The name bespeaks it all. Battlefied 3's "End Game" DLC will be the fifth and final content expansion released for the first-person shooter when it debuts this March. And it will likely be EA and developer DICE's last chance to enhance the mutltiplayer experience with new games modes, vehicles, weapons and maps -- features fashioned in previous Battlefield 3 expansions Back to Karkand, Close Quarters, Armored Kill and Aftermath.

We already detailed the bulk of what End Game would include last December: four new maps built around speed and mobility, three new vehicles including fast and agile dirt bikes, a new dropship that would deploy troop transport vehicles directly to the ground, and the long-awaited return of Capture the Flag. DICE revealed today, however, that Air Superiority, a Battlefield 1943 game mode, has also been added to the roster.

Think of it as Conquest in the skies. Air Superiority was added to 2009's Battlefield 1943 after its community tallied 43 million kills per console, and it challenged opposing sides to keep a larger number of aircraft -- in this case the American and Japanese fighters of World War II -- in flight at one time. The framework was perfect for a small-scale map (small-scale in Battlefield parlance, that is) and essentially turned each game into a torrid 16-man dogfight. Did it ever grow repetitive? Eventually. It certainly didn't offer the gameplay depth of a full, air-and-land Battlefield experience. That said, with its preponderance of jets and helicopters and, who knows, perhaps even the gunship, Battlefield 3 seems capable of giving it a much more dynamic interpretation.

(Worst case scenario: If Air Superiority does jade your enthusiasm for Battlefield 3's flying machines, DICE also announced today that new, lightweight anti-aircraft vehicles will be added to End Game.)

Welcome as the addition may be, though, Air Superiority's return still doesn't mask the absence of another prominent Battlefield feature. Commander view -- which granted a member of each team in multiplayer an omniscient view of the battlefield and the ability to provide supplies, orders and information to soldiers  -- became an instant fan-favorite when it debuted in Battlefield 2 and appeared, subsequently, in Battlefield 2142. But it's been decommissioned ever since. End Game's eschewal all but dashes Commander view's chances for Battlefield 3; fans will have to hope that DICE is simply exercising patience, planning to revive it in Battlefield 4, which is widely anticipated for a late 2013 release.

Battlefield 3: End Game will land on all platforms in March 2013.

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Source: Battlefield Premium