My Gaming Setup!

Mouse:

X7 - 705K

Keyboard:

X7 g600

Gamepad:

The Classic Xbox360 Controller

Wheel:

The old Microsoft SideWinder

And The RIG

Motherboard: The Old AsRock P45DE

Processor: Intel Core 2 Quad Q8400

RAM DDR2 4 GB Corsair 1066MHZ

Videocard: Nvidia GTS 250 1024/256 (Daytona Ed)

Audio: Genius Sound Maker Value 5.1 V2 + Genius SW 5005

Cooling: 3 Coolermaster 90mm + 1 120mm 

Power: Raidmax RX520BK 

Monitor: Dell P190S 19"

For Stereo Gaming Audio: T-Bone HD990D

Although the RIG is a little old (specs), it can still run the latest games at high or highest quality (DX10)!

In the future I will upgrade the motherboard and the Videocard! 

Share your gaming Setup and comment! Thanks ;)

ARMA 3

  ARMA 3

Arma 3 is an open world tactical shooter video game developed by Bohemia Interactive and expected to be released in Q4 2012. The game takes place in near future during Operation Magnitude, an operation launched by NATO forces fighting "Eastern armies" in Europe.

Gameplay

Campaign

The game is set in the near future (2030s) where NATO is trying to hold off a large offensive from the east. In the campaign the player will take the role of British Special Forces soldier Captain Scott Miller. Initially the player must survive on his own after a failed NATO operation. During the campaign the player will face everything from lone wolf infiltration missions to commanding of large scale armored operations. The player will be able to choose different objectives and weaponry (like UAVs, artillery, and air support) according to their play style. 

Arma 3 takes place on a Mediterranean island of Limnos (Greece) and will feature photo-realistic terrain and water environments. The game-world will be the largest yet seen in the Arma series, 900 square kilometers. The island will feature over 50 villages with buildings that are both enter-able and destroyable.

Development

Arma 3 will be using newest version of Bohemia Interactive's own Real Virtuality game engine. New features compared to previous Arma games include:

3D mission editor

Support for DirectX 10 and DirectX 11

Ragdoll physics

Physics enabled vehicle handling and environmental objects (PhysX)

Underwater environments, vehicles and diving

Weapon and uniform customization

Volumetric clouds

Hands move when turning a car

The developers are considering a public beta release 1-2 months before official game release.

GAMEPLAY HERE

It uses the third-generation Real Virtuality game engine, which has been in development for over 12 years and of which previous versions are used in training simulators by militaries around the world.

REMEMBER, It's only a game! ;)

SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS

(Let's say... " I DARE YOU TO MAX OUT THE ARMA 2 SETTINGS FIRST!")

Diablo 3

TEASER

RELEASE DATE  

May 15, 2012

Diablo III is an upcoming dark fantasy/horror-themed action role-playing game in development by Blizzard, making it the third installment in the Diablo franchise. The game, which features elements of the hack and slash and dungeon crawl genres, was first announced on June 28, 2008, at the Blizzard Worldwide Invitational in Paris, France.


Plot

The game takes place in Sanctuary, the dark fantasy world of the Diablo series. This world was saved twenty years prior by a handful of unnamed heroes in Diablo II, heroes who, having survived the onslaught brought by the armies of the Burning Hells, have gone mad from their ordeals. It is up to a new generation of heroes to face the forces of evil threatening the world of Sanctuary.
Players will have the opportunity to explore familiar settings such as Tristram.
The only confirmed NPCs are Deckard Cain, who has appeared in both of the previous games, and his niece, Leah, a new character who accompanies the hero in quests from time to time. The plot will revolve around two surviving Lesser Evils, Azmodan and Belial, and an artifact known as the Black Soulstone. Diablo's world map is composed primarily of two main continents with several small islands in the Northwest region. The world of Sanctuary has been dramatically changed by the events of Diablo II: Lord of Destruction, for the destruction of the World Stone underneath Mount Arreat has reshaped the world's geography.


Gameplay

Diablo III is similar in style to its predecessor, Diablo II. The proprietary engine will incorporate Blizzard's custom in-house physics, a change from the original usage of Havok's physics engine, and feature destructible environments with an in-game damage effect. The developers are aiming to make the game run on a wide range of systems, and have stated that DirectX 10 will not be required. Diablo III will use a custom 3D game engine in order to present an overhead view to the player, in a somewhat similar way to the isometric view used in previous games in the series. Enemies will utilize the 3D environment as well, in ways such as crawling up the side of a wall from the depths into the combat area.
As in Diablo II, multiplayer games will be possible using Blizzard's Battle.net service,[13] with many of the new features developed for StarCraft II also available in Diablo III. Players will be able to drop in and out of sessions of co-operative play with others.
An enhanced quest system, a random level generator, and a random encounter generator are slated for use in order to ensure the game provides different experiences when replayed. Overall, the game will include both static and randomly generated levels. Additionally, there will be class-specific quests to go along with the main storyline quests. Blizzard originally planned to have in-game cutscenes, but decided these would divert from the gameplay and decided against them. Three new armor pieces will be available: shoulder plates, arm-guards and leggings.
Unlike previous iterations, gold can be picked up merely by touching it, rather than having to manually pick it up. One of the new features intended to speed gameplay is that health orbs drop from enemies, replacing the need to have a potion bar, which itself is replaced by a skill bar that allows a player to assign quick bar buttons to skills and spells; previously, players could only assign two skills (one for each mouse button) and had to swap skills with the keyboard or mousewheel. Players can still assign specific attacks to mouse buttons.
Skill runes, another new feature, are skill-modifying items that are randomly dropped by monsters and used across all classes. Rather than changing equippable items as in Diablo II, they are instead attached to skills, often completely changing the gameplay of each skill. Skill runes also have the ability to make one particular spell in each class more powerful, and give the player options as to how the rune will enhance a particular spell. For example, investing skill runes on the wizard's "lightning" can allow the players to make the lightning jump onto additional enemies, or, alternatively, adding the runes with explosion effect blows the enemy up and causes damage to the surrounding area.


Hardcore mode

Diablo III will give players the choice to make hardcore characters, similar to Diablo II. Hardcore characters cannot be resurrected and become permanently unplayable if they are killed, and they do not have access to the real-world money auction house.


Artisans

Artisans are NPCs who sell, craft, and enhance equipment. Three types of artisans can be acquired by completing a quest for each: a blacksmith, a mystic, and a jeweler. Artisans create items using materials the player can gather by scrapping acquired items and reducing them to their component parts. Unlike Diablo II, rare and magic items can be enhanced, not just basic weaponry and armor. These materials are used to create items which will have random bonuses. Crafting can also be used to train and improve the skills of the artisans rather than create new items. When artisans gain new levels, their shop reflects their higher skill level. The process of salvaging items into materials also makes inventory management easier. Blizzard stated that this crafting system was designed so that it would not slow down the pace of the game.


Followers

Followers are NPC allies that can accompany the player throughout the game world. There are three types of followers in Diablo 3: the Templar, the Scoundrel and the Enchantress, each having their own skills and background.[23] As followers fight alongside the player, they gain new skills, experience and equipment as they level up. Only one follower accompanies the player at a time, creating a gameplay strategy decision. Followers are only available in normal, single-player mode.

Auction house

On 1 August 2011, it was reported that Diablo III will feature two types of auction houses; one where players spend in-game gold and another where players can buy or sell virtual items for real-world money. The real money auction house will not be available in Hardcore mode.
Blizzard has stated that nearly everything that drops on the ground, including gold, can be traded with other players directly or through the auction house system. Aside from certain quest items, there will be very few (if any) items that will be bound to a particular character and therefore un-tradable.

PvP combat

Player versus player has been implemented in Diablo III using unique arenas designed with differing amounts of terrain and cover. Players participate in PvP choosing from their existing characters, with access to all of the gear and skill they have gathered from playing the game in single player or cooperative mode. There will be both ranked and unranked gametypes. When participating in ranked games ('best of' match series), players will earn points for advancement based on how many kills they acquire throughout matches, accomplished objectives, victories. The points earned lead to multiplayer achievements, titles, and other rewards.


Character classes

There will be five available character classes. In the previous two games, each class had a fixed gender, but in Diablo III players may choose the gender they would like to play. Although Blizzard initially revealed only one gender per class, the alternate gender has been revealed slowly in the lead-up to the game's release.

The witch doctor is a new character reminiscent of the Diablo II necromancer, but with skills more traditionally associated with shamanism and voodoo culture. The witch doctor has the ability to summon monsters, cast curses, harvest souls, and hurl poisons and explosives at his enemies. Blizzard has stated[citation needed] that the witch doctor is not another version of the necromancer and that they may incorporate the necromancer in a future expansion if they so desire. To power spells the witch doctor uses mana, which regenerates slowly.

The barbarian will have a variety of revamped skills at their disposal based on the use of their incredible physical prowess. The barbarian is able to whirlwind through crowds, cleave through swarms, leap across crags, and crush opponents upon landing. The resource used by the barbarian is fury, which is generated through getting attacked by enemies, attacking enemies and through certain abilities. Fury is used for certain strong abilities and degenerates over time.

The wizard is a version of the sorceress from Diablo II or the sorcerer from Diablo. The Wizard's abilities range from shooting lightning, fire and ice at their enemies to slowing time and teleporting around enemies and through walls. The wizard fuels their spells with arcane power, which is a fast regenerating power source.

The monk is a melee attacker, using martial arts to cripple foes, resist damage, deflect projectiles, attack with blinding speed, and land explosive killing blows. It combines the melee elements of Diablo II's assassin class with the "holy warrior" role of the paladin. Blizzard has stated that the monk is not related in any way to the monk class from the Sierra Entertainment-made Diablo: Hellfire expansion. The monk is fueled by spirit, which has defensive purposes and is slowly generated through attacking, though it does not degenerate.

The demon hunter combines elements of Diablo II's amazon and assassin classes. Demon hunters use crossbows as their main weapon and also throw small bombs at enemies. Some of their skills have been revealed and among them are arrow skills such as Chain Arrow. The demon hunter is fueled by discipline and hatred. Hatred is a fast regenerating resource that is used for attacks, while Discipline is a slow regenerating resource used for defensive abilities.

The archivist class was presented on April 1, 2009, following in Blizzard's April Fool's Day joke tradition.

Development

Development on Diablo III began in 2001 when Blizzard North was still in operation. The original artistic design differed from that shown at Blizzard Worldwide Invitational 2008 demonstration, and had undergone three revisions before reaching the standards felt necessary by the team behind Diablo III.[citation needed] The game is being planned for a simultaneous release on both Windows and Mac OS X platforms. It was also revealed that the game would require a constant internet connection to play, even for single-player mode.

Diablo III's lead designer is Jay Wilson, a former Relic Entertainment designer credited with work on Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War and Company of Heroes as well as Blood II: The Chosen for Monolith Productions. Its lead world designer is Leonard Boyarsky, one of the six co-creators of Fallout.

Console Development

Blizzard is considering a concept design for consoles, reportedly even hiring staff for a console version, while stating this concept will not affect PC/Macintosh release dates. The project's lead designer Josh Mosqueira said that Blizzard is "very, very serious about bringing the Diablo 3 experience to the console".

On 10 January 2012, Blizzard community manager Bashiok tweeted "Yup. Josh Mosqueira is lead designer for the Diablo console project." However, a Blizzard spokesperson later clarified that Bashiok’s tweet was only "intended as a confirmation that [Blizzard] is actively exploring the possibility of developing a console version of Diablo III," adding, "This is not a confirmation that Diablo III is coming to any console platform." 

[edit]Beta

On May 9, 2011 Mike Morhaime announced that Diablo III was then expected to be released for external beta testing in Q3 of 2011. On September 7, 2011 Blizzard community manager Bashiok confirmed the start of the closed public beta test of the game with limited external testing by employees and their families. Testers were not restricted by a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) i.e. every participant would be free to show, share, or talk about any portion of the beta content. On September 20th, 2011 Blizzard announced through their Diablo III site that the closed beta test portion of the game through invites, promotions and giveaways had begun. On October 22, 2011 at BlizzCon, Diablo 3 game director Jay Wilson announced during an open Q&A that a new wave of beta invitations would be sent after an upcoming patch.

The content available in the beta includes the possibility to try all 5 character classes in the first act up to the Skeletal King encounter. The players are also able to try various in-game features such as crafting through the blacksmithing NPC, the auction house, hosting and joining public games as well as earning achievements.

[edit]Free digital downloads for World of Warcraft players

Starting at BlizzCon in October 2011, Blizzard offered an "annual pass" for World of Warcraft, where players must maintain an active account in that game for one year from the day they sign up. Those who accepted the offer will receive Diablo III as a free digital download when the game is released, as well as guaranteed beta access for the next expansion to World of Warcraft (now known to be Mists of Pandaria) and a special mount in WoW called Tyrael's Charger, a winged horse inspired by the Archangel Tyrael, a major lore character of the Diablo series. The mount was delivered via in-game mail starting with the release of Patch 4.3.

Music

Russell Brower composed the music for Diablo III. When composing for the orchestra, he tried to respect the Wagnerian style from the expansion to the second game in the series, Lord of Destruction. The Overture is considered the main theme of the game and it has been performed by the Eminence Symphony Orchestra. A similar composition was used in the cinematic teaser trailer of the game. The Tristram theme from the first Diablo videogame, also used in the second game, is present in Diablo III with few changes.

System requirements

Minimum Recommended Windows.[37] Operating system Windows XP CPU Intel Pentium D 2.8 GHz or AMD Athlon 64 X2 4400+ Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz or AMD Athlon 64 X2 5600+ Memory 1 GB (1.5 GB for Vista and 7) 2 GB Hard drive space 12 GB of free space Graphics hardware NVIDIA GeForce 7800 GT 256 MB or ATi Radeon X1950 Pro 256 MB NVIDIA GeForce GTX 260 512 MB or ATi Radeon HD 4870 512 MB Sound hardware 100% DirectX 9.0c compliant card Network Internet connection required for activation, single player, and multiplayer

Saints Row: The Third

Saints Row: The Third, also known as Saints Row 3 or SR3, is an action-adventure open world video game developed by Volition, Inc. and published by THQ. It was released on November 15, 2011 in Australia and North America, and was released on November 18, 2011 in Europe for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It is the third title in the Saints Row series, after the release of Saints Row 2 in 2008. As in Saints Row 2, the player controls the leader of the Third Street Saints. The game world is the fictional city of Steelport, and the story focuses on the urban gang war between the Saints and The Syndicate, a rival criminal group.

Plot

Since the events of Saints Row 2, the 3rd Street Saints have turned their street gang into a media empire after merging with the Ultor Corporation, becoming icons across the world, with their own energy drink, Japanese commercials, a large fanbase, and a movie deal in the works. But when they attempt to rob a bank with Josh Burk (a TV star who is "researching" his part for the Saints' movie) in town, their everyday routine takes an unlikely turn when the bank tellers unexpectedly fight back with military grade weapons. The Saints attempt to airlift the vault out of the building, but when Birk accidentally sets off the alarm, it alerts the Stilwater P.D. and, after a large-scale firefight, the Saints are incarcerated.

In prison, Johnny Gat bemoans what the Saints have become, expressing disappointment at having strayed from their roots as "true gangstas". At that point, an international crime organization called The Syndicate bribes the police to release the Saints' leader (henceforth referred to as Boss), Gat, and Shaundi. The three are taken to the Syndicate's leader, Phillipe Loren, to try and negotiate a business plan with them aboard Loren's private jet. While in-flight, Loren tells them they will be allowed to live if they turn over two-thirds of their revenue made in Stilwater. The Boss and Gat immediately reject this unfair offer, starting a gunfight aboard the private jet, permanently injuring Phillipe Loren's eye. As Gat holds back their enemies, The Boss finds a parachute, and then he and Shaundi prepare to jump out of the plane. As they contact Gat on the intercom, he tells the two he will see them back in Stilwater, but then a gunshot is heard, and the intercom goes silent. The plane loses control, and objects start to get sucked out of the plane. The Boss and Shaundi are sucked out of the plane, and he is forced to battle enemies among the falling debris in mid-air, then catch Shaundi.

Upon landing, the two find themselves in the Syndicate controlled city of Steelport, a Pittsburgh-esque city described by Shaundi as "Bangkok's abusive father". The Saints invade Steelport in an attempt to profit off the city and also take control of organized crime away from the Syndicate as revenge for killing Gat. The game's main plot revolves around removing the three gangs that the Syndicate is composed of. These gangs consist of the Morning Star, a group of European businessmen that control Steelport's sex trade and manufacture weapons and genetically engineered, sometimes heavily armed, albeit flawed, superhumans called Brutes, the Deckers, a group of Tron-look-a-like elite hackers that launders money for the Syndicate and destroys the Saints' large bank accounts, and the Luchadores, a group of Mexican wrestlers who control gambling in Steelport.

After calling Pierce Washington, the Boss' main lieutenant, into Steelport, the Saints seize a Morning Star penthouse for their new headquarters, hijack a bomb from a military base, and begins attacking the Morning Star's businesses, culminating with an attack on Loren's headquarters. The Saints free the Brutes' genetic basis Oleg Kirrlov and manage to kill Loren. Killbane, leader of the Luchadores, takes charge of the Syndicate and attacks Stilwater's Hughes Memorial Bridge, destroying it with RPGs, and frames the Saints for it.

To retaliate, the player seeks out anti-Syndicate talent, recruiting Oleg (a giant man with super-human strength and intelligence and an alleged ex-KGB employee), ex-FBI hacker Kinzie Kensington; Zimos, a pimp who speaks with an Auto-Tuned electric voice box due to a tracheotomy; and Angel De La Muerte (voiced by Hulk Hogan), Killbane's vengeful former tag-team partner. They are later joined by Viola DeWynter, one of Loren's twin lieutenants, after Killbane kills her twin sister Kiki out of rage due to a failed assassination attempt on the Boss by strippers, and introduces the player to the Mayor of Steelport, Burt Reynolds (as himself). Her defection, however, coincides with the arrival of the paramilitary STAG (Special Tactics Anti-Gang) forces in Steelport, created by senator Monica Hughes after the bridge (dedicated to her husband, Alderman Hughes, from the first game)'s destruction to end gang violence once and for all. The Saints take on STAG regardless, resulting in Steelport going under martial law, and a zombie outbreak due to the Boss taking down the cargo of a STAG plane that included strange chemicals, which Mayor Burt Reynolds assigns the Third Street Saints to take care of.

After providing Kinzie with the appropriate technology, the player enters the Deckers' mainframe, defeating Matt Miller's avatar in a virtual reality fight and driving him and the Deckers out of town. At Angel's insistence, the player opts to take on Killbane by killing the other contestants in his Murderbrawl XXXI pay-per-view to gain entrance, and then, with Angel's help, defeating Killbane and his Luchadores. As a result, an enraged Killbane responds by instigating several attacks throughout Steelport to cause chaos.

The Boss is simultaneously informed that Killbane is escaping the city while STAG lieutenant Kia is holding Shaundi, the Mayor, and Viola at a Steelport monument rigged to blow to frame the Saints. If the Boss opts to eliminate Killbane, the destruction of the monument is used as a pretext by STAG to attack Steelport with the airborne aircraft carrier Daedalus; the final mission consequently sees the Boss destroying the Daedalus, killing STAG leader Cyrus Temple in the process, and declaring Steelport an independent city-state under the Saints' control. If the Boss kills Kia and saves Shaundi and the others, the Saints are hailed as heroes for saving the monument and STAG pulls out of Steelport with the threat that they will be back. The final mission instead has the Boss track Killbane down to Mars and kill him in what is ultimately revealed to be a scene from the Saints sci-fi film Gangstas in Space, based on Gat's comic books, seen in a mission earlier.

Mission structure

In previous Saints Row games, the player would be able to approach each of the three rival gangs along separate storylines that ultimately culminated into a final conclusion. In The Third, the storylines between the three gangs are interconnected, and decisions that the player makes in dealing with one faction may alter the behavior of the other factions towards the player or missions that may be available later. The developers have focused on developing an open-ended storyline; the majority of storyline missions can be completed in multiple ways, and the decisions that the player makes on these missions will ultimately affect the game's ending.

Gameplay

The Third retains the blend of an action-adventure in an open world, urban warfare format that is traditional in the Saints Row series. The player, as the leader of the Third Street Saints, can explore the city of Steelport, performing main missions that progress the game's story, and side missions. These side missions include Activities, minigames, Strongholds, rival gang bases that can be taken over to control a section of Steelport and Flashpoints, on-the-spot gang warfare. Successful completion of missions can earn the player in-game money, weapons, cars, and gang respect. The Third uses respect as experience points which grant levels, which in turn enable the player to spend money on improving specific attributes of their character, such as melee combat or firearms skills. The levelling system allows the player to purchase these attributes, or 'perks', each time the player character is leveled-up, with the various attributes requiring a certain level before purchase is possible. Money can also be used to purchase clothing items, weapons and cars, or may be used to upgrade weapons and cars, such as adding scopes or extra barrels to a weapon, which are then stored in the player's arsenal.Finally, money can be used to upgrade the Saints gang, customizing their appearance, outfits, and headquarters.

The "Initiation Station" system allows players to upload their character creations to The Third's online community, and download other players' creations to use with their save game. Within The Third, the player can set up to four different appearances for their gang. Finally, money is also used to purchase shops and other properties within Steelport, which will provide a steady stream of income for the gang over time.

While completing some missions, the player may be given a choice of options to finalize the mission. For example, the player has the option of using a gigantic bomb to demolish one of the skyscrapers in the city; though they will gain a great deal of respect for the action, it will alter the city's skyline for the rest of the game and cause non-player characters to react differently to the player, while leaving the building standing allows it to be used as a headquarters for the Saints. New Activities have been introduced alongside many from previous Saints Row games.

The player's arsenal is presented as a pop-up compass through which weapons are equipped with the analog stick. Novelty weapons are introduced alongside the traditional arsenal of handguns and automatic weapons. Players will gain the ability to call down airstrikes on encamped enemies, or to use a remote control electric bug to control vehicles remotely. Unlike the first two games, there are no health recovery items in favor of improving the grenade throwing system; in exchange, the player's health will regenerate at a faster rate as long as they stay out of the line of fire. Nearly all actions in the game can be sped up by holding down a second controller button, dubbed by Volition as the "awesome button"; for example, when carjacking, holding down this button will cause the player character to missile-kick the driver out of the seat in short order.

In addition to the single-player mode, the game can be played co-operatively with another player. As in Saints Row 2, the second player can participate in all missions and activities, earning credit for their completion. Certain activities provide different rules when a second player is present; for example, in the Tiger Escort activity, the second player will have to control the tiger in the backseat while the first player drives. Because of their focus on the single player and co-operative experience, Volition has removed competitive multiplayer from the title. Co-op features require an online pass.

Development

The Third was envisioned as early as September 2008, when it was in the early stages of production. An investor's presentation was held by THQ in February 2009, wherein their lineup for the coming financial years was announced. The presentation announced that The Third was projected to release during financial year 2011. In an interview for the December 2009 issue of Game Informer magazine, THQ vice president Danny Bilson announced that The Third would debut at the 2010 Electronic Entertainment Expo , and that it would retain the over-the-top style of its predecessors.

During E3 2010, he revealed that the game would not debut there but would instead be shown at the Spike Video Game Awards in December. He also revealed that THQ planned to release a Saints Row film as well as various merchandise such as a collectible card game and books. At E3, THQ announced Saints Row: Drive-By instead. It was to be released on the Nintendo 3DS and via PlayStation Network and Xbox Live as part of a marketing strategy for The Third. During the Spike Video Game Awards, Volition announced inSANE, a collaboration with Guillermo del Toro, instead of The Third. It was officially announced for Q4 2011 on March 2, 2011 in a press release by THQ. In May 2011, THQ announced that The Third's tie-in Saints Row: Drive-By had ceased development and had been cancelled.

As for the game engine, Volition representatives said: "In regards to considerations over Geo-Mod 2, we get that question a lot understandably, and the answer is yes, we considered it. But we ended up not going in that direction for two reasons. One, it would have been very, very difficult to do. It would have been possible, but difficult. Two, I think you could make the argument that delivering that level of destruction arguably creates a game that’s different to what fans of the franchise have come to expect."

When THQ CEO Brian Farrell was asked if Grand Theft Auto V will affect pre-orders for The Third at THQ’s Q2 financial conference call, he replied that GTA V and The Third are in a "completely different positioning." "I went online like everyone to see the GTA trailer. As you point out, it's a high quality trailer and I think it’s going to be another fantastic game in the GTA series. That said, it also shows the completely different positioning of the two games. GTA is still serious and character driven – a very different experience. Saints Row – if you saw our video today – it shows you all the crazy stuff in the game. It's a totally different positioning, and if you read the forums it's like 'hey, I love GTA, and I love this game because it's a very different game that knows what it is and is very entertaining."

Speaking with Spong, producer Greg Donovan said that in order for The Third to differentiate itself from other open world games, everything had to be "over the top this time around":

"Scott [Phillips] and I didn’t work on Saints Row 1 – we were on SR2 and SR3 – but I’ll give you a bit of history about it all… The whole goal for Saints Row 1 was to create an open world game on the Xbox 360, because there was nothing else out there at the time. We had no idea that San Andreas was going to be this urban contemporary simulator – and when we found out we thought 'well, shit'. We could do very little about going up against GTA at the time though, so we kept on at it. In Saints Row’s defence though, it did have activities like Insurance Fraud, and other mechanics that similar games didn’t. And from there it’s seen a natural evolution, I would say for Saints Row 2. We still had some serious moments with it – we had long discussions in development over whether the Ronin should have swords on their backs or not, thinking that players would care about that stuff. But they don’t. With Saints Row: The Third, we’re doing a complete reboot of the franchise, with new technology and everything else. Everything’s just going to be over the top this time around. It works for us, it differentiates us from other open world games, we do it well, and players love it."

Soundtrack

See also: Saints Row: The Third soundtrack

Marketing and release

Prior to its release, Saints Row: The Third was marketed and promoted heavily through the use of numerous Internet and TV trailers. In addition, several special editions of the game are available. To promote the game in Australia, THQ had securely-fitted attire women to dispense free petrol for motorists in the suburb of Redfern, New South Wales. The event lasted only three hours until police were involved. Saints Row: The Third has received heavy funding and sponsorship and has appeared at game conventions with its own booth. Saints Row: The Third has appeared at E3, THQ Gamer's Day, Comic Con, PAX '11, Eurogamer Expo '11 and Gamescom.

Retail editions

Every new copy of Saints Row: The Third on PlayStation 3 features a complimentary download of Saints Row 2, if the Online Pass code included with the game is redeemed before 13 February, 2012. The deal appears to be a make-up offering following the no-show of promised PS3-exclusive content in the finished retail release.

There are three separate "Collectors Editions" available. All contain a copy of the game, along with several extras. The "Platinum Pack" is exclusive to North America, which include a copy of the game, the Professor Genki Hyper-Ordinary pre-order DLC, the game's official soundtrack and a custom Saints Row headset. There's no word on European - or indeed PC - availability The "Smooth Criminal Edition" is exclusive to Australia and New Zealand packaged in unique edition packaging and includes sunglasses, a bullet-shaped ice cube tray, silver-plated Saints Crest cuff links and the game's official soundtrack. Customers who pre-order the "Smooth Criminal Edition" will also receive the Professor Genki Hyper-Ordinarypre-order pack. The "Maximum Pleasure" is also exclusive to Australia and New Zealand, which is packaged in Maximum Pleasure packaging and includes Hyper-Replica Professor Genki head, Professor Genki Stuntman key-ring and Professor Genki banner pen.

The standard version consists of the game and an instructional manual, and is one of the only version available for the Microsoft Windows platform. In addition to the standard version, a "Limited Edition" of the game has been announced, which was available through pre-order. The "Limited Edition" features the Professor Genki Hyper-Ordinary pre-order DLC as a bonus. The "Limited Edition" is available at the same price as the regular game, but in limited quantities, and is available to both the console and PC version of the game.

(Screenshot)

Downloadable content

The first 3000 players in North America who purchased Saints Row: The Third from the THQ Online Store on the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC or Steam received the "Saints Row Season Pass". The "Season Pass" includes the game's first three downloadable mission packs. The three downloadable mission packs included in the "Season Pass" are Genkibowl VII, The Trouble with Clones... and Gangstas in Space. Also included in the "Season Pass" is the The Nyte Blayde DLC Pack.

Professor Genki Hyper-Ordinary (pre-order DLC) includes Professor Genki's Super Ballistic Man-a-pult, Professor Genki's "Octopuss" Weapon and Professor Genki's Leisure Stunt Suit.

Shark Attack includes Shark-O-Matic Gun and Shark Bite Hat.

Invincible Pack contains cheat codes.

The Nyte Blayde DLC Pack includes Bloody Cannoness Outfit, Altar Boy Outfit, Bloody Cannoness Bike and Nyte Blayde Mobile.

Explosive Combat Pack includes Future Soldier Outfit and a new weapon.

Z Style Pack includes Z-Style Hat and Outfit.

*Warrior*' Pack includes Knight of Steelport Armor, Warrior Princess Outfit, Kabuki Warrior Outfit, and Intergalactic Warrior Outfit.

Online Pass allows access to play the game in co-op mode.

Season Pass contains Nyte Blayde DLC Pack and DLC Packs stated below.

Upcoming

Genkibowl VII (available January 2012), first mission pack.

The Trouble with Clones... (available Spring 2012), second mission pack.

Gangstas in Space (available Winter 2012), third mission pack.

Reviews

Saints Row: The Third received highly positive reviews from critics. Reviewers praised the game's action, over-the-top gameplay, and quirky humor.

The first review was published by Official Xbox Magazine for the Xbox 360 version, which gave The Third a 9.5 out of 10. They praised the game for its open world action, over the top action moments, self-aware sense of humor, and fun cooperative multiplayer. Their biggest complaint was that the story missions themselves do not allow for much creativity or improvisation the way that the open world does.

The second review and the first for the PlayStation 3 version was published by Play Magazine, which awarded the game 88%, and stated "It has its issues, it has its drawbacks, but Saints Row: The Third is an utterly wanton, totally ridiculous bag of laughs. It's difficult to dislike anyway, and even harder to dislike with such an enjoyable, escalatory campaign. Great stuff."

The first review for the PC version of the game was published by PC Gamer, which gave it 83%, and stated that "It's mad. In fact, it barely makes any sense at all. But for all its wonky bits, there's an odd charm to Volition's decision to leave nothing on the drawing board. It's not the largest sandbox, but it is packed full of brilliant toys. Saints Row: The Third's commitment to unrestricted, ridiculous fun is unflinching, and the product is a city full of glorious slapstick debauchery."

1UP gave the game a B+, and stated that "Lackluster side-content notwithstanding, Saints Row: The Third is so crazy and over-the-top that you can't go wrong with this game -- provided that you're the sort that would appreciate the game's knowingly juvenile sense of humor." IGN gave the game 8.5 and stated that "Saints Row: The Third gives the people what they want and drops us into an open world hilarious theme park. It doesn't take itself too seriously and only asks that you don't, either."

G4TV awarded the game a 5/5, praising it for its over-the-top self aware sense of humor, surprisingly likeable characters, and enjoyable gameplay. The only complaints made were that the humor fell occasionally flat and some people might be too easily offended. Regardless of the drawbacks, they stated, "The humor is ridiculously, deliciously over-the-top, perhaps borderline offensive at times, but the best creative works always are. The gameplay is as tight as it's always been but even more fun than ever thanks to the varied set of tasks placed in front of you. This series is a knockoff no more; Saints Row: The Third is, in a word, brilliant."

Sales

On November 2, 2011, THQ CEO Brian Farrell announced that Saints Row: The Third is already the most pre-ordered title in series history. In fact, the game has four times the number of pre-orders Saints Row 2 had two weeks before its launch. THQ estimates the game will ship over 3 million units before the publisher's fiscal year ends in March 2012. By comparison, Saints Row 2 launched in October 2008 and sold 2.6 million by the end of the fiscal year. Saints Row: The Third debuted at fourth place at the UK video game sales chart in its first week, beating the week one sales of Saints Row 2 by 93 percent.

Technical Issues

Despite Volition's claim that the PC version of the game was being developed in house to be a great experience, many PC players reported longterm performance problems with the game, which in many cases made it unplayable. Analysis by another gaming blog showed the game was badly optimized for high spec systems. 

Sequel

During an interview with X-Play, THQ executive VP Danny Bilson revealed that Volition is already working on Saints Row 4. "Like any game, if you have a great creative core to it you just keep exploiting that core," he told G4. "For instance," he continued, "I know what Saints Row 4 is about and it is wilder than this one. It's a good example of how you take what you have and you ask, 'what could happen in the next?" added Bilson, without giving up any actual details.

Minimum System Requirements –

* OS: Windows XP / Vista
* CPU: 2GHz Dual Core Processor (Intel® Core 2 Duo or AMD Athlon™ X2) or higher
* RAM: 2 GB
* HDD space: 10 GB
* Graphics: 320 MB 3D Video Card w/Shader Model 3.0 Support
* Sound Card: DirectX 9.0c

Recommended System Requirements

* OS: Windows XP / Vista / 7
* CPU: Any Quad Core Processor (Intel® Core i5 or AMD Phenom™ II X4) or 3.0+ Dual Core CPU
* RAM: 4 GB
* HDD space: 10 GB
* Graphics: 1 GB with Shader Model 4.0 Support
* Sound Card: DirectX 9.0c
* Broadband Connection for Internet Multiplayer

Supported Graphics Cards:

Minimum – NVIDIA® GeForce 8800 series or ATI Radeon HD3800 series
Recommended – NVIDIA GeForce GTX 400 series ATI Radeon HD5000 series

Note: Co-Op Play: NVIDIA GeForce 8800 cards require 640MB of Video RAM. ATI Radeon HD3800 cards require 1GB of Video RAM

I give this game a 9/10. The control is kinda tricky (Cars mostly). 

As far As I Can Tell

"As far as I Can Tell" this game has a great caracter creation, you can make almost all celebrityes if you are such good (check youtube videos). You can pimp your ride up to (gold wheels on a DumpTruck or Peterliner). You are almost invincible in the game (without cheats). The game has like tons of funny moments and dialogue. You make a little tycoon in the game (buy buildings and store wich make you profit) - huge one. 

I recommend this game for GTA series lovers/fans. It even beats GTA IV at some points (gameplay). 

Known bugs I found: none so far. Still I recommend a patch for (optimising graphics a little and sound). 

I recommend a DX11 compatible computer to see the real graphics! 

Please comment and share your point of view!

Battlefield 3

Battlefield 3 (commonly abbreviated to BF3) is a first-person shooter video game developed by EA Digital Illusions CE and published by Electronic Arts. The game was released in North America on October 25, 2011 and in Europe on October 28, 2011 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and EA Mobile confirmed a port for the iOS platform. It does not support versions of Windows prior to Windows Vista as the game only supports DirectX 10 and 11.

It is a direct sequel to 2005's Battlefield 2, and the eleventh installment in the Battlefield franchise. The game sold 5 million copies in its first week of release, and was released to critical acclaim from most game reviewers. The PC download is exclusive to EA's Origin platform, through which PC users also authenticate when connecting to the game.

In campaign mode, players take on the personas of various military roles; including a USMC reconnaissance officer, an F-18 systems officer, an M1A2 Abrams tank operator, and a SPETSNAZ operative. The campaign takes place at various locations, including Iran, and follows the story of Sergeant Blackburn and later, Dimitri Mayakovsky.

Gameplay

Screenshot of the single-player campaign mode of Battlefield 3. The player character is armed with a G36C assault rifle.

Battlefield 3 features the combined arms battles that made the series popular across single-player, co-operative and multiplayer modes. It reintroduces several elements absent from the Bad Company games, including fighter jets, the prone position and 64-player battles on PC. To accommodate the lower player count on consoles, the ground area is limited for Xbox 360 and PS3, though fly space remains the same.

During an interview with Game Informer Magazine, EA stated that Commander Mode is unlikely to be included,which was met with some criticism on the EA forum.

The game features maps set in Paris, Tehran, Sulaymaniyah, New York, Wake Island and Oman. The maps cover urban streets, metropolitan downtown areas, and open landscapes suited to vehicle combat.

Battlefield 3 introduces the "Battlelog"; a free cross-platform social service with built-in text messaging, voice communications, game statistics, and the ability to join games that friends are already playing (though both players need to be on the same platform).

Campaign

The game's campaign takes place in the year 2014. The initial sections of the campaign are set near the Iraq-Iran border, where the US Marine Corps are fighting the People's Liberation and Resistance (PLR). The game later moves into northern Iran, continuing the fight against the PLR. There is a mission set in the streets of Paris, and another set in the sewers and subways of New York.

Cooperative

A demo featuring the new co-op mode was featured at Gamescom 2011. DICE GM Karl Magnus Troedsson confirmed that a split screen option will not be available in co-op mode. Battlefield 3's new Battlelog social network, DICE noted, would be tied to all co-op matches, allowing players to try to beat friends' scores and to track their performance.

Multiplayer

Screenshot of the HUD as shown in the fighter jet in Multiplayer Mode.

Battlefield 3's multiplayer matches see players take on one of four roles: Assault, Support, Engineer and Recon. The Assault class focuses on assault rifles and healing teammates. The Support class focuses on LMGs and supplying ammunition. The Engineer class focuses on supporting and destroying vehicles. The Recon class focuses on sniping and spotting enemies. The mechanics of the weapons have been changed to utilize the new engine: compatible weapons may have bipods attached which can then be deployed when in the prone position or near suitable scenery, and provide a significant boost to accuracy and recoil reduction. Suppressive fire from weapons blurs the vision and reduces the accuracy of those under fire, as well as health regeneration. The Recon class can put a radio beacon anywhere on the map and all squad members will be able to spawn on the location of the beacon.

Several game modes are present, including Conquest, Rush, Squad Deathmatch, Squad Rush and for the first time since Battlefield 1942, Team Deathmatch.

The PC version of Battlefield 3 does not feature a main menu; instead the game is launched via a web browser from the Battlelog web site. A server browser is present in console versions of the game, however.

Synopsis

Characters

Staff Sergeant Henry "Black" Blackburn

A member of the U.S. Marine Corps 1st Reconnaissance Battalion and the game's main protagonist.

Sergeant Jonathan "Jono" Miller

Miller is a tank operator, taking part in an operation against the PLR in order to support the USMC forces in Tehran.

Lieutenant Jennifer "Colby" Hawkins

Hawkins is an F/A-18 NFO (Naval Flight Officer) responsible for manning her aircraft's weapon systems while participating in an aerial operation over Tehran.

Dimitri "Dima" Mayakovsky

A GRU operative deployed in Paris and Northern Iran to stop a nuclear threat.

Solomon

The game's main antagonist, he works closely with the PLR, Kaffarov and the CIA.

David Montes

An American Marine who fights together with Sergeant Henry Blackburn, and is also the last surviving member of his squad.

Plot

Set in 2014, Sgt. Blackburn leads a five-man squad on a mission to find and safely return a US squad investigating a possible IED in Sulaymaniyah, Iraq, whose last known position was a market controlled by a hostile militia called the PLR. Several weeks later, the US sends Marines into Iran. Naval aviator and F-18 pilot Lt. Hawkins engages fighters over Iran and takes part in an air strike against Mehrabad Airport. In the aftermath of the air strikes, Blackburn and his squad are sent to Tehran to perform battle damage assessment and apprehend the leader of the PLR, Al-Bashir. While investigating an underground vault in the target's suspected location, Blackburn and his team learn that the PLR acquired Russian portable nuclear devices, and that two of the three devices are missing. Being overrun, and requesting back-up, an M1 Abrams convoy led by Sergeant Miller is deployed to extract Blackburn's team. Miller facilitates Blackburn's helicopter extraction, but is captured when waiting for a Quick Reaction Force. Miller is promptly executed by Solomon and Al-Bashir, with the event being filmed.

Later, Blackburn and his squad manage to capture Al-Bashir, who realizes Solomon betrayed him and reveals his plot to detonate the nukes in Paris and New York, before dying from the wounds he sustained in his capture. Blackburn's team also gets a lead on an arms dealer, Kaffarov, who was working with Solomon; however, while pursuing Kaffarov, the Americans encounter a large Russian force, who are also attempting to apprehend Kaffarov and are hostile towards the Americans. Almost all of Blackburn's squad is killed, while a Spetsnaz team led by Dima assaults Kaffarov's villa. Dima successfully interrogates Kaffarov, and reveals Solomon's plot to Blackburn.

Blackburn's commanding officer arrives and to save Dima's life and let him escape, Blackburn shoots his CO. Due to this, Blackburn is captured and interrogated by agents within the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and explains all of his previous operations to them in flashbacks. During Blackburn's capture, Dima attempts to stop the attack in Paris, but he is unsuccessful and his team is wounded in the resulting detonation. The CIA agents do not believe Blackburn's story, since Solomon is a CIA informant and there is no concrete proof of his involvement in the terrorist attacks. They instead believe that Russia is responsible for the attacks and that Dima had played Blackburn.

Left with no other option, Blackburn and surviving squad member Montes break out of captivity to stop the attack in New York. Solomon shoots Montes, but Blackburn manages to kill Solomon in the resulting melee, as well as recovering the last nuclear device. In the epilogue, having been diagnosed with radiation poisoning, Dima writes about the efforts of both him and Blackburn to stop Solomon's plot. He then readies his gun when a knock is heard at his door.

Development

Network 1 Mbit/s broadband internet connection for Online play and Online registration and Activation

Battlefield 3's lead platform is the PC rather than a console. The Xbox 360 version of Battlefield 3 is shipped on two discs due to the disc size limit; however, the PS3 version ships on one Blu-ray Disc.

Battlefield 3 debuts the new Frostbite 2 engine. This updated Frostbite engine can realistically portray the destruction of buildings and scenery to a greater extent than previous versions. Unlike previous iterations, the new version can also support dense urban areas.

Battlefield 3 uses a new type of character animation technology called ANT. ANT technology is used in EA Sports games, such as FIFA, but for Battlefield 3 is adapted to create a more realistic soldier, with the ability to transition into cover and turn the head before the body, as well as "drag fallen comrades into safety and mount weapons on almost any part of the terrain".

PlayStation 3 exclusive content

On June 6, 2011, during Sony's E3 2011 press conference, Jack Tretton of Sony Computer Entertainment of America announced that the PlayStation 3 version of the game would be bundled with a free copy of Battlefield 1943, however, at launch, the game wasn't included. EA then said that Battlefield 3 PlayStation 3 owners would receive timed-exclusive DLC for the game instead. On November 20, 2011, Law firm Edelson McGuire took EA to court on behalf of disappointed gamers. The complaint focuses on EA's communication of the change of plan, second proposal with early DLC that had already been announced.[34] Shortly after EA was threatened with being taken to court over its failure to deliver the free game as announced at E3, EA announced they will offer owners of the PlayStation 3 version of Battlefield 3 a free downloadable copy of Battlefield 1943.

Wii U version

On June 7, 2011, during Nintendo's E3 2011 press conference, John Riccitiello of EA games expressed interest in Nintendo's upcoming system, the Wii U. Patrick Liu, the executive producer of Battlefield 3, stated that EA DICE currently have no games in development for the Wii U and a port for the console "probably won't happen".

Beta

The open beta commenced on September 29, 2011, for all platforms, and ended on October 10, 2011. 48 hour early access was granted to those players who bought Medal of Honor: Tier 1 edition first-hand or pre-ordered the digital version of Battlefield 3: Limited Edition through Origin.

Sequel

Electronic Arts president Frank Gibeau confirmed the company's intention to release a sequel during a keynote at the University of California. His comment was then Tweeted by attendees. "There is going to be a Battlefield 4", he said. Afterwards, an EA spokesperson told IGN: "Frank was speaking broadly about the Battlefield brand - a brand that EA is deeply passionate about and a fan community that EA is committed to." On the eve of Battlefield 3's launch, DICE told Eurogamer it was the Swedish studio's hope that it would one day get the opportunity to make Battlefield 4. "This feels like day one now," executive producer Patrick Bach said. "It's exciting. The whole Frostbite 2 thing has opened up a big landscape ahead of us so we can do whatever we want."

Marketing and release

A Battlefield 3 demo was presented at Gamescom 2011 in Cologne, Germany

Battlefield 3 was revealed on February 3, 2011, by GameInformer magazine. A month of GameInformer coverage included information on building the game and interviews with DICE, as well as three trailers: a teaser and the first two parts in a series of gameplay from the level "Fault Line". Several other trailers were released showing different aspects of the game, including both single and multiplayer, as well as emphasizing the new engine. On August 16, 2011, co-op gameplay and a "Caspian Border Multiplayer Gameplay Trailer" were shown at Gamescom 2011 illustrating the co-op mode and the first footage of air combat, respectively.

Trailer releases also gained momentum in the week before the release of the game. EA released a multiplayer trailer which showed the variety of maps available in multiplayer, with short scenes of actual gameplay. It also featured shots of a map that is included in the "Back to Karkand" downloadable content (DLC). EA also released an official launch trailer, showing off the various missions in the single player.

EA CEO John Riccitiello stated that Battlefield 3 is aimed at competing with the Call of Duty series. "This November, we're launching Battlefield 3. It's going up against the next Call of Duty, which is presently the #1 game in the game industry," he said, "A game that last year did $400 million in revenue on day one. Battlefield 3 is designed to take that game down." EA planned on spending over $100 million on a marketing campaign for Battlefield 3. Electronic Arts also stated that Battlefield 3 is a "flat out superior" product to blockbuster first person shooter (FPS) Call of Duty. EA has also said it is going on the "offense" in regards to its marketing on Battlefield 3, saying that it started its campaign early to establish a "beachhead".[48] Anyone who had watched a trailer for the upcoming film Act of Valor through the official Battlefield 3 website could receive free downloadable dogtags for use with any version of the game.

Pre-order promotion

Strike at Karkand concept art.

All pre-orders of the Limited Edition grant free access to the "Back to Karkand" DLC pack, a reference to the "Strike at Karkand" map (a popular BF2 map), to include four maps brought over from Battlefield 2, 10 new weapons, 4 new vehicles, 5 new achievements/trophies, and a new addition to the series, "Assignments". The maps from the expansion pack will be: Strike at Karkand, Gulf of Oman, Wake Island, and Sharqi Peninsula.

Pre-ordering at selected retailers and Origin included the "Physical Warfare Pack", granting access to time-based exclusive weapons and items; including a light machine gun, a sniper rifle accessory, and armor-piercing ammunition. Also included is launch day access to the DAO-12 semi-automatic shotgun, which other players can unlock through game play.Pre-order at select retailers also provide the "SPECACT Kit Upgrade", the "Dog Tag Pack" and Battlefield 3 gear for the player's console avatar. Pre-ordering at Origin gave players a shotgun and beret for Battlefield Play4Free, and 48 hour early access to the Battlefield 3 beta.[39]

Originally the "Physical Warfare Pack" was to be exclusive to pre-orders, but fan reaction to this was negative, causing EA to clarify that it would be made available to all players for free later in the year. On September 2, 2011, a trailer for the Physical Warfare Pack was released on YouTube showing all the content included within the pack in action in-game.

All the content except the "Back to Karkand" pack was available from day one. The release date for the pack has been announced for December 6th, 2011 for the PS3, and a week later for the Xbox 360 and PC.

Online Pass

To access the game's online multiplayer mode on consoles, players need to activate an Online Pass. New copies of the game include one Online Pass for the original owner of the game to access the multiplayer; however, if a player buys a used copy or rents the game, they must purchase an Online Pass separately, as there is no trial period for rentals. When asked why the developers implemented the pass system, game designer Alan Kertz replied, "because servers cost money, and used games don't make developers any money."

Novel

Andy McNab penned a tie-in novel called Battlefield 3: The Russian, which features the story around GRU Spetsnaz commando Dimitry Mayakovsky and his involvement against the PLR. He also served as the game's consultant on military tactics. The novel was released on October 25, 2011.

Reception

Sales and revenue

According to EA, Battlefield 3 garnered 3 million pre-orders by the day of its release. It is unknown at present whether these figures are worldwide or just for the US. The pre-order total makes it "the biggest first-person shooter launch in EA history", according to the publisher. Two days after launch, EA CEO John Riccitiello announced via a conference call to investors that Battlefield 3 has already shipped 10 million units within a week of release, with 3 million of those being pre-orders. Electronic Arts stated that the title sold 5 million units within the first week of availability, easily becoming its fastest-selling game. After one month, EA chief financial officer Eric Brown announced Battlefield 3 had sold 8 million copies, and that the publisher has shipped 12 million copies of the game to retailers, 2 million more than it shipped for launch week. Peter Moore, the high-profile COO of EA, insisted that Battlefield 3 successfully captured a slice of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3’s market share.

In Japan, Battlefield 3 had sold around 123,379 copies for the PS3 and 27,723 copies for the Xbox 360 when it was released. In the first week, the game had sold 18,792 copies for the PS3 for a total of 142,171 copies. The PS3 version later sold 8,094 copies for a total of 150,265 copies.[

Critical reception

Reception

Battlefield 3 has received mostly positive reviews. IGN gave Battlefield 3 a score of 9.0 out of 10.0 for all platforms, and praised the graphics and multiplayer game. Even though it criticized the single-player campaign story, and the occasional glitches of the game engine, it still gave the game a mostly positive review, "Regardless of the narrative missteps or the occasional glitches, Battlefield 3 offers an unforgettable, world-class multiplayer suite that's sure to excite shooter fans."

Joystiq awarded the game 4.5 out of 5 stars, stating that the campaign was "tactically linear" and that the A.I. within the game were "murderously un-fun to fight". Complaints were also made of the multiplayer aspect, stating that destruction was less than expected: "It's not Bad Company 2, and levels won't start out intact and end looking like the surface of the moon the way they often did in that game." They did, however, praise the multiplayer experience as "unmatched", stating that this should be the sole reason to buy the game.

Gamespot gave Battlefield 3 a score of 8.5 out of 10 across all platforms. They praised the deep multiplayer mode, great variety of vehicles, many well-designed environments, and a great reward system for team play; however, they criticized the campaign for being "dull and disappointing" and using a "familiar formula". The cooperative mode was viewed favorably; the only criticism on the cooperative missions was that "there aren't more of them to keep you busy". 

Official Xbox Magazine gave the game 9 out of 10, commending the game for its multiplayer mode, but criticizing the solo campaign. Similarly, Official Xbox Magazine (UK) gave the game 8 out of 10, applauding its multiplayer gaming and calling it "The most expansive, refined Battlefield multiplayer yet" while also criticizing the single-player experience.

Other responses

A scene in which the player is prompted to kill a rat was criticized by PETA. In a press release issued by the organization's German office, it claimed that the game "treats animals in a sadistic manner," The release also went further on to say that the scene can have "a brutalising effect on the young male target audience."

The reproduction of various scenes in Battlefield 3 are highly accurate of their real-life counterparts such as the Grand Bazaar.[citation needed] Iran has reacted to the scenes set within Iran by banning the sale of the game. This comes after Iranian gamers had protested the release of the game and called for an apology.

[hide] Reception
Aggregate scores
Aggregator	Score
GameRankings	(PC) 87.03%[69] (PS3) 84.88%[70] (X360) 84.34%[71]
Metacritic	(PC) 89/100[72] (PS3) 85/100[73] (X360) 84/100[74]
Review scores
Publication	Score
1UP.com	(PC) A-[75] (PS3 & X360) B+[76]
Eurogamer	8/10[77]
Game Informer	(PC) 9.5/10[78]
GameSpot	8.5/10[79][80][81]
GameSpy	(PC) [82]
IGN	9/10[83][84][85]
Official Xbox Magazine	9/10[86]
Joystiq	[87

System requirements

Minimum Recommended Microsoft Windows[27] Operating system Windows Vista (Service Pack 2) 32-bit Windows 7 64-bit CPU Intel Core 2 Duo 2.4 GHz or AMD Athlon X2 2.7 GHz Intel or AMD quad-core Memory 2 GB RAM 4 GB RAM Hard drive space 20 GB for disc version or 25 GB for online distributed version + 100MB for Origin Platform Installation Graphics hardware NVIDIA GeForce 8800 GT or ATi Radeon HD 3870 with pixel shader 5.0 NVIDIA GeForce GTX 560 or AMD Radeon HD 6950 Sound hardware DirectX compliant Sound card Network 1 Mbit/s broadband internet connection for Online play and Online registration and Activation

This game really needs the requirements posted. It has some "eyetaped on screen" graphics!

I give it a 10/10 overall. 

As far as I can Tell

"As far as I can tell" it has some sound problems and some graphic glitches on some Video and audio onboard cards. 

Please comment and share your point of view about the game!