Electronic Arts (EA) announced in August that they will be releasing an iOS (iPad/iPhone Operating System) version of their Battlefield 3, and this month they made true with their promise, offering this for free to those who have been waiting for it. I was able to download a version, but our guys in the UK said that they cannot find it at the Appstore, so this means that the initial release will be for the US market.

Battlefield 3: Aftershock for iOS, however, just like other free game apps, even for a big name video game title like Battlefield, you will be disappointed with the features as you're limited to just 4 weapons, with a fifth one that can be unlocked. What's more, if you are limited to the iPad without the 3G feature, you will have to search for the hotspot in order to play while you're out of the house (or office if you want to get fired) since this is a multiplayer game, not even a single player mode to play offline or when there is no internet connection available.

The graphics are indeed nice, but the problem of multiplayer first person shooter gaming on a mobile device is the lag time that you will experience, especially if you find yourself sharing the wifi hotspot at a popular coffee shop. It does indeed test your patience as you wait to be matched with other online players.

EA never announced the actual release date for Battelfield 3: Aftershock, that this initial release seemed to have been rushed to help promote Act of Valor, the movie in which active duty US Navy SEALs are the stars which will be coming out early March 2012 and if you watch the trailer in the game app, you get to unlock the fifth weapon.

They might release some enhancements with this for future upgrades either as a paid app like Battlefield Bad Company 2 which costs US$2.99 at the Appstore, or you may get this free, but extra maps, perks, and weapons will be at a cost in order to play more effectively.

If you are bored, got some internet connection for your iPad (you can also play it with the iPhone), and patient enough, you can get this Apple App store right now. Here's a video with a live commentary taken by RusticGear at YouTube: