Short version:

Battlefield 3 plays it safe and focuses on maximizing player engagement, but falls prey to a lack of variety, a shabby UI that’s clearly a holdover from consoles, plus of course the inevitable bugs, lag, and rocket spam. There’s a good game in here, but only if you’re willing to overlook some real flaws. But as it has been for years with big multiplayer games like this, the bugs tend to disappear and the players find themselves powering through bad matches for that one incredibly good one. I just wish the good ones came a little more often.

Pros:

• Graphics, sound, and physics are fantastic
• Tons of unlocks (though many repeat)
• Multiplayer has potential for excellence
• Establishing your own play style is fun and rewarding
• Battlelog if you like that kind of thing

Cons:

• Single player is more or less Whac-A-Mole on rails, occasionally frustrating
• Multiplayer plagued by lag, RPG spam
• Maps lack real diversity
• In-game UI is simply awful
• Battlelog if, like me, you don’t like that kind of thing