EA has recently released a full 12 minute trailer of all the
gameplay from the Fault Line demo. This is, essentially, a compilation of all
of the Fault Line episodes, with more gameplay in between each. There are still
cuts, but they are far less significant than before. All the previous Fault
Line episodes added up to a time of around 9 minutes, while this extended trailer adds
about 2 and a half minutes in total.
It doesn’t seem like a lot of time, but those two and a half
minutes give the gameplay a substantial gain in pacing. It’s intense, to be
sure, but there are lots of moments where you’re allowed to let the war
atmosphere sink in. That makes the moments where battles begin that much more
potent.
Right now, Battlefield 3 looks incredible, and not
just graphically. The gameplay is very much the same as it is in any other military
shooter today, but the setting, the authenticity of the combat, and
the realism of the scenarios are impressive. The graphics do add to this
feeling of immersion and realism, but the entire design of the game, from this
demo, is riding the line between realism and fun, pitch-perfectly. Look here for more preview coverage in the months ahead, and our review after the release of Battlefield 3 in Fall 2011.