So last night I finally got up the nerve to unwrap my shiny new BattleField 3 game and toss it into the 360.  Before I get into it, I think its important to say that I am a hard-core fan of the Call of duty franchise.  So much so, that I never would have given BF3 a second look… had it not been for the nagging MoFos in the coffee shop every morning.  So… I decided to give this one a chance.

The initial “set-up” takes a good 8-10 minutes, so don’t kick this one-off with the heartened desire to drop balls right into the heat of it.  Then there is a mission or two that basically shows you how to use their button set-up.  Then… then the action kicks in, and I have to saw… wow.  it’s pretty much guaranteed anymore that when a new top-notch first-person shooter hits the market that the level of intensity and graphics will out-do anyone before.  BF3 is absolutely in line with that philosophy!  Perfect point… there is one level in the game where you get into a jet, and after a short pre-takeoff checklist, are taken for one hell of a ride.  Brothers… I had a moment or two of legit tummy turning!  It is so lifelike and detailed that the barrel-rolls almost made me fall over.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzpISsS6bKg&hd=1&t=2m50s]

I’m about half way through the game so far… and while it’s really difficult to compare to COD, it is definitely a fun game to play with both difficulty and open decision-making.  One super cool feature about BF3 is the way you can obliterate cover.  For example: I was trying to take out this homie hiding behind a pillar and found that the more I shot at his cover… the less it was there!  After a short time he was hiding behind a small chunk of concrete and a few re-bars.  Very cool!  Would I say it’s better than COD?  No.  Worse?  No.  But a little different… and very cool?  Yes.

This weekend I’ll fire up the multiplayer side of the game (a separate disk with the Xbox 360)… in my opinion, the most important part of these games!

So far… I dig it!!