Until now, Battlefield 3’s forte has been tossing troops and vehicles together into sprawling arenas, where every match gradually develops a natural ebb and flow. As its title implies, Close Quarters replaces those open fields with tight spaces suitable only for infantry combat. In the process, this humble expansion pack practically transforms the game’s character.
The difference is immediately obvious in the new Conquest Domination mode. You’ll still struggle to control flags that drain the enemy’s ticket counter, except now you’ll capture those banners with lightning speed. It’s Domination reinvented for the Call of Duty crowd. Purists may stick their noses in the air, but this hyperactive new play style is invigorating as hell. Plentiful approach vectors and diminished space between flags keep team members sprinting all over the place in an endless, absorbing race to be everywhere at once, and you’re seldom out of the action for more than a few seconds at a time.
Fighting near cubicles? Blast those barriers to bits!Even the absence of marked objectives in Team Deathmatch and Squad Deathmatch matches doesn’t dilute the frenzied traffic of the four new maps, whether you stalk foes across the ruined opulence of carpets and courtyards (“Donya Fortress”) or go postal in high-rise cubicle hell (“Ziba Tower”). Every map is honed to the point of immediate accessibility, yet filled with interesting lines and loops. Head in the general direction of a flag icon, and you’ll always find your way without any trouble. Don’t count on making it to your destination alive, though: long hallways become shooting galleries, twisting staircases often end in deadly surprises, and balconies offer lots of overwatch opportunities.
If anything, Gun Master mode is even more frantic. You begin with a humble pistol, and then, for every two kills, you earn an instant upgrade to the next in a series of high-powered firearms. The first person to make it through all 16 guns and murder someone with a knife wins the match. No gadgets, no nonsense: just you, your guns, and infinite ammo. And all the while you’ll chip away at 10 assignments that unlock new weapons you can equip in any multiplayer mode.
Hardcore Battlefield 3 strategists will be disappointed by the sudden emphasis on breakneck speed over deliberate tactics, not to mention Close Quarters’ 16-player limit and infantry-only focus. But even they’ll be sucked in if they give this add-on a chance.
Even without a flag in the middle of it, this L-bend on the "Operation 925" map becomes a hotbed of conflict.PUBLISHER: EA • DEVELOPER: DICE • ESRB: Mature • MULTIPLAYER: 16 on Xbox Live • ACHIEVEMENTS: Half easy, half tough (120G total) • COST: 1,200 Microsoft Points, or included in $50 Battlefield 3 Premium service • RELEASE DATE: June 12 (for Battlefield 3 Premium owners), June 26 (regular players)
+ Four refined maps encourage rapid movement and let every class excel.
+ Conquest Domination greatly accelerates CTF; addictive Gun Master mode; new assignments and weapons.
– No sprawl, no vehicles, and only 16 players; emphasis on speed will alienate some folks.
? What’d the factory on the rusted-out “Scrapmetal” map used to make?
honkayjeezus
June 22, 2012 at 9:24pm
Only some poor Kinect use could have made the score any higher.
