Easily one of the most demanding video games released last year, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 featured stunning graphics with real-world damage and excellent gameplay. Still upon release the shooter was very buggy, so much that it delayed our performance article. Built around the Frostbite 1.5 engine, the game was eventually patched up to become a very popular online FPS having sold in excess of 9 million copies.
Battlefield 3, the latest in a long line of Battlefield titles is likely the most anticipated game of 2011. Using the new Frostbite 2 engine the game promises to deliver jaw dropping visuals coupled with fast paced action packed fun.
The gorgeously crafted video teasers have certainly helped the cause throughout the year. Battlefield 3 has huge momentum behind it and the cross-platform beta will hopefully serve developers towards a solid release next October 25th. After all, between the mandatory Origin PC download and the lack of private servers (a standing trend these days), no one is up for a troublesome laggy connection when trying to frag on launch day.
Battlefield 3 will feature both single and multiplayer modes, though the beta is only providing access to the multiplayer portion of the game. The beta includes a single map called "Operation Metro" and the only game mode supported on this map is called rush. There are password-protected servers that have access to the Caspian Border map with 64-player support where DICE is testing out vehicles.
Admittedly we love that Battlefield 3 is using the PC as the lead platform rather than a console. When played on the PC the game will handle 40 more players and will take advantage of the latest computer hardware with support for DirectX 11 and 64-bit processors. As such the recommended system specifications are notably high.
DICE recommends a quad-core CPU be used along with 4GB of system memory. As for the graphics card a GeForce GTX 560 or Radeon HD 6950 is suggested, meaning that gamers will want to spend around $200 on a modern graphics card to appreciate Battlefield 3. Today we'll take a peak at what's required to play Battlefield 3 as we check out how the beta performs.