Bulletstorm was more of a bullet drizzle, and Medal of Honor didn't win any medals. That is to say, EA has published plenty of games in the shooting genre, but none have successfully challenged Call of Duty for the title of FPS king. Now, they are trying again with one of the most beloved FPS franchises on the market today. Brace yourself: Battlefield 3 is coming.

The last time EA showed a demo of Battlefield 3, they called it "The best modern era shooter ever made." The Digital Illusions development team has made sure to include everything you loved from previous Battlefield games. 64 player battles? Battlefield 3 has it. Combination air and land conflicts? Battlefield 3 has it. Commander Mode? Well, OK, Battlefield 3 doesn't have that, but no one really liked Commander Mode anyway.

This time around, the dev team isn't looking to innovate, but rather to perfect an already solid formula. Instead of giving us tons of new game modes, they are focusing on delivering the perfect Battlefield experience to their already huge fan base. And, of course, the graphics are the first step in this process.

Battlefield 3 takes advantage of a new form of character animation technology called ANT, which captures realistic human motion and translates it into the game world. Previously, EA Sports used this technology to create realistic moving athletes. Now, Digital Illusions is now using ANT to realistically animate the way soldiers move. A full-length gameplay trailer was released a month ago, showcasing some of this new technology. Soldiers now move their heads before their bodies when running out of cover. They realistically react to sounds around them, twitching at explosions and bullet shots. Even the simple recoil of a rifle affects the entirety of a soldier's model in ways that simply haven't been expressed before in a video game.

Of course it wouldn't be Battlefield if it didn't have destructible terrain. In order to raise the bar of destruction, an entire new game engine was built for Battlefield 3. Frostbite 2, as the engine is called, allows for some seriously flexible gameplay. We have already seen sniper roosts blown apart by missiles, walls crumbling after taking repeated bullet fire, holes being blown in the sides of towering buildings, and even full skyscrapers collapsing. Battlefield 3 goes out of its way to put you in situations that show off this engine. For example, the engine is advertised as "being able to realistically portray how a seven-story building would collapse during an earthquake in a pile of smoke and debris." Sure enough, one of the missions shown in gameplay demos has you crawling through air ducts in a building during an earthquake.

That's not all the Frostbite 2 engine can do. Supposedly, the engine has new sound technology integrated as well. Bullets now make different sounds based on what material they hit, with earthy thuds coming off of brick, metal twinges coming off of steel, and muffled thumps when impacting dirt. This sound is then modified depending on how far it is away from you, how quick the bullet is moving, and what type of environment you are in at the time. Other sounds are similarly rendered, providing a battlefield so realistic you'll almost want to duck under your desk.

Though Battlefield 3 is largely a refinement of a formula that has worked in the past, it does include some innovative touches in its new cooperative action system. Throughout battle, you will be called upon to help your soldiers in various ways. Injured comrades will have to be dragged off the battlefield, fellow soldiers will be setting up missile strikes while you supply suppressive fire, and you'll even have to supply medical aid in the middle of a battle. Thus far, these actions have only been included in the single-player campaign, though it is possible they will be integrated into multiplayer as well. Patrick Bach, Battlefield 3's senior producer, claims: "These actions are as important as shooting; it's a more... real portrait of what actually happens. It's about helping others succeed, and we think that having this as a part of the single-player experience is very important."

There are plenty of other things to look forward to in Battlefield 3 as well. Turrets and other stationary weapons can apparently be mounted on just about any sort of terrain. Weapons are even more customizable than they were before, and the perk system is supposedly brand new. Vehicle combat will take center stage as players will be able to climb into the driver's seat of land, air, and sea assault vehicles.

Even if you limit the scope to just what was shown in the original 12 minute gameplay video, it's obvious that Battlefield 3 has a lot to offer the FPS world. Cheat Code Central will be sure to bring you a more in-depth preview after we get to see it at E3.

By Angelo M. D'Argenio
CCC Contributing Writer