Playing the game isn't as simple as downloading it and clicking "play" in your library.
First, It automatically installs the PunkBuster anti-cheat, you have no choice even if you just want to play the campaign. Second, it installs the EA launcher, which then you need to make an EA account and link it to your Steam account. After that, you need to click play again and it will open up the Battlelog website in your web browser. You need to then allow your web browser/the website to communicate with other apps, and then you need to find the "play campaign" button on the Battlelog website that then finally launches the game on your device.
If all that worked, you can now play, and the battlefield 3 campaign is a decently fun FPS game.
Now let's talk about the fact's surrounding all this and how your ability to ever play the game in the first place, or ever again, could be affected.
First, what happens if the anti-cheat decides to bug out one day and ban you? Do you lose access to playing the campaign? The whole game? Second, The EA launcher used to be a different launcher called Origin, and it may be an entirely different launcher in the future, this could affect your ability to play the game. Third, since you need to give your web browser permission to communicate with other apps, the web browser you have could be preventing you from playing the game, or it may prevent you in the future. You may need to download a separate web browser to play the game, either now or in the future. Finally, Battlelog itself. Since it's just a website in your browser it could be down at the moment preventing you from playing, or what is pretty much guaranteed to happen one day, EA will shut it down entirely preventing you from playing the game ever again.
This entire review pretty much applies to not only Battlefield 3, but Battlefield 4, Hardline, and any other games that require the Battlelog website.
Honestly though? I got it at 95% off, so it's not too bad, try out the campaign while you still can, it's a fun shooter.
TLDR: This is an EA moment, you don't own the game, you may not be able to even play it, or you may not even be able to ever play it again in the future.
