User blog:Zealot Guy/Battlefield 3 Beta- First Impressions

Last night I downloaded and installed the Battlefield 3 open beta for the PS3 with the intention of playing it the next day. Well, it's today, and I have played it. While I recognize that this is a beta, and is essentially a broken mish-mash that will eventually turn into an actual game, there are a few things that stand out. Some of which I hope stay just the way they are. Other things require some tuning to get it right in my eyes. And of course, there are a couple of things that make me wonder what the fuck the developer was thinking. So, let's take a look. Starting with...

The Look
First thing that hit me was how fan-goddamned-tastic the game looks. The colors are vibrant and real; the textures look wonderful and detailed, the characters look great. From the skin, the game looks great. There are a few graphical glitches that need to be fixed, but I'm sure they'll be taken care of. Once I got used to how the game looked, it was time to give it a whirl.

The Feel
Let me just get this out of the way as quickly as I can. The game feels great. It's smooth and such. Frankly, the less I have to say means the better it is.

Things that I feel work
The Support class works. Excellently. I feel the while LMG + Bipod is awesome and I had a great time playing it. But, while I'd love to talk about it, there's more... I like how players can decline being revived after getting a shock. I also like how they don't suddenly spring to their feet while being invulnerable to bullets. I like the weapon customization thing. All nice.

Shit that needs fixing
The defibrillators don't goddamned work! The hitbox for the revive is all wonky. Plus, players that were incapacitated get a bright EKG blip regardless of how close or far away they are. Next, the blip does not fade away. I have no idea how long I have before the person just dies. Thirdly, players can respawn too quickly. Bad Company 2 offered 12 seconds at the least to attempt to save a downed player. I count only 6 seconds here. Finally, why the fuck is the medic and the assault the same class? It would have been a better idea to make them two different classes. The assault career path is supposed to be about blowing shit the fuck up. And you don't even get to start with a grenade launcher! That's the whole point of the assault class! Grenade launchers! Plus, players being assault aren't used to also being medics, and have no damned sense to throw down healing gear. I mean, in Bad Company 2, some people ACTUALLY PLAYING AS MEDIC are too retarded to heal and revive. How did you expect someone not intending to be a medic to play?

Also, we need better indications of what class is what. All the guys look so alike I can't tell anyone apart. I have no idea which assaults are actually medics and which ones are gung-ho killers, for one thing; And that's the difference between be being left to die and getting a second chance. And you all know damned well I'm a big fan of the reviving.

Things that are really retarded
Why, why, oh WHY can't you guys fix the spawn camping?! WHY!?!? WWHHYYY You promised an end to it in Bad Company 2 and you LIED. And even in this beta you can still spawn camp. I'd think that would be on the top of the list!

M-Coms detonate too damned fast. Defenders need a chance to rush in and actually do something.

Why does the flashlight and laser sight blind me when it's being shined at my back?