First off, I think it's important to note that Origin - the application, not the service - isn't the devil like so many people were expecting. It's attractive, clean and it's relatively stable. There's really nothing to be too upset about, other than the fact you won't be able to use Steam, which is certainly the platform with a better feature set.
After choosing a server and loading in I spent a few minutes being confused about how to configure my controls or change my graphics settings. It turns out you actually have to deploy yourself into the map before being able to hit escape. And then you can't seem to bind mouse buttons anyway, which was the first obvious bug or oversight I came across. The UI specifically is presented in a very slick manner and appears generally well thought out.
Moving onto the gunplay: it feels great. While juggling class load-outs many times it became obvious there isn't a poor or even misleading weapon. There is an impressive balance amongst the arsenal and their handling is relative to their performance. Weapons that don't have much stopping power don't act or sound like it, but they act and sound apt. Having weapons in a first person shooter "feel" good is a task that evades many developers, but in my opinion they've hit the nail on the head with Battlefield 3.
For those worried about snipers, they're now highlighted for you with the brightest scope reflection imaginable. They're hard to not spot in the open and a burst of two of your rifle will drop them from range. Just ensure there is cover to pounce between as 1-3 sniper shots at medium range will be the end of you.
My only real gripe is that the beta is indeed on-foot only. There are no vehicles like we saw in the riveting Caspian Border multiplayer video. Operation Metro is purely man-on-man, but there are some diverse areas to trek through. The map gets better as you progress, moving from a generic open landscape into a very atmospheric cover-driven underground Metro network, and then into a Parisian metropolis.
Finally, I must mention that the audio is amazing, in typical DICE fashion. The sound of a rocket whizzing past your face in the tunnel of a train station is almost enough reason to ask to be shot at.
Stay tuned for our review when the game lands across all major platforms on October 25.