So here we are: September 27th, the day many have been waiting for. Well, the lucky few who managed to spend the extra pounds, dollars or Euros on the Medal Of Honor Limited Edition and thus permit themselves to experience the Battlefield 3 Beta early. I did unwittingly purchase the Medal Of Honor Limited Edition earlier this year, and discovered a potent email from EA in my inbox shortly afterwards revealing that the Battlefield 3 beta would be open to me and other Limited Edition buyers later on in the year.

I must be strictly honest though. I wasn’t ecstatic when I realised this, as I hadn’t even played, let alone purchased, its predecessor, Battlefield: Bad Company 2. So there I was, with an early beta invite, not yet part of the die-hard BF fanbase powerhouse, eagerly awaiting Battlefield 3. With that said however, I did later that week obtain Battlefield: Bad Company 2, and play avidly up to rank 27. This was definitely a feat in my books; as a Call Of Duty fan, I struggled to really get traction in the Battlefield franchise as my gaming style was just too COD-based.

This idea about my poor gameplay in Battlefield: Bad Company 2 was still echoing around in my head when the finished download notification appeared on my 360’s Dashboard for the Battlefield 3 beta earlier today. I opened up the beta and was immediately launched on to “Operation Metro”, as the beta’s purpose is to showcase BF3’s much anticipated multiplayer component, which was awarded best Multiplayer Feature of 2011 at E3, and to expose any current design problems such as glitches (which are currently numerous in Metro!).

The gameplay I experienced in BF3 was complementary of the major award that Dice received for its multiplayer in E3 2011. The brand new Frostbite game engine provided superior graphics (albeit only 30 fps) and also provided excellent game physics that favoured only the most skilled of players. It really did feel like the next generation game engine that it has been famed to be. The gameplay was fluid and dynamic, as even jumping over walls looked smooth and realistic. It still appears to remain a hardcore player’s dream but allows enhanced scope for alternative and more “casual” play styles.

Best of all, the beta is just the “glimpse” that we have all been waiting for. It is not too expansive land thus leaves us asking for more, this is highlighted as the only game mode is rush, there are no playable vehicles in the beta and only a handful of weapons available to the player. So, if you are contemplating if the 1.30GB download of the beta is really worth its weight, take it from a Battlefield noob: you won’t be disappointed, well, until you realise there’s over a month until more!

Battlefield 3 steam-rolls over your consoles and keyboards on October 25th in North America, and on October 28th worldwide. You can read more about Battlefield 3 on our game page here, or on the official game website here.