“Battlefield 3” is the latest and greatest in the “Battlefield” tactical first-person shooter series. The game is focused on large-scale, relatively realistic military engagements among up to 64 players. The game was released at a specific date to compete with “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3,” and the utmost care was put in to surpassing “MW3.”

The main focus of “BF3” is the multiplayer. Players join teams and compete to capture objectives, defend or attack specific targets, or simply fight to the death. Players can pilot almost any kind of vehicle, from fighter jets, to tanks, to jeeps, to anti-aircraft guns, and even small boats. Victory is achieved through squad- and team-level tactics and planning. The sheer scale and level of detail put into this game is staggering. Whereas “MW3” is designed to have players run around and fight each other in quick, action movie-like engagements, “BF3” is designed to make the player feel like he or she is participating in a real war. No other multiplayer FPS has come so close to feeling completely real. “BF3” is designed to be more realistic, engaging, and just plain epic than its competitors, and the multiplayer delivers. In my last match, for example, I crashed a helicopter covered in C4 explosives into an enemy tank, ejecting at the last minute. Then, I parachuted to the ground and ran up to the edge of a sheer cliff face about a mile down with my team. We simultaneously sprinted off the cliff to B.A.S.E. Jump to the ground almost a mile below while dodging helicopters and AA fire. You just don’t experience moments like that in “MW3.”

The multi-player isn’t the only part of the game, however. The developers boasted that they put just as much work into the single player portion of the game as the multiplayer, but they don’t always live up to their promise. The single-player campaign mostly follows a US marine and a Russian agent both working to stop a nuclear attack on the world’s major cities. The story falters at a few points, but the drama and intensity really picks up about halfway through, leading to a thrilling, yet inconclusive ending. The gameplay of the single-player campaign itself is pretty standard for a military FPS; run down a corridor, shoot the bad guys, etc. But they do put forth an effort to make you actually care about the characters and the plot, which is a plus.

The game’s few flaws include a lack of voice chat on the PC and occasional bugs, but these aren’t enough to detract from the pure enjoyment you get out of the game. Overall, “Battlefield 3” promised to be bigger, better, and prettier than “Modern Warfare 3,” and it delivers.