Battlefield 3 at Gameplanet NZ

Battlefield 3: End Game: air superiority trailer

Thu, 07 Feb 2013 11:16:00 +1300

EA and DICE have released a new Battlefield 3 trailer, showcasing Air Superiority gameplay.

Battlefield 3: Aftermath launch trailer

Wed, 28 Nov 2012 10:50:00 +1300

Set amongst the shattered districts, streets and surrounding villages of a post-earthquake Tehran, Aftermath depicts a continuing struggle for supremacy and survival amongst the devastation.

Battlefield 3: Aftermath Epicenter flythrough trailer

Tue, 06 Nov 2012 09:49:00 +1300

DICE Level Artist Pontus Ryman takes players through some of the environments and features of the map Epicenter from Battlefield 3: Aftermath.

Battlefield 3: Armored Kill launch trailer

Wed, 05 Sep 2012 21:06:00 +1200

This trailer features gameplay from all four maps in Battlefield 3's Armored Kill expansion pack - from the snow-capped Alborz Mountains to the biggest map in Battlefield history, Bandar Desert.

BF3's Armored Kill detailed, dated

Tue, 28 Aug 2012 09:24:00 +1200

Battlefield 3’s Armored Kill expansion's release dates have been announced.

The game's Premium members will receive the content first: the DLC hits PlayStation 3 on September 4, with PC and Xbox 360 versions available from September 11.

For those not signed up to Premium, the release date is September 18 on PS3, and September 25 on Xbox 360 and PC.

"We are dedicated to supporting BF3" – DICE

Mon, 27 Aug 2012 11:28:00 +1200

DICE has responded to fan concern that Battlefield 4 is coming out too soon after its predecessor and that Battlefield 3 support will suffer as a result.

“People then think we won’t support Battlefield 3, even though we have the Premium version, people know we’re working on future expansion packs, and we’ve been very open in explaining what we are doing,” said DICE executive producer Patrick Bach.

“We heard that before with Battlefield 2. It was like ‘Oh, you stopped supporting games!’ No, we’re working like hell... we are putting a lot of effort into supporting Battlefield 3 and still we get reactions like this.”

DICE "afraid" to allow mod support for Battlefield 3

Mon, 20 Aug 2012 10:21:00 +1200

There is a reason for there are no modding tools available for Battlefield 3—DICE is worried that they would leave the game vulnerable to hacks and exploits.

Although it was aware of what mods could do for a game’s longevity, DICE was "afraid of all the things that can come with releasing the code," said GM Karl Magnus Troedsson.

He also stated that his company wanted such tools to be available on console as well as PC, something that was substantially trickier to implement.

Battlefield 3: Armored Kill trailer

Fri, 20 Jul 2012 08:04:00 +1200

Taking vehicular mayhem to the next level, Battlefield 3: Armored Kill features five new drivable vehicles including mobile artillery, tanks, ATV's complete with over 20 vehicle specific unlocks.

Battlefield 3 Premium hits 800,000 users

Sat, 30 Jun 2012 05:51:00 +1200

Electronic Arts' Battlefield 3 Premium service has topped 800,000 users in a two-week launch window.

"We are very pleased with the performance so far," stated EA Games chief Patrick Soderlund in an interview with USA Today.

The service allows players early access to all five downloadable content packs for Battlefield 3, as well as additional items such as new assignments and dog tags for NZD $59.99 on Origin, NZD $79.95 on PlayStation Network and 4000 MS Points on Xbox LIVE.

Battlefield 3: Armored Kill will focus on "big, epic warfare"

Sat, 23 Jun 2012 11:17:00 +1200

At E3 we spoke to DICE's Niklas Fegraeus, who is working on the upcoming Battlefield 3 expansion, Armored Kill. Focusing on large scale tank battles, Armored Kill will be on the "largest scale ever in Battlefield history", with the largest maps ever. We asked Fegraeus about some of the new vehicles, and what challenges DICE faced in delivering battles on such a massive scale.

Battlefield 3 Premium E3 2012 trailer

Wed, 06 Jun 2012 05:56:00 +1200

Battlefield 3 Premium members will get all five gaming-changing themed expansion packs combined with two week's early access.

Battlefield 3: Close Quarters E3 2012 trailer

Wed, 06 Jun 2012 05:43:00 +1200

Battlefield 3: Close Quarters introduces new weapons, assignments and unique dog tags to bring back to the base game.

Rumour: DICE to offer a Battlefield premium subscription service

Tue, 15 May 2012 10:49:00 +1200

Battlefield 3 developer DICE will announce a premium content service at this year’s E3, according to a source close to Battlefieldo.

The service, eerily similar to that of another blockbuster shooter whose name shall go unuttered, is said to land players – via content drops – a number of unique in-game items not available anywhere else.

These include a premium knife, black dog tags, and a set of soldier and weapon camouflage skins that will give players more personalisation options.

Battlefield 3: Close Quarters Donya Fortress trailer

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 09:49:00 +1200

The second gameplay trailer from the upcoming expansion pack Battlefield 3: Close Quarters showcases the map Donya Fortress in all its destructive glory.

Battlefield 3: Close Quarters

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 11:50:00 +1200

Of all the benefits attributed to DICE's Frostbite 2 engine, perhaps the most significant for future game development is the destructible environment functionality.

New engines come and go, boasting a range of improvements designed to amplify the visual splendour of whatever maps and locations developers wish to render, but most are designed to boost texture quality, and not necessarily improve the actual physical state of the environment.

Launched in 2008 with Battlefield: Bad Company, the first version of Frostbite included some fairly meagre wall destruction, alarming bricklayers but generally underwhelming everyone else. 2009's Battlefield 1943 saw additional features included with Frostbite 1.5 allowing complete structures to collapse, yet still Red Faction devotees chortled derisively at the series. Indeed, it wasn't really until Battlefield 3's release last year that the engine came on song in its full DirectX 11 glory, showcasing just what a bunch of mad Swedes and a hefty bankroll can accomplish.

Battlefield 3 "Rent a Server" trailer

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 14:11:00 +1200

For the first time in Battlefield history, Electronic Arts are offering console gamers the ability to rent multiplayer servers. This trailer explains more.

EA exploring subscriptions for future Battlefield games

Thu, 15 Mar 2012 10:22:00 +1300

Electronic Arts is exploring the possibility of a subscription fee model in the future of the Battlefield series.

When asked by VentureBeat whether the publisher might implement a subscription model in the future, EA’s games boss Patrick Soderlund said, “I think it's fair to say that we're looking at that. Like all other companies, we're looking at how we can maximise our investment in this and get the most out of our investment and get more people playing this product.

“That may take us to different places, but we're not really talking about where that is yet.”

Battlefield 3: Close Quarters Ziba Tower gameplay trailer

Wed, 14 Mar 2012 12:50:00 +1300

Battlefield 3: Close Quarters is a themed expansion pack bringing the team play of Battlefield 3 to tight indoor environments.

EA in legal battle over Battlefield 3 helicopters

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 10:34:00 +1300

Electronic Arts has claimed First Amendment protection for its depiction of real helicopters in Battlefield 3.

According to legal documents obtained by Kotaku, US helicopter manufacturer Bell Helicopter demanded that three models owned by the company, the AH-1Z Viper, UH-1Y and V-22 Osprey, be removed from Battlefield 3.

As the two companies have failed to reach a private agreement, EA has submitted a document to the federal court of North California. The document states, “The parties have been unable to resolve their dispute. EA therefore has a reasonable and strong apprehension that it will soon face a trademark and/or trade dress action from Textron.”

Vote for your Game of the Year 2011

Thu, 15 Dec 2011 17:07:00 +1300

ENTRIES HAVE CLOSED

Many great games were released in 2011 - but we want you to decide which was the greatest of them all.

The game that gets the most votes from New Zealand's gaming community will be named Gameplanet Players' Choice Game of the Year 2011.

Plus, place a vote and you'll go in the draw to WIN a Year's Supply of Games – that's one game of your choice each month throughout 2012!

Battlefield 3 Sharqi Peninsula trailer

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 10:26:00 +1300

This launch trailer for the Battlefield 3: Back to Karkand DLC features gameplay footage from the Battlefield map Sharqi Peninsula, now reimagined and powered by the Frostbite 2 engine.

Battlefield 3 Wake Island trailer

Wed, 07 Dec 2011 10:50:00 +1300

The classic map Wake Island is re-imagined with the power of Frostbite 2 on PS3.

Battlefield 3 Gulf of Oman gameplay trailer

Tue, 29 Nov 2011 09:57:00 +1300

DICE is bringing back three combat vehicles from Battlefield 2 into the Battlefield 3: Back to Karkand expansion pack: The STOVL fighter jet, desert buggy, and one of the APC's.

Battlefield 3: Strike at Karkand gameplay trailer

Mon, 21 Nov 2011 11:59:00 +1300

A closer look at gameplay from the Strike at Karkand map. This themed multiplayer expansion pack includes four legendary maps from Battlefield 2 re-imagined with Frostbite 2 physics, destruction and visuals: Strike at Karkand, Sharqi Peninsula, Gulf of Oman, and Wake Island. It also features new weapons, vehicles, persistence, and the return of the classic Conquest Assault.

PETA condemns rat stabbing in Battlefield 3

Tue, 08 Nov 2011 11:04:00 +1300

Animal rights activist group PETA has accused Battlefield 3 developer DICE of encouraging cruelty towards animals.

The group’s German office has issued a press release condemning the optional stabbing of a rat in the third mission of the singleplayer campaign.

Battlefieldblog translates, “The realistic computer game Battlefield 3 treats animals in a sadistic manner. The game gives players the option to kill a rat with a combat knife in the back in order to then lift it by its tail, then toss it away.”

Battlefield 3: Back to Karkand DLC trailer

Sat, 05 Nov 2011 23:19:00 +1300

The Back to Karkand multiplayer expansion pack includes four legendary maps from Battlefield 2 re-imagined with Frostbite 2 physics, destruction and visuals: Strike at Karkand, Sharqi Peninsula, Gulf of Oman, and Wake Island. It also features new weapons, vehicles, persistence, and the return of the classic Conquest Assault. Back to Karkand will be available in December, free to customers who preordered Battlefield 3 or otherwise US$14.99/1200 Microsoft Points.

5 million copies of Battlefield 3 sold

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 10:32:00 +1300

Battlefield 3 has sold 5 million copies in its first week since release, according to publisher Electronic Arts’ internal numbers. The sales make it EA’s biggest-selling game ever.

“From Tokyo to Los Angeles, Sydney to London, millions of fans have been playing all weekend long - we are overwhelmed by the global response to Battlefield 3,” said EA’s Patrick Soderlund.

EA added that, in spite of intermittent server difficulties, service uptime had stabilised at 98.9 per cent.

EA explains Battlefield 3’s singleplayer

Mon, 31 Oct 2011 10:41:00 +1300

Electronic Arts has defended Battlefield 3’s singleplayer component, saying the mode is important in drawing new players into the franchise.

When asked by an investor why the publisher doesn’t drop the weaker singleplayer experience and focus its resources and expertise on its highly acclaimed multiplayer modes, EA’s Frank Gibeau began, “We consider Battlefield an online service.”

“First and foremost, that brand was built on its multiplayer prowess and the technology really lends itself to that,” he continued. “The single play experience is important. It's a great way to get fans into the experience, have them train up and get ready for multiplayer. And a lot of fans just enjoy having that single player experience. So I think you have to have both.

Battlefield 3 review

Thu, 27 Oct 2011 16:44:00 +1300

Much like any military campaign, the war between Electronic Arts and Activision for an upper hand in the first-person shooter market has produced its fair share of collateral damage.

While Activision has been more or less content to engineer Modern Warfare 3 in a fairly predictable manner, Electronic Arts wasted no time in firing a salvo directly over their bow, claiming Activision were now at the helm of a "Disneyland abstraction of a war game". This is not an industry that generally rewards such candour, and certainly with the similarity between Battlefield 3's campaign and that of every Call of Duty ever made, reviewing such a statement with the benefit of hindsight identifies no small measure of irony.

It's all about the execution. Battlefield 3's campaign begins with a frantic race through a hijacked metro carriage, as our hero Blackburn summarily dispatches terrorists in an attempt to stop the train and save the day. It's railed in as much as the train is – terrorists appear, shots are fired and they go down. Occasionally, and worryingly, Blackburn exits the carriage by way of the always-ham-fisted quick time event, the space bar performing mashing duties until he's safely moved to the requisite position within the sequence.

Battlefield 3 TV commercial

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 22:28:00 +1300

Watch a furious battle unfold in a mix of live action and gameplay footage. What's real and what's Battlefield 3?

Battlefield 3 launch trailer

Sat, 22 Oct 2011 13:10:00 +1300

In preparation for the game's release on Thursday, EA has released a new launch trailer for Battlefield 3 giving you a preview of the intense singleplayer campaign. A sinister power is rising in the Middle-East, and Marine Sergeant "Black" discovers how far he would go to defend his country.

Win Battlefield 3: the game and the book!

Fri, 21 Oct 2011 17:03:00 +1300

ENTRIES HAVE NOW CLOSED - THANK YOU

We have five copies of Battlefield 3 to give away, each bundled with Battlefield 3: The Russian, a novel by Andy McNab and Peter Grimsdale.

That's right, just answer the question above and you're in the draw to win:

A copy of Battlefield 3 on your choice of platform.
Battlefield 3: The Russian novel by Andy McNab and Peter Grimsdale.

Battlefield 3: The Russian

To be published exclusively alongside the game, Orion Publishing has teamed up with the biggest military thriller name in the world, Andy McNab.

Battlefield 3 will be 'standard-def' on Xbox without hard drive

Fri, 21 Oct 2011 13:09:00 +1300

The Xbox version of Battlefield 3 will come with an optional hi-res texture pack on the second disc, which must be installed to the hard drive.

Not all models of the Xbox 360 have a hard drive fitted, so the game can run without the texture pack by sacrificing graphical quality, according to comments made by producer Patrick Bach in an interview with GamerZines.

"The thing with the 360," Bach told the site, "is that you need to be able to give consumers a game where you don't have to install it on a hard drive, because there are 360s without a hard drive. So we need to give you the option of installing it, rather than just demanding it. You could call it a 'standard-def' version for the 360 if you don't have a hard-drive."

Battlefield 3 multiplayer trailer

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 10:14:00 +1300

EA has released a new trailer for Battlefield 3 featuring shots from all multiplayer maps, including the dramatic Damavand Peak.

DICE reveals Battlefield 3 beta statistics

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 09:05:00 +1300

DICE has revealed some statistics around the Battlefield 3 open beta, highlighting that 8,125,310 participated.

“Did you know that if we had an empty 9mm casing for every shot fired in the Open Beta, we would have enough brass to melt and build almost 3,900 SU-27 Flanker jets?” writes DICE on the Battlefield blog. “Okay, Flankers are not made out of brass, but still.”

Other statistics include the longest headshot recorded, the number of objectives destroyed and the amount of health regenerated. Each statistic comes with a bizarrely unrelated real-world comparison. You can find them all in the infographic below.

Battlefield 3 will have online pass

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 10:40:00 +1300

Players who buy a second hand copy of Battlefield 3 will be locked out of multiplayer unless they purchase an online pass, Dice has confirmed.

Designer Ian Kertz made the confirmation on his Twitter feed, in response to a question from a follower about whether players would need to purchase Battlefield 3 brand new in order to play on Xbox Live.

Kertz replied: "You can also purchase an online pass for a used copy."

Remaining Battlefield 3 maps revealed

Sat, 15 Oct 2011 22:47:00 +1300

Dice has followed up from yesterday's reveal with details about the remaining five multiplayer maps in Battlefield 3.

The Swedish developer has also offered further insights into its map design process.

"Creating levels at DICE is a democratic affair, and a process that is ruled in equal amounts by art and gameplay design. This is in order to not only get a balanced mix of gameplay variations in the game, but also a variety of visual impressions," states the blog post.

Battlefield 3 multiplayer maps revealed

Fri, 14 Oct 2011 12:48:00 +1300

Battlefield 3 developer Dice has made a blog post with new details about the game's multiplayer maps.

The post includes design insights from level designer Niklas Åstrand and reveals three new maps called "Operation Firestorm", "Tehran Highway" and "Damavand Peak", in addition to covering the "Operation Metro" map already familiar from the open beta.

"The nine multiplayer maps in Battlefield 3 offer every style of gameplay from dense urban combat to all-out vehicle warfare on vast landscapes," says the post.

Battlefield 3 "Vehicles" trailer

Fri, 14 Oct 2011 11:09:00 +1300

Battlefield 3 has a plethora of vehicles, from helicopters to tanks to jets.

DICE's Lars Gustavsson on Battlefield 3

Thu, 13 Oct 2011 15:15:00 +1300

With less than two weeks to go until the release of Battlefield 3, we're in Sydney to catch up with Lars Gustavsson, creative director at DICE.

Gameplanet: What’s your background, how did you get into the games industry?

Lars Gustavsson: I did all kinds of different jobs, everything from T-Shirt printing, ventilation ducts, economy, you know – God knows – but then I went to New Orleans with friends in a Blues band and they more or less said, “Come on, you need to live the dream, you can’t have these types of jobs.” So I started, and I had to choose between the games industry or movies. There was a company in Stockholm called Refraction Games, where I got a job. I haven’t regretted it once since then! Refraction Games then got bought out – this was in ’99 – by DICE.

Gameplanet: So you worked in ventilation ducts, have you applied that knowledge to crawling scenes in Battlefield 3?

DICE forced to explain what "beta" means

Mon, 10 Oct 2011 09:20:00 +1300

Battlefield 3 developer DICE has had to remind irate gamers what the term “beta test” means.

Battlefield 3 has been undergoing a somewhat bug-ridden online test, something that has frustrated some players. In an interview with the Guardian, DICE’s Patrick Liu wishes to remind such players that a beta test is not a demo.

“There's been a misunderstanding of the term 'beta test',” said Liu. “We ran the alpha tests with a rush map and we wanted to have some sort of reference so we could compare results - so we needed to have more-or-less the same map.”

Battlefield 3 "Operation Gridiron Reality Show" trailer

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 10:50:00 +1300

Electronic Arts has announced that it has teamed up with some of American football's biggest stars for an exclusive reality show titled GTTV Presents Battlefield 3: Operation Gridiron.

Battlefield 3 beta numbers hinted

Wed, 05 Oct 2011 09:22:00 +1300

DICE has revealed that 600 per cent more people are participating in the Battlefield 3 beta than those who partook in the Battlefield: Bad Company 2 beta.

While the studio didn’t put a hard number on Battlefield 3 beta participants, the Bad Company 2 beta attracted 2 million testers in January 2010.

Six times the number of Bad Company 2 testers puts those playing the Battlefield 3 beta at around 12 million.

Battlefield 3 Open Beta trailer

Mon, 03 Oct 2011 11:06:00 +1300

Electronic Arts invite players to take a tour of the Battlefield 3 open beta, and learn more about their upcoming gaming tournament.

Battlefield 3 Battlelog Features trailer

Mon, 03 Oct 2011 11:02:00 +1300

Electronic Arts has released a new video for Battlefield 3 offering an in-depth look at the features and functionality of the free social platform Battlelog.

Battlefield 3 "Jay Z 99 Problems" TV trailer

Thu, 29 Sep 2011 18:48:00 +1300

Electronic Arts has released the full-length "Jay Z 99 Problems" TV spot for Battlefield 3.

Battlefield 3

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 16:40:00 +1300

It's a bizarre certainty that whilst games may frequently have a lead platform, one can never be sure as to which hardware the game will be demonstrated on at any given time.

Having spun the triangular winning wheel and drawn the PlayStation 3 as the preferred platform for this particular press event, it's clear Electronic Arts is keen to push the narrative and close-quarter combat rather than showing the sort of eye-melting vistas we've seen in the PC version.

For all their blustering of late, EA has good reason to concentrate on the pure mechanics of this ferociously anticipated shooter. Where Call of Duty may strike at the heart of the action-focused, multiplayer-enthused FPS fan, so Battlefield must find a point of differentiation on the console, and it's here that this demonstration of Operation Guillotine aims to underline this tactic.

Battlefield 3 "Jay-Z 99 Problems" trailer

Mon, 26 Sep 2011 13:03:00 +1300

Electronic Arts has released a teaser trailer for Battlefield 3, featuring rapper Jay-Z. The full length TV trailer is expected to be released shortly.

Why Battlefield 3 has dropped Commanders

Fri, 23 Sep 2011 10:26:00 +1200

The Commander role featured in Battlefield 2 will not be appearing in Battlefield 3 as the experience was “a bit flawed” says DICE’s general manager Karl Troedsson.

Speaking at the Eurogamer Expo in Brighton, Troedsson said, “When the dev team sat down and thought about this, the Commander role was a very important and hot topic in the studio I have to say,” (via Eurogamer).

“Some people wanted us to implement it in the absolute same way as we had before; some of us wanted us to reinvigorate how we do it.

Battlefield 3 beta announced

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 07:46:00 +1200

EA has announced that the Battlefield 3 beta will begin on the 29th of September for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

The beta will feature Rush mode on the Parisian Operation Metro map, where “players work their way from lush parks on the outskirts of the city to a dark, bombed-out metro station, to the vibrant streets around the Paris stock exchange.”

Those who pre-order the game via Origin, or who bought the Limited Edition of last year’s Medal of Honor, will be able to access the beta on the 27th of September.