are also available but they seem to remove the battlefield from Battlefield 3. Teamwork is still encouraged but you'll feel more of a lone ranger as you try and take a different route in a hope that you'll get your own kills away from the squad.

Battlefield 3 may seem a little lacking in game modes but to me that's a huge bonus. Fewer game modes means less fragmented groups of players and more people playing by the same rules. Getting a server full of people who understand the task required to win makes for some exciting and tense game-play.

I was, for example, frustrated when my team just missed out on a win. I was equally as delighted, however, when they dominated. Therefore I am made to come back for more regardless of the outcome.

Sound and Vision
Visually, Battlefield 3 is stunning. Frostbite 2 is an engine that seems to get that little bit more out of consoles than its rivals. It manages to look realistic enough to impress but doesn't slip into any uncanny valleys.

The lighting is as realistic as I've ever seen in gaming. Be it street lights or daylight, it brightens the environment in a natural way, making even the most uninspiring locations look picturesque.

The level of detail is astonishing too, thanks to the HD Texture Pack that comes preloaded in all versions apart from the 360. A shame really as when it's not installed it looks like an awful Playstation 2 game. As it requires a 1.7GB install, older Xbox 360s will need some space freed up.

This is a minor gripe when the game looks this good. With the lighting and detail coupled with the environmental destruction and vastly improved animation, Battlefield 3 is one of the most visually pleasing games to ever hit the home console. It looks even better on a decent PC rig.