I have to start this out by saying I haven't played a game in the Battlefield series since "BF: Vietnam" for PC. But, just like every FPS fanatic out there, I was blown away by the sheer beauty and realism of the teaser clips of Battlefield's new Frostbite 2 graphic engine. Frostbite 2 was optimized for DirectX 11 and 64-bit processors, and is best suited for a more recent gaming PC, so unfortunately my gaming PC that hasn't been updated since the early 2000's got the shun to the XBOX 360 and my 52" HDTV this time around.

For the 360 beta, EA chose one map and one game mode for public testing. The map, Operation Metro, based in France, is more like four maps rolled into one. The game mode they chose, Rush, involves destroying or defending (depending on team) eight different points on the map, two at a time in each stage of the map. This means one multiplayer match can last up to an hour if the teams are well balanced, or as little as 15 minutes if they aren't. Rush mode can be really fun, but sometimes I found myself getting frustrated with teammates who don't know how to play Battlefield correctly, like having four snipers on one squad. Ugh.

Presentation wise, the graphics and sound in this game are stunning. Environments seem to be never-ending, with explosions happening in the background, war planes flying overhead, and anti aircraft missiles attempting to take them out. The lighting from muzzle flare and RPG rockets is scary real. The voices are equally as eerie, with grown men screaming in pain and expletives being yelled whenever a live grenade falls near you or a teammate. In order for the 360 to handle the load of the enormous environments and extreme graphics in BF3, they had to reduce the frame rate to 30fps. Which isn't that noticeable, until you go back to a game that is running at 60fps.

The beta's first day on the 360 didn't go to hot. Servers were down for most of the day, but finally came back online around 10pm EST. And of course, to be expected with every beta, glitches do happen periodically in the game. I've had instances of the sound completely failing, my character falling underneath the map, and the screen turning a shade of dark blue. I'm sure EA will iron out all of these problems by launch date.

The beta has definitely got me excited to get my hands on the full game when it releases on October 25. Check back for my full review shortly after launch!