It performs admirably on lowered settings, but for anyone who's doubled up on their NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580s, Battlefield 3 provides a gorgeous spectrum of environments speckled with detail to brag about. From sun flares to smoke bursting from a collapsing building, Battlefield 3's Frostbite 2 engine provides marvelous visuals. Heal an injured teammate, resupply a sniper, or make sure a tank gets fixed up, Battlefield is about working towards the greater good and it's just as refreshing now as it was in 2002 - all while looking outstanding on PC. While the newly implemented Team Deathmatch modes encourage high kills and low deaths, Battlefield remains a team-based game where you can sit atop the scoreboard no matter how many times you've died. From adding heat-seeking missiles to an Anti-Aircraft Tank to simply changing camouflage, there's always a carrot dangling just out of reach - if you can wrangle the score to earn it. Battlefield 3's rewards and progression will keep you coming back to its online rumble for a long time. All four streamlined classes (Soldier, Engineer, Assault, and Recon) get their own problem-solving unlocks, so leveling each one is paramount to sitting on top of the leaderboards.

For any class or tactic that doesn't work, like a painter's palette, Battlefield 3 offers alternatives. I'm no Maverick in a jet, so I learned to rain down hellfire from a chopper. I've been pinned down at my spawn point in Operation Metro by a dozen, well-stocked snipers and I've taken over an entire conquest map single-handedly. Is the gameplay balanced? Battlefield 3's online teeter-totter comes down to personal preference. Battlefield 3 shines in matches with 63 other players, where every bullet has a new enemy's name on it. Where many online shooters teach you the nooks and crannies of every map, Battlefield 3 is a wide sandbox that encourages variety and exploration. Yes, certain areas feel empty and repeated map elements like shipping crates conjure deja vu, but the sense of scope is exhilarating.

You might not see half of a map like Caspian Border or Seine Crossing during your first few Rush matches. Depending on the game mode, each map utilizes a different area or shifts wider and wider as gameplay progresses. The online fight feels like a geography lesson (in a good way). Choose to pop headshots from the prone position, spin barrel rolls in a jet outfitted with personal unlocks, or see how many dog tags you can knife from your opponents Battlefield 3's multiplayer is about the freedom of choice. Everything about their design screams size, personalization, and the need to take creative initiative to succeed. From the beaches of Kharg Island to the hills of Damavand Peak, Battlefield 3's multiplayer maps provide an immediate sense of scale.

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