E3 2011 Video: Battlefield 3 gameplay trailer, BF3 beta release date in September

Written by Matt Swider on June 14, 2011

E3 2011 News: BF3 is training to take on CoD Xbox 360, PS3 and PC, as proven in the new single-player E3 2011 gameplay trailer.

BF3 E3 2011 trailer video is below

The E3 2011 trailer for Battlefield 3, EA's answer to Call of Duty, is taking shape four months before it ships out on October 25. That release date puts Battlefield 3 two weeks ahead of the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 release date. Fans have been in this situation before, as military FPS franchises like Medal of Honor and Brothers in Arms attempted to oust Infinity Ward's groundbreaking Call of Duty games. But it's DICE's new entry in the Battlefield series that looks as if it'll be the first game to topple the mighty Activision IP.

As the direct sequel to the 2005 critically acclaimed Battlefield 2, BF3 allows Xbox 360 and PS3 to see action along with Windows PCs. The PC version's spec requirements call for a Vista operating system or later and Direct X 10 or 11. A version for Nintendo's Wii U system has been confirmed, but it's release date is obvious next year, pending the new system's launch.

Battlefield 3 promises to visit locations as diverse as New York and Sarajevo with a huge single-player campaign. A limited edition of the game will feature access to a DLC pack called "Back to Karkand" and additional weapons. PlayStation 3 owners will get bonus material in the form of the full game of Battlefield 1943 on the disc.

A Battlefield 3 beta begins in early September and will be an open beta across all platforms: Xbox 360, PS3 and the PC. Early access to the BF3 can be had with the invite that came with Medal of Honor limited edition last fall. Some would say that buying MoH isn't worth the early access, but our Medal of Honor review disagrees. As much as our reviewer liked MoH, I'm looking forward to BF3 twice as much.