Battlefield 2 - Review PC

Battlefield 2
Battlefield 2 - Review PC

Battlefield 2 is actually the third game in the Battlefield series and takes the game to a whole new level. Although the premise of the game is exactly the same as in the previous two titles EA and Digital Illusions have added squad based game-play, modern weaponry and also given the graphics and computer AI a huge boost resulting in the best PC FPS to hit the stores since Halflife2.

In Battlefield 2 two 32 player teams battle against each other to take control of huge virtual battlefields. The teams take the fight to each other on foot, in vehicles through the air and over the sea in some awesome new machines. Three modern super powers, all with their individual weapons of mass destruction, go to war in their own particular way. The three teams are the US army, the Chinese army and a hypothetical Middle East Coalition.

Battlefield 2 has only one mode of game-play which sounds like it could be a problem but when you see how good the game-play mode is you will have no complaints. The game-play is a map conquest with two teams starting with 8, 16 or 32 players each and a set amount of spawn tickets. When you die, as long as your team has spawn tickets available, you can re-spawn as many times as you like. When the battle begins, the battlefield has an equal amount of spawn points per team. The aim of the game is to capture the opponents spawn points (represented by flags) and take control of the battlefield. If the battlefield is completely ruled by one team then the opposing team cannot re-spawn. The other eventuality is if one team runs out of tickets. When you join the battle you choose a soldier type like assault, Special Forces, medic, engineer etc and this choice gives you set weapons and facilities which will dictate your role in the battle. You can change your kit mid-battle by picking up the kit of any dead soldier this instantly gives you their weaponry. Medics need to be reviving casualties on the battle field and generally topping up their squads health. Engineers need to do the same but with machines such as tank, cars etc.

Due to the new squad based game-play you can now group together a handy little pack of players who can look out for each other and stop people having to spawn back at base away from the action. Each squad can up its chance of survival by having a good balance of skills to hand. If your squad has a medic or two, an engineer, some infantry and a sniper for cover plus a decent commander then you have a very good chance of being able to advance through the enemies' lines with great effect, especially if your squad sticks together and uses the available communications and vehicles well.

Your commander, using a top down view of the entire battlefield, can scan for enemy forces; deploy spy drones that supply information for all the squad, air drop supplies such as health and ammo and call in air strikes too. It is also the commander's job to send out orders to the rest of the team regarding the next move. Because you can spawn on your squad commander if he is alive the chances of a squad sticking together are fairly good and this adds an amazing team spirit to what was previously a more individual experience.

Battlefield 2 has all the modes of communication you could ask for. The keyboard and mouse order system works very well but it the voice over IP system that you will want to use. There is nothing like yelling or taking orders from fellow team mates such as “cover me” or “lets wait here” or “go, go, go”! To help your communications the voice system has been designed around the squads. So instead of having everyone talking at once you can only hear commands from your squad.

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, providing the ideal vehicle-to-player ratio and an optimized game play experience. Enhanced team play features allow players to enter the action on the front lines as part of a formal squad, or work behind the scenes in Commander Mode to direct the strategic assaults of their team mates. With in-game success, players increase their rank from recruit all the way to General and unlock awards, including new weapons, vehicle decals, medals, and more.

Battlefield 2 showcases an all-new game engine and physics system to bring 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.

War is a crazy and unpredictable thing and all elements of this craziness present themselves in every battle you fight in. You will see countless filmic moments that you don't want to forget but they come so fast there will be no time for reflection. You will witness acts of amazing bravery and due to the medal system that is part of the immense stats library you will be rightfully rewarded for your valor. As a medic, the first time you kill someone by attacking them with your defibrillator or you get a knife kill or a mass grenade kill you almost cannot resist shouting out a Homer Simpson style “woo hoo” this is the brilliance of the random but believable action that Battlefield 2 effortlessly churns out and that is what make the re-playability factor so amazingly high.

The control you have over your player in battle and over vehicles and weapons still has a very similar feel to the previous battlefield titles. This can be described as fairly sloppy and unrealistic. This is not where the advancements have been. I am a Counter Strike player which is also an online team based FPS but there is not really any other point of comparison between the two titles. Counter Strike is about precession where Battlefield two is about experiencing the vastness of a raging war.

Battlefield has some of the best audio I have ever heard in a game. This is the most authentic battle opera ever. You can spawn right in the middle of the action with air strikes going off, helicopters being shot out of the sky, bullets whizzing everywhere and cries of the injured all around. Or you can spawn well away from the action where all you can here is the distant rumble of battle, trucks and tanks leaving your base, wind blowing through the trees and even the subtlety a fly buzzing about your head.

If you played either of the previous titles then you will know what to expect. I cannot stress how good the advancements are so the best thing to do is find out for yourself. If you are new to Battlefield but like the sound of what you are hearing then you will not be disappointed. Battlefield is the closest you will get to the experience of war and the fact that you can now develop a clan within the Battlefield world takes the possibilities to an unquantifiable new high.

EA are offering demo versions to play: http://www.eagames.co.uk/downloads.search_results.asp?prod_id=591