DICE has confirmed that it's putting the final touches on a playable demo for E3. Conference-goers will be able to play a multiplayer map called "Operation Metro," which appears to offer well-rounded glimpse of Battlefield 3's gameplay. Players will experience both large and small-scale combat along with the ability to disable vehicles, mount weapons and more, according to DICE GM Karl Magnus Troedsson.
Although folks at home won't be able to experience the action firsthand, the developer noted that EA will stream its press conference on Monday. According to GameSpot's countdown page, the keynote seems to start around 12:30PM PDT. You can also expect to see new trailers, screenshots and in-depth press previews next week, so there's plenty to look forward to even if you can't make the trek to Los Angeles.
Additionally, Troedsson announced some features that won't be showcased at E3, including an "extensive co-op campaign" – a first for the Battlefield franchise. He also took the opportunity to mock Activision's recently announced "Call of Duty Elite" premium subscription service. Apparently, DICE is whipping up a Battlefield 3 "Battlelog" that offers similar social tools, feeds and stats free of charge.
Due in November and developed with the company's new Frostbite 2.0 engine, Battlefield 3 is shaping up to be one of the, if not the biggest PC game of 2011. Based on previous announcements, we know that the title features four classes, more unlockables than Battlefield: Bad Company 2, meaningful character customizations, as well as improved level destruction, character animations and war sounds.