Battlefield 2

Finally it's here the long anticipated title Battlefield 2 has been flying off the shelves, and I have to admit it was worth the wait. It is obvious that the developers heard the cries of the gaming community and brought us a modern day wartime FPS that is sure to leave a smile on any gamer's face.

BF2 is a modern day version of BF 1942 with all the latest weapons and vehicles one would expect in a modern day wargame. Play as the US Marines, The Chinese People’s Army, or the Middle East Coalition. Not only are there a ton of great weapons like wire guided hand held rockets, and all the latest machine guns, but also there are about 30+ driveable vehicles. Yes 30!  The maps are well balanced so the games do not turn into a battle of the bulge type game. So you do have to use the armor, air support and infantry in coordinated attacks to do well. Driving vehicles and boats are pretty simple, but just about every air unit does take some getting used to. To avoid getting heckled in online play I highly recommend practicing a lot in the single-player games.

Battlefield 2 features immense, richly detailed, destructible environments, from city streets to remote forests, in some of the most notorious hot spots around the world. Each map in Battlefield 2 adjusts in scale to support the number of players in the world. An all-new game engine and physics system brings the modern battlefield to life like never before. The new material penetration feature measures weapons’ ability to fire through barriers based on their composition and players will need to know the difference between concealment and cover in order to survive.

The new commanding option lets one guy, usually the most experienced, call all the shots. He will be able to bark out orders what to do while having special controls to use UAVs to spot enemy movement and call in supply drops, air support, and artillery bombardments. The enemy can take out such things by destroying some of the above aforementioned, but that’s where your engineers can come save the day. They can repair armor, artillery guns, bridges, etc. In addition they can also plant explosives to do some heavy damage. In addition to engineers, other infantry include medics, anti-tank, assault, support, Special Forces, and one of my favorites, the sniper. All have their own unique kits with different guns and explosives and other devices unique to their class. Soldier kits now affect vehicles that players utilize on the battlefield. For instance, the medic kit can transform a vehicle into a mobile aid station and the support kit can make helicopters into flying ammo dumps.

Games are still pretty much the same old hat. The object is to control as many of the control points as possible. When your team controls more control points than the opposition, their "tickets" or lives dwindle faster. The team who runs out of tickets first ultimately looses. Of course dying helps this along as well, so kamikaze runs are not exactly a good thing, unless you are taking out more of the enemy than just yourself.

EA has taken online play to a whole new level. Now stats are tracked and you can actually progress through the ranks and earn medals that after much experience can unlock new features like weapons. This will undoubtedly keep gamers interested in the game for months to come. If a game ever had re-playabilty, this one is sure close to the top of the heap.

BF2 in my opinion is one of the best games for 2005 and is a must have for any fan of the genre. 

Gameplay: 9
There are a ton of keys to memorize but once you get the basics down pat, it’s a blast to play. Though single player games are a good way to familiarize your self with the game, Online is where this title truly shines. You now have the option of using voice over IP if you have a microphone to aid in coordinating battles!  With in-game success, players increase their rank from recruit all the way to General and unlock new weapons, medals, and more. The game play is fluid and basically trouble free from my experience, and I was playing on Windows 2000, which is not even listed on the game’s requirements. I’m truly impressed.

Graphics: 9
Visually the game is absolutely stunning. The realism and depth that this game brought to my desktop blew me away. Sure some may argue that some instances the graphics could have been a bit better, but for as fluid as the game played and great frame rates, I was pleasantly surprised.

Sound: 9
The sound effects were great. Gunfire, tanks, jets, rockets, mortars raining down from the sky, etc. all sounded great. Bombs going off so close that your eardrums are left ringing added realism that some wargames lack.

Difficulty: Medium
The game can be tough even on the easiest setting. Aircraft are quite challenging to fly but most vehicles are a snap. Lots of time spent will have most gamers honing their skills to do well in the online arena.

Concept: 8.5
We have seen a ton of FPS games of this genre over the past few years. BF2 brings modern day warfare to your PC in a way that most only try to attempt.

Multiplayer: 9.5
WOW!  The MP games are fast, furious, and loads of fun to play. You can actually progress through the ranks and earn awards through a stat tracking system that also allows you to unlock special features and weapons as you climb your way through the ranks. Maps are scaled to the amount of players and can grow in size up to 64 players.

Overall: 9.2
BF2 is one of the best FPS modern day wargame to date in my opinion. You gotta have it!