Battlefield 2142 Preview

Thirty-two players, a wealth of ground and aerial futuristic assault vehicles, quickly paced battles and a lofty goal – just a tantalizing taste of what Electronic Arts has in store for gamers in the multiplayer battles that will be part of the next title in the Battlefield franchise, Battlefield 2142.

DICE and EA are teaming up for this game and though the scenarios were limited in this beta, overall it was an intense and thoroughly entertaining shooter experience.

Ok, it’s easy to get into … You merely will click on the multiplayer tab and enter the lobby, pick a game and then jump into the fray. You have a choice of the class you wish to be, and receive weapons that are associated with that class.

The sniper seemed like a good idea, so it was initially picked, and the long-range rifle with a scope was supplied. But there was a problem with this. The battle moved so fast, that setting up a sniping spot was almost impossible. Finding a decent spot was easy, but the battle transitioned to other hot zones most of the times before there was the opportunity to snipe anyone on the opposing team. And oh yes, you could shoot your own teammates, but there was an option immediately that popped up to enable you to ask for their forgiveness for your error … if it was an error.

Honestly, there were times where fragging did occur. You round a corner, see someone with a gun coming at you and instead of standing there and trying to identify whether it is an ally or an enemy, you would rip off some shots as you retreated for cover. Oops … one of mine … sorry.

The game itself will have the European Union battling the Pan-Asian Coalition over some of the last inhabitable land on the planet. You pick a class and join the conflict. That’s the background, though it had little to do with the multiplayer game.

The multiplayer beta concerned attacking the enemy’s Titan – a hovering station that served to launch aircraft. But the battle was not just aerial. There were ground missile sites that could be taken over and then the missiles could be launched. Of course, while you are battling for launch sites and ways to get onto the enemy’s Titan, the enemy is trying to get on yours. And there are mission attack points on the Titan that have to be eliminated, and respawn points can be on board the Titan as well, so the battle can rage on the decks of this high-flying piece of equipment and be rather intense.

Meantime, on the ground below, hopping into a hover tank can cause a great deal of excitement for the enemy – if you know what you are doing. And if driving is not your forte, no worries, hop into a gunner’s slot and blast away. There were also stationary gun turrets, Jeep-like vehicles, walkers and other land craft. The skies had helicopters that were not only gunships but transports.

The lobby was awash with games; some dedicated and unavailable, but for the most part, finding a game to jump into and play was not a problem.

Graphically the game was very good. The effects were, at times, amazing and distracting, and the sound was rich and fully textured. It didn’t take long to understand the control scheme, even without the help of a manual or pop-up control diagram.

Battlefield 2142’s beta went on for far-too-short a time period. There was much fun here, and while the game mode itself did not stray too far from what is considered standard in the FPS genre, the mere scope of the exercise (32 players) and frenetic battle pacing provided more than enough challenge and entertainment.

The game is currently slated to release in early October.