'Battlefield 3' intensifies fall focus with gameplay teaser

(All rights reserved - Electronic Arts / DICE)

Electronic Arts is continuing to prepare for its assault on the Call of Duty franchise by releasing a second teaser trailer for Battlefield 3, due in fall 2011 - this time including gameplay footage.

A remarkable understanding of the art of teasing is on display, with the 44-second montage accommodating around 12 seconds of quick-cut gameplay clips.

The clips appear to be taken from the game's singleplayer mode, with a mission briefing present, though it does seem that character animations have been greatly improved and it's now possible to drag wounded teammates from the thick of the action.

EA, keen to stir demand for the team-based shooter, are offering four multiplayer maps from Battlefield 2 as a pre-order incentive for the M-rated PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 game.

Urban environments are prominent - Paris, Tehran and New York are confirmed as locations for the fall 2011 game - though key details regarding the scope of online multiplayer, character classes, and faction choices aren't expected to emerge until at least March 1, the date of a Battlefield 3 presentation at the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, California.

Watch the Battlefield 3 Gameplay Teaser at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87BDeknCbd0 or on the official BF3 website, http://www.ea.com/battlefield3/videos/gameplay-debut.