UPDATE: Only the console versions of the game were delayed, so those sites running PC reviews were safe.

If you’ve been searching the internet every day for reviews on DICE’s upcoming Battlefield 3 then you might be a little surprised to learn that reviews for the title won’t be going live until sometime next week at the very least as EA have sent out an Email  stating that press copies of the game wouldn’t be getting sent out until, “early next week,” with a hopeful arrival date of Tuesday. Considering that the game launches in the US on October 25th, the day when copies should be arriving and the UK on October 28th, this means that reviews won’t be going live until after the games release, unless the reviewer in question has some sort of time-machine.

So what’s the reason for this delay, you might be asking, well, it’s because DICE are perfectionists, or that’s what EA are saying, anyway. According to the boffins over at Electronic Arts the delay is because DICE are still merrily tinkering with the game and have decided to release a day-one update that will be incorporating fan feed-back from the highly controversial Beta.

“DICE are perfectionists — they will not stop polishing the game until it is in your hands” stated EA.

If you’re still wondering how that stops copies getting sent out to reviewers it’s actually quite simple; with many games now receiving day-one patches the game that a site reviews before launch may not actually be anything like the game the general public get their dirty mitts on come launch day, so by holding back the review copies of Battlefield 3, EA and DICE are ensuring that reviews will be  based on the final product that YOU will be playing on launch day.

Ok, so it does mean that if you’re on the fence and waiting for the reviews to sway you, you might be a few days late in picking up the game, but for once EA have done the right thing in holding back the copies, ensuring that you’ll be reading reviews that are based on the actual game in the shops.