Battlefield 3 and the Perils of an Open Beta

I am of the opinion that public or at least a large private multiplayer beta testing is border line required for the successful launch of a multiplayer game.  Now the definition of a successful launch is far from objective, but to me a successful launch does not include heavy tweaking to balance issues, reworking crashed servers, and a host of launch bugs that make the online experience more trouble than it is worth.  The high traffic with a huge cross section of people playing in public betas is a great opportunity for developers to learn and tweak before a games launch.

The Battlefield 3 Beta has been supremely effective at nailing down the necessary data for their designated servers.  What it hasn't done so well is advertise for the upcoming blockbuster.  I get the feeling from the blazing internet that people are unhappy with the performance issues in the Battlefield 3 Beta.  That may have been an understatement.  I've read about 10 blogs and articles concerning the issues(graphics, glitches, and host connection issues) and most of them seem to think that the upcoming entry into an established franchise is going to be complete rubbish based on this beta.  People are citing cancelled pre-orders and disappearing vehicles as proof that this game doesn't have what it takes to be a great game.

I'm not quite as militant, mainly because I didn't experience the same issues.  I played for about 4 hours and was booted from a game once, and never experienced any of the vehicle glitches.  The graphics were obviously rough around the edges(the character models weren't as crisp as I've seen in preview videos and there were some textures that popped in a little late, nothing life altering) and some of the animations seemed a little twitchy.  On the whole, however, I really enjoyed my time with Battlefield 3.  Rush Mode was as compelling as always, the ebb and flow of combat as attackers gained ground or the defenders pushed back felt good, and, even though I was on an XBox 360, I enjoyed the number of players in the matches.  I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss the much larger battles of the PC arena, but my PC was occupied at the time so I'll take what I can get.

There was a time that if a game was plagued with issues at release, it was dead in the water, but now with patches and updates, a lot of issues can be solved post release.  I don't think that this is a bad thing.  I'm glad that developers have the opportunity to rectify issues with their games post release, but it is a little irritating when the first impression isn't up to par and patches take time to prepare and release.  During that time, I just spent money on a product that is far from satisfactory.

I'm glad that DICE decided to run the beta.  This gives them the chance to prepare their servers, maybe tweak a little balance, and iron out any bugs that occur when their systems are stressed by high levels of traffic.  I would rather a developer let me try their game for free to help them solve issues than to fix them post launch, post payment received.  At the same time, I hate the bad press Battlefield 3 is getting because they gave us a free opportunity to try their game.

Bastion: Worth Remembering

I recently participated in a public play test for Red Storm Entertainment, an Ubisoft subsidiary.  One of the survey questions was: "What are you 3 favorite games?"  One 19 year old's response tilted my head a little.  He said, "I just put the last three I remembered clearly, because if I remembered them, they must have been good."  This fairly off-hand comment really made me think about the games I play vs. the games I remember.

Bastion highlighted as one of XBox Live's Summer of Arcade releases.  As a third person action/RPG/adventure/brawler, Bastion is a weird egg.  Its art style is perfectly tuned to the game's themes and mood.  Throw in a dynamic narration system with a killer soundtrack and I'm hooked.  The weapon customization, tons of passive abilities to manage, and achievements inside and outside of the game(what? achievements that actually mean something to the gameplay?) are all perks as far as I'm concerned.  Everything about this game oozes of the desire to be remembered.

The story isn't Oscar worthy, but it doesn't need to be.  The narrator tells it like it is, literally.  If you lean on certain weapons, he'll be sure to tell you all about the story behind those weapons.  You stand still for a while, he talks about your pensive mood.  If you want to get deeper into the story, feel free to read more and listen more to his rambling.  Bastion doesn't waste your time trudging through long dramatic cut scenes.  There are occasional panning view animations accompanied by the narrator's continued monologue, but they are brief.  Most of the story is told through his narration of your actions.  You'll hear about the history of the two people groups and why every living thing seems to be trying to kill you, but it is all happening during game play.  The story is perfectly unobtrusive while still being memorable.

The combat has a little something for everyone.  If you want to keep away from the action protected by distance and your powerful ranged weapons, so be it.  If you want to be a tank with the hammer and machete, feel free.  I found myself enjoying the Pike and Mortar combination that gave me a nice balance of speed and an unstoppable ranged attack.  Be sure to adjust your passive abilities(different spirits and liquors) to fit your needs.  Heck, if the game gets too easy, you can even petition the gods to make the game far more difficult with bonus rewards to your in game currency.

I don't think the game is perfect.  The "New Game Plus" mode is simply playing through the game again.  I wish there were more enemies or upgraded enemies the second go round, but this is a good chance to finish leveling up your weapons and character.  If you're not careful, you can cruise through the game.  I was nervous to turn on too many "gods" the first time through and it ended quite quickly.  The campaign itself is quite short.

For all of its negatives, however, Bastion is sure to set itself apart.  I'd recommend it to anyone.  There is simply nothing forgettable about this experience.