Image via Complex Original
One thing we can thank or curse democratization of media for is the phenomena of YouTube gaming videos. As Senate Bill 978 may make these clips illegal someday, let’s take some time to enjoy them before it’s too late! (That’s a joke, by the way. Read this and stop worrying).
In all seriousness, Battlefield 3 is fantastic fodder for generating these sorts of clips because the game is completely out of control. The baseline experience is an insanely loud and chaotic exercise in combined arms. Add to that the possibilities of open maps, vehicles, and gadgets and you also get examples of emergent play that range from the hilarious to the bizarre.
Here they are, in no particular order: Ten videos that show you precisely why Battlefield 3 is one of the most entertaining shooters on the market.
Hazard Cinema Rolls Out 10 Solid Infantry Kills
We’re going to start off with a collection of 10 kills that showcases one of the most polished video presentations I found while sifting through all the Battlefield 3 footage on YouTube. Hazard Video is one to watch if you enjoy this sort of thing, and this inaugural offering collects some fantastic infantry kills.
Pay No Attention To The Tiny Flying Bomb
Now that we’ve gotten the “standard” infantry experience out of the way, let’s get to a prime example of emergent gameplay. The recent Battlefield games are famous among shooter fans for the tricks you can pull with C4 and vehicles as a delivery method.
This one was new to me, however. Plaster C4 all over a Micro Air Vehicle and then use the MAV…to shoot down a helicopter. It takes them a while to get it right, but part of the fun of this video is listening in on the sort of impish anticipation that makes Battlefield 3 foolishness so enjoyable!
Tanks Aren't Meant For This, But Okay
This video starts off with some traditional Battlefield infantry-based insanity, and then cuts to some fun from a helicopter gunship’s gunner position, but wait until you get 46 seconds in.
Using C4 on a MAV to kill a helicopter is much more inventive than what this video illustrates, but I’ve tried many, many times to shoot down a helicopter with a Main Battle Tank’s cannon and failed. Whoever shot this video pulled it off twice in a single match.
I’m pretty sure he used the cannon to kill a pilot bailing out of a third helicopter. Skip to 1:10 into the video and tell us what you think.
Yet Another Reason To Hate Snipers
If you’re no good with an MAV, and a bad shot with a Main Battle Tank’s cannon, but good with a sniper rifle, then another way to deal with helicopters apparently is to snipe their pilots out of their seats. Skip to :25 to see the shot.
I Wonder If Soldiers Dull Helicopter Blades?
If you’re bad with a sniper rifle, but would still like to take a shot at removing a helicopter pilot from their seat with a bullet, you could always wait until someone tries to run you over with a helicopter. Whoever shot this video makes a science out of it.
Ridiculous Distance
Snipers are just something you have to deal with if you want to play first person shooters. I tend to think that the only people who enjoy snipers are the people doing the sniping, but there’s certainly a skill to leading targets properly at extreme ranges, especially if the shooter wants a headshot.
There’s nothing better than seeing one sniper done in at his own game, especially when it’s via a headshot landed from ridiculously long range, like in the video above.
When You Don't Have A Sniper Rifle, Try A Rocket Launcher
Dying from a distance is irritating because you never get a chance to defend yourself. Using cover mitigates the risk somewhat, but when you’re facing a truly skilled sniper, all they need is to catch you in the open for a few seconds, and you’re a goner.
A long-distance kill from the business end of a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, however, might be funny enough for even the victim to appreciate. Skip to 1:41 to see the successful RPG shot taken from a ridiculous range.
Just When You Thought Snipers Couldn't Get Any More Annoying
It’s one thing if a sniper, armed with either a rifle or a rocket launcher, is on the ground. Battlefield has a kill-cam that at least gives players a chance to suss out the position a sniper has staked out for themselves.
What, however, is one to do when the sniper is flying around the map on top of a Micro Air Vehicle? Check out this video, and then be ready to keep an eye on the skies for something other than jets and helicopters.
Parachute + Stinger Missile = What The Hell Just Shot Me Down?
Helicopters and jets in Battlefield 3 require practice to master, but Ace pilots behind the control stick of either vehicle are an absolute menace to infantry on the ground. Shoulder-mounted missile launchers are an effective counter if pilots don’t have flares to save them, but sometimes there’s not a whole hell of a lot an infantryman can do against an aerial vehicle peppering their position with rockets.
So why not jump into a plane, take your missile launcher with you, bail out, and turn yourself into a parachuting anti-aircraft platform? Those enemy jets and helicopters probably aren’t going to be looking up for soldiers trying to shoot them down.
Take Your Dogtags? Don't Mind If I Do!
And to round the list off, while we’ve talked about snipers and rocket launchers, tanks and MAV’s, and jets and helicopters, we haven’t talked about the best weapon of all: The knife.
There is something endlessly hilarious about bringing a knife to a gun fight and winning. Knife kills in Battlefield 3 are brutally animated, and there’s no lunging forward like a ninja with a blade in this game. You’re going to have to be smart, and you’re going to have to be quick, to build a collection of dog tags, like whoever shot this rather long video has done.
If you’re feeling up to the challenge, load up your copy of Battlefield 3, and get to stabbing.
Dennis Scimeca is a freelance writer from Boston, MA, and a contributor to G4, Gamasutra, GamePro, and The Escapist. Reach him through his blog, Punching Snakes, or follow him on Twitter: @DennisScimeca.