When I first saw the previews for Battlefield 2; and even the ensuing reviews; I was anticipating the game to be a clone of “Desert Combat” with improved graphics. For those who don’t know, “Desert Combat” was a mod that was developped for Battlefield1942, and featured much of the same characters/weapons/vehicles/settings that are found in BF2. The mod development team eventually joined up with the original BF1942 devteam, and started work on BF2.
Well, I’m both happy and dissapointed to report that I was wrong. Happy, because this game is not the clone I anticipated it to be. It is very much distinguishable in both graphics, streamlined gameplay, and additions that were carried out. I’m also dissapointed because this game was published by EA. Also known as the “evil gaming corporation inc.”
So what’s new? We all know that the graphics are better. But like its predecessor, this title is ressource-hungry. Despite that, it works smooth (on medium settings @ 1024×768) on my Athlon2600 with GeForce6800 and 1GB RAM. The only hickups I’ve ever seen were as a result of lag. However, I do find that the default drawdistances are a little too short.
The controls are also much tighter when you’re as a soldier now. It feels like a true FPS. This is unlike beforehand, whereby the first-person mode felt like you were floating on air. That said I can still snipe someone on the other side of the map with my standard soldier rifle.
Another improvement is the streamlined communications. “Streamlined” when describing gameplay is usually a code-word for “dumbed-down”. Not so here… Whereas before one sent pre-defined voice communications through the unsightly and confusing F-Keys, its now done via a radial-contextual-menu. Easy to grasp. Quick to execute. There’s also voice-chat in the game now as well, though some servers have it disabled.
The game also features a new dynamic: heat-seaking weapons. Helicopters, planes, soldiers and SAM sites can all launch these missiles that will chase a target after having locked-on to it. The target can either evade the weapon through maneuvres, or launch countermeasures. The matching HUD locking-system and audible warnings are well done and add to the immersiveness.
Another addition is the added bonuses of being Engineer/Medic/Support. When in vehicles, the engineer will automatically slowly fix the vehicle. The medic will automatically heal anyone else in the vehicle, and the support will automatically rearm everyone. Its a nice touch.
Speaking of which: medics are much more useful this time round. So much more so that they make them a worthwhile class. As medics, you can heal yourself and others near you just by your presence, drop medical packs for others to heal instantly, and revive fallen comrades. Each time you heal/revive someone, it also counts towards your score which makes it that much better.
On that topic: the scoring system is improved. You are rewarded for having helped kill someone, even if you didn’t deliver the final blow. If you’re piloting a vehicle while your partner blasts away with the attached MG, you’re rewarded for his successes. It’s a small change that really helps the gameplay and make people behave in a more teamlike fashion and less selfishly.
You may have heard of the command mode. Each side is split up into squads (that players form themselves; and invite others into) that are commanded by a commander. Squad leaders can tell where their squad mates to go; and request supplies (medical stuff/ammo) from the commander, as well as artillery strikes and a UAV to pass over (revealing where enemies are in small area). It renders the game, for those who would want, more like a squad-based RTS. Fun!
All in all this game is a big improvement. There are downsides however. Only 16 maps. Sure, the maps are large and elaborate; but it can get repetitive. Furthermore, the menu system is extremely slow to deal with. I suspect its because they chose to have a video running in the background at all times. This makes selecting servers to play with a painful process.
Finally, you can’t skip over the beginning intro videos (Play on Nvidia! EA! Dice!). This also gets on my nerves. That said, its a fun game!
PRO: Fun Multiplayer Gameplay. Rewards teamplay.
CONS: Few maps. System hog. PAINFUL MENU SYSTEM.
FINAL SCORE: 80%Similar Titles: UT2k4, Tribes Series, Battlefield Series.