After the fiasco that wasBattlefield 2042, franchise veterans may have found themselves yearning for the days ofBattlefield 3and its immediate successor. Comparatively simpler and more pointed multiplayer FPS experiences, these games avoided succumbing to some of2042’s widely criticized flaws and are still kept in high regard by the community.
It’s good news, then, thatBattlefield 3is about to get a huge new multiplayer mod that has been in active development for seven years and has been produced by over 80 contributors during that time. The long-awaitedBattlefield 3: Reality Mod is effectively a follow-up toBattlefield 2’s own Project Reality and follows many of the same design principles to deliver a complete gameplay overhaul with new content to boot.
RELATED:Battlefield 3 Lead Designer Criticizes 2042
WhileBattlefield 2042did get some things right, the game itself left much of the franchise’s veteran fans disappointed with the core gameplay loop. From ever-present bugs to a strange lack of content, much of the game’s player base simply didn’t stick around all that long.Battlefield 3’s Reality Mod is, instead, far more in tune with the sort of classic, objective-basedBattlefieldgameplay that franchise fans had previously come to expect and is set to come out on July 17. Developers of Reality Mod wanted to create a realistic, immersive experience that underlinesBattlefield 3’s combined arms combat system.
Sinceit’s unlikely thatBattlefield 3is being remasteredanytime soon, gamers who loved this particular iteration of the franchise may consider signing up for Reality Mod instead. On top of completely reworking the game’s UI and gameplay mechanics, it also features a full 24-hour day and night cycle, completely new content (models, maps, etc.), and supports over 100 players on a single server.
After it became clear thatBattlefield 6wasn’t very inspired byBF3after all, community projects such as Reality Mod became all the more important. DICE could still arguably turn2042around, but that will be a substantial undertaking if it ever does happen, and the end result would still be a total unknown. Since Reality Mod supports both Origin and Steam versions ofBattlefield 3, players can simply download the mod and join any of the available servers on July 17 instead.
The rumors ofBattlefield 2042being run by a skeleton crewhave already been shot down by EA, but it remains to be seen if the project has been totally soured to the widerBattlefieldcommunity already. In the interim, fans of classicBattlefieldgameplay have something to look forward to with the Reality Mod.
Battlefield 3is out now on PC, PS3, and Xbox 360. Reality Mod will be available on PC.
