'Battlefield 3' Episode 3 trailer has close combat and atmospheric audio

Battlefield 3's third teaser episode,
Get That Wire Cut, elaborates on two more scenes from the original February 23 gameplay teaser - getting up close and personal with an enemy soldier, and heading into the open for a bout of intense urban warfare.

Developer DICE appears keen to integrate lessons learned from another more experimental game, Mirror's Edge.

Not only are players' legs shown when recovering from long drops, relatively unusual in first person shooter games, but hand-to-hand combat is more varied with punches, kicks, and grapples on display.

Prior to that are moments that show off the game's audio design as earth tremors shake and rattle ventilation ducts; after, action cuts to scenes of urban warfare, of infantry and helicopters.

Electronic Arts has yet to commit a release date more specific than autumn 2011, while genre king Call of Duty is likely to pick November 8 if past performance is anything to go by.

This latest trailer closes by promising a further 12-minute video on April 17. Not coincidentally, Activision is expected to lift the lid on Modern Warfare 3 in mid-April.

Fault Lines Episode 3 can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OwfvrL5wKKg or the BF3 official website, http://www.ea.com/battlefield3/videos/faultline-episode-3.