![Battlefield 3: EA's New Shooter Gets Social With Battlelog [HANDS-ON]](https://helios-i.mashable.com/imagery/archives/04HnsHDIRpjAukz5u0S7Pg6/hero-image.fill.size_1248x702.v1647020288.jpg)
The Battlefield games have always been in direct competition with the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare series. Call of Duty has outsold EA's Battlefield in recent years, but EA thinks the tide's turning. "It's going up against the next Call of Duty, which is presently the number one game in the game industry," John Riccitiello, EA's CEO, told IGN. "A game that last year did $400 million in revenue on day one. Battlefield 3 is designed to take that game down."
Part of that plan is the Battlelog social layer, a direct competitor to Call of Duty's "Elite," that franchise's own social layer released earlier this year. Mashable got into the early Beta of Battlefield and put Battlelog through its paces. Here's what you need to know as the two go head-to-head.
Features
Battlelog shares a lot of features with Elite. Players can create an online persona including some minor customization like what your avatar looks like and how your dog tags are displayed. The profile cribs a bit from Facebook with options to include further details. The profile's main purpose is to organize and display a player's individual stats. Any time a player logs game time, those stats -- down to how many bullets you fired and with what weapons -- are updated on the profile. The profile and stats can be accessed through the console, web or on mobile phones.
The stats page below is for Mashable's account. Disclaimer One: This is play time for the entire office. Disclaimer Two: We're clearly not very good at this game.
As you use certain weapons or solider classes, such as Assault or Recon, you gain experience. Those weapons and classes then level up, providing you with better guns, perks or stats. One complaint on the Beta (now open to the public) is the high damage ratio, but this should be mediated as players start to go up in rank.
Gettin' Friendly
Battlelog's social elements are in how players create teams and respond to games. Much like Facebook, the bottom-right of the screen has a "Com Center" where users can chat with their friends and set up quick games by dragging and dropping friends into a "party." Players can also set up "platoons" to help track stats among smaller groups of players.
Facebook runs through the entire experience as players can comment on matches, player profiles or even "Hooah" (read: "Like") posts. Facebook itself is integrated into Battlelog. Users can sync their account with Facebook to automatically pull in their existing friends or share out when they level up or gain new items.
Battlelog as an Online Hub
One of the coolest things about Battlelog is unfortunately only available to PC users. Basically, Battlelog acts as the game hub on the web. Not only can you search for servers but actually launch multiplayer, co-op or single player campaigns directly from Battlelog. We didn't get a chance to check out server speed, but this quick launch feature certainly helps alleviate the waiting time between games. For example, players can check their stats or interact with friends while the game looks for a multiplayer match with your preferences.
Early Verdict
We only got a short time to test Battlelog but it already looks pretty impressive. The game itself is a blast to play and the social layer only adds more depth and interactivity to the experience. Our biggest criticism is that Battlelog isn't terribly "social." Stat tracking has been a part of games for a long time and despite some aesthetic choices, the commenting and discussion aspects are much like game forums of old.
Does it kill the competition though? Call of Duty's Elite definitely has more social options than Battlelog, including online competitions with real-world prizes and what appears to be a deeper integration into the solo campaign. Battlelog, however, has a much cleaner and more manageable approach. It does less things, but it appears to do them better than Elite.