Review: Battlefield 3: Back To Karkand – Expansion Pack (PlayStation 3)

Wayne Webb

Battlefield 3 (BF3) does excel in the multiplayer arena as I was underwhelmed by the single player campaign. I noticed that when I put the game back in it came with a hefty 700MB update before I got to the 1.3GB map expansion pack, Back to Karkand.  I suspect the update had a lot of updates that dealt with the bugs I found when playing the game when it was initially released.

This is not a whole new game, and does not touch the single player campaign at all. This is all multiplayer and this is Battlefield’s true strength. BF3 does deliver ultra-realistic game play compared to its twin Call of Duty and it shows up markedly in multiplayer maps. Huge environments and playable areas, large numbers of players and inclusion of vehicles make it fast and furious from the get go. I took a dive off an aircraft carrier and swam to shore in one level, something you could never do in the confines of most first-person shooters. For the weekend warriors among you, BF3 is probably the nirvana you are looking for without firing real bullets.

The expansion pack brings new maps that are in fact old – they are classic maps from BF2 brought up to date for BF3 and with the inclusion of two new modes. These modes are mash-ups of existing modes in BF3 but they added some freshness into the game and for hardcore fans they get to play new style in old environments.

It’s an effective and relatively cheap way to re-inject life into a game that has had a couple of months under its belt now. It shows online as older well-played maps are almost instant deathtraps at least for newcomers to the BF3 online experience (i.e. me).  Mistakes are still being made in the new maps – at least for a short period as the hardcore get used to the newness of it all.

I did like the inclusion of these maps; they add variety and a chance for me to at least get on the scoreboard a little more than usual.

Pros: New maps, and new modes, throwback to classic Battlefield games.
Cons: It’s just a set of multiplayer maps

4 Shacks Out Of 5