Battlefield 2

Life

The Desert Combat mod for Battlefield 1942 is a double-edged sword for Battlefield 2: on one hand, its quality and attention to detail rejuvenated and broadened the appeal for the franchise; on the other, it took the thunder away from Battlefield 2’s modern warfare setting. While Battlefield 2 definitely shines as the most impressive in the series, the lack of advancement to gameplay may give it a shorter lifespan than the original.

Spec ops is in, support out
Considering how high-tech weaponry has utterly changed the dynamics of conventional warfare, DICE did an admirable job balancing the second installment. Learning from the M60 balancing failures of Battlefield: Vietnam, Battlefield 2 has provided a pleasant array of mostly balanced kits – but could still use a good bit of tweaking. Spec Ops are the flavour of the moment with their ultra-accurate automatics, and tanks have a bit too much trouble taking out supposedly light-armored APCs. Most of the unlockable weapons that you can earn are more novelties than useful upgrades – but a couple, like the G36C with sniper-like accuracy, are extremely potent. While jets and helicopters are old news for Desert Combat veterans, the controls have been significantly improved, making it easier for players to control vehicles with a mouse.

The only downside to the vehicles is the near-instantaneous re-spawn rates, which although remedies the pile of campers at bases, reduces vehicles to nothing more than high-tech disposable toys. Why bother being an Engineer to repair your battered rig …when you’ll have one conveniently pop up seconds after you die? An annoyance to the tweaked core mechanics is the steep teamkill penalties – you’ll at times find your score plummet when a jeep carelessly rams into your M1A2 tank.
Leet_shot has voted to kick…

Allowing for more organisation (potentially, at least), there are different ranks that each serve a different role. The Commander issues orders to squad leaders, uses the UAV to uncover enemy troop movement, and orders artillery strikes to soften enemy positions. Squad leaders serve as mobile spawn points, and give orders to squad members to focus on specific objectives. It sounds nice in theory, but in the thick of battle the positional hierarchy isn’t as sophisticated as it seems.

Obeying or disobeying Squad Leaders has no consequence, so most of the time you’ll use them just as another spawn point. Co-operation becomes a challenge when 32 egos clash in the thick of combat–you’ll constantly see votes for mutiny against Commanders, and votes for kicks against team members. Effective Commanders, however, really help set the pace of your battles, and its implementation is a most welcome change to the franchise. The constant radar updates from UAVs and rain of destruction from artillery strikes make you even more engrossed in the fray than the previous BFs.

Same war, different skin
When you unpeel the near-Half-Life 2 graphics and head-throbbing Shellshocks, you start realizing that Battlefield 2 is more of a refinement than a leap worthy of the word ‘sequel.’ You would think that a giant bomb from an F35 would level a shack …but the battlefields themselves are stagnant with no destructible environments aside from bridges. And still, Conquest mode is essentially the only mode offered. With its obvious cues to Return to Castle Wolfenstein (paramedics that revive, ammo/medic bags, artillery support), it would have been nice to see objectives aside from capturing flags.

It doesn’t help when the maps aren’t that diverse, either. Unlike BF1942’s varied scenery (from desert deathtraps to urban jungles to island fortresses), the Chinese front doesn’t offer a compelling change of pace. The bot AI for single player has seen a noticeable upgrade – but with the computer having eyes behind its head it gets old after awhile.
High-powered explosions call for a high-powered rig, and unfortunately, Battlefield 2 is the extremely demanding for juicy hardware. Don’t even bother if you’re still limping with a GeForce 4200TI, or upgrade to at least a 6600GT. While the quality of the sound is satisfying on a 5.1 system, more sound effects would have been nice (say, more discernable sounds of encroaching troops).

Even when you see its performance issues, near-identical gameplay, Battlefield 2 is nevertheless the best at what it does. The game’s added perks of medals, ranks, and unlockable weapons will keep beckoning to BF junkies for just one more game.

Specs
Battlefield 2

Rating: 85%
Price: EUR*49.99
Contact: Gamestop 01 872 4305

Read More: Gamer