EA has finally lifted the lid on Battlefield 4, unveiling the game at GDC in San Francisco with a whopping seventeen minute trailer showcasing just what DICE's new Frostbite 3 game engine can do.
"We built Frostbite 3 to be state of the art - a world class engine that is more powerful than anything we have every created for," EA Games vice president Patrick Soderlund told the crowd. "It is a piece of technology that really challenges us to use new ideas, iterated and create new ways to entertain people."
"Technology has helped us become better storytellers," he continued. "With Battlefield 4 we are creating experiences which are dramatic, believable. The stress of the moment, the feel of imminent danger. The connection you have to the characters. It is all real, and very human."
That certainly comes across in the video footage, which opens with soldiers trapped in a sinking waterlogged car before moving on to show the sort of epic and open combat that Battlefield fans will expect. Even in campaign, you'll now be able to play it more like a multiplayer game, with squad mates that respond to commands and large maps with freedom to think your way around encounters.
The game is due this Autumn, as we all suspected. It will be available for PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. All pre-orders automatically get a Premium Expansion Pack, the contents of which are currently mysterious.