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Gamescom '11: Hands-on with Battlefield 3: Aftershock for iPhone and iPad

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Gamescom '11: Hands-on with Battlefield 3: Aftershock for iPhone and iPad

EA Mobile is very keen to point out that the title of the latest mobile entry in the Battlefield series has 'Aftershock' as a subtitle.

Turns out it's not out of vanity. Battlefield 3: Aftershock is about as far removed you can get from DICE's console/PC shooter without changing genres.

A new theatre

While Battlefield veterans won't raise an eyebrow at the lack of a single-player campaign, those who jumped into the series at Bad Company may be left slightly confused by its omission.

EA says this is to focus on the mobile/portable nature of the platform - a long campaign doesn't suit short bursts of gameplay on the go.

So Battlefield 3: Aftershock has been set up as the first-person shooter equivalent of a novelty liqueur - dispensed in potent shots and swallowed in single burning mouthfuls of dizzying combat. Or something.

Keep it together

So out goes linear corridor combat and in comes wave-based Horde/Spec Ops gameplay that sees you facing off against an increasingly nasty (and more numerous) bunch of enemy soldiers.

The weapons and setting are in keeping with the Battlefield 3 universe, though, so my hands-on with an alpha version of the game took place in the dusty streets of Tehran, with an ultra-modern assault rifle the weapon of choice.

Alongside this new mode is what EA describes as 'Classic' multiplayer, which wasn't available at Gamescom. Co-operative play, alas, will be missing altogether.

Snap to

In terms of how the game plays, if you've experienced last year's Bad Company 2 then you know what to expect.

There's still a very generous auto-aim that seemingly snaps onto enemies you haven't seen yet, and the graphics are about on a par.

Given that the FPS I've played most on iPad is World at War: Zombies, I can see the wave-based mode working, but it'll need a few more enemy types (again, not yet implemented in the build I played) before I can say whether or not it will shake things up.

We'll see how much of a shock to the system Battlefield 3: Aftershock is when it hits the App Store later this year (most likely after the home console release).

Will Wilson
Will Wilson
Will's obsession with gaming started off with sketching Laser Squad levels on pads of paper, but recently grew into violently shouting "Tango Down!" at random strangers on the street. He now directs that positive energy into his writing (due in no small part to a binding court order).