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<\/figure>\n The last time we took a look at Battlefield 2042<\/em>, the belagured online shooter had just released its second major update and was, finally, starting to feel like something approaching a finished video game<\/span>. With Season 3 out this week, it\u2019s now even closer.<\/p>\n Note that I don\u2019t make that statement as a criticism. Battlefield 2042 <\/em>was released in the middle of the pandemic, with almost two whole years of its development affected, and as a long-time series fan\u2014but also a video game journalist familiar with how this stuff works\u2014I\u2019ve made peace with the fact the game was clearly rushed out the door by executives to meet a short-term financial goal, regardless of the damage it has done to the brand\u2019s long-term standing. <\/p>\n So I\u2019m just not exactly reaching when I say\u2014as anyone who was playing the game at launch will know\u2014it just wasn\u2019t ready for release in November 2021. Those of us who still found something to love in the game and kept playing were, for months, essentially playing and publicly testing an unfinished video game<\/span>, one that was only ever going to feel \u201ccomplete\u201d (at least compared to its predecessors) after months of updates.<\/p>\n Well, we\u2019re now at that \u201cmonths of updates\u201d point, which in previous Battlefields <\/em>would have been the stage where the game had been added to substantially, but in 2042’s <\/em>case is just where it\u2019s within touching distance of par. <\/p>\n This week saw the release of Season 3, which adds a huge new map (set in Sweden around two boxy robot arms factories), a new anti-tank vehicle, a railgun and a new specialist, whose unique weapon is a miniature air-bursting explosive rifle.<\/p>\n