"Sir ! We have a good game in sight, Sir !"

Who would have thought, decades ago, that one day, people, even young ones, would interact with man-made conflicts, would be part of pseudo-realistic, exaggerated simulation of the worst thing humanity managed to create by a natural rule of the strongest. By a natural selection.

War, is part of our existence. Part of ourselves. And, now days, is even part of a virtual world. Another member of a combination of video and audio entertainment.

"War games are fun !"

I wouldn't have said that out loud in a WWI trench, or a WW2 city siege. My team mates would have probably considered me crazy, strange, out of my mind ... or even part of the Third Reich.

I just can't help myself but think about all this.

Why ? Why do I find war video games actually fun ?

I guess the answer is simple. It's because of good video games developers ! Because they figured out how to make it so at least a few players will feel involved with what's going on-screen. Of course. And not really because I'm a mindless soul craving for war-torn environments helping me to fulfill my desires for world domination.

I think Kane or Yuri would have practiced a bit with this Electronic Arts third installment in their Battlefield franchise.

Yes. I like Battlefield 2.

The visuals are not disappointing. The audio quality and variety is well made and thought out. The game's engine, providing good simulation of basic physics, is certainly following solid coding already applied in previous, and still recent 3-D games.

It's a nice mixture of video game development skills, and actual appreciation of the genre / type of game play by the creators. Giving this result.

As I am typing this, the version of the game is the vanilla, default (1.0+) one. And quite frankly, I expected less stability then it is already offering. I prepared myself for system crashes, windows errors, graphics drivers issues and audio problems. And honestly, so far, I have yet to experience such things.

The game could use a minimum number of patches though. Most of the games, if not all, actually, always needed patches just a few days after their release anyway. That's not new. But I believe Battlefield 2 could use such technical improvements right away. Still, I think it's not that urgent. And is well enough playable as it is for the moment.

The size of the maps adjust themselves according to the number of players on the field. A small, medium and large size, usually (or should I say, by default, without any sort of modifications involved) for up to 16, 32 and 64 players, respectively. That's a neat feature in itself. I think even Battlefield 1942 could benefit from that.

Communication. What's more important in war ? Certainly not many other elements. And Battlefield 2, thanks to whoever or God, is finally using the definitive form of it. Via microphones. And even its built-in communication commands received an interface re-do for the best. Plus, the new default soldier voices are clear, in a good enough amount of variety, and aren't static and emotion-less, which is also good news.

Something specific I like about this game, is its atmosphere. Much, much more involving than any other war games on the market. And this in itself is especially caused by its un-scripted, un-predictable nature (when playing On-Line, of course, which is the main goal here).

Such detailed vehicle, weapon and character models do help the players feel the game. The particles / debris system is well done, with nothing jaw-dropping actually, but certainly above average, and much less exaggerated than Battlefield 1942's (which decrease the element of an arcade-ish feel). The sounds, are deep and with good, even great quality, and this means everything that emits sound, not just weapons. The draw-distance, much better and actually more "in the distance" than previous installments, again. Especially noticeable in large maps filled with 50 players and more. The water, although a little similar than Battlefield 1942's (in a way I cannot technically explain), is definitely better this time, and pack a deal of simulated reality in higher resolutions and high video settings.

Ah ... I could talk, I could write much more than this about this game. It's really well made.

But there is just a few things here and there I would have appreciated if it was present, or a bit more balanced. I am not a developer, and I do not know the current bugs. And, just like in any vanilla versions of pretty much any games to date, there most likely is a good number to fix. I'm mentioning this because I tend to notice the game, or, should I say, its engine, can be a system's resources hog at times. Especially for system's memory. Having 1024 MB of DDR, perhaps in Dual-Channel mode, will surely help the game run smoother.

All I think the game lacks of, is a more interactive environment. Because, as of now, it is quite in a static, neutral form. A few barrels here, a few electric generators there to blow up. Nothing much to destroy, or damage, is my point. You know, I would have really liked to see more of "hidden" passages, perhaps within buildings. An already damaged wooden door, covering a tunnel, that passes under, or between buildings, as an example. Or, in other words, hidden shortcuts. Interactive stuff. Not just for simple destruction goals, but actual strategic means. Also, maybe a few types of birds here and there, just to add some "life" to a field where death rules. Not a necessity to make it so it's possible to actually kill them. But ... just present. Flying from places to places. Just a little thought. But I think these last elements are more of my humble opinions. I concur.

And the A.I ! Oh ! The A.I. Yes, finally, finally they did it. They did it right. Well, mostly. Because it is not without mistakes here and there I personally noticed. But, overall, it is a technical fact that Battlefield 2's A.I is more complete, more accurate and faster than even (perhaps, since I haven't played all of them) any EA products where A.I exists. Bots can be a welcome addition especially when you cannot access On-Line play for any reasons, but still want to get your dose of action. Thanks to EA / DICE for this.

Overall, good job Electronic Arts, and good job DICE. You both surprised me with this one. As I was disappointed by Vietnam, I was expecting something better. And my hype didn't betray me this time. Battlefield 2 delivers on all the line.

In terms of pure game-play fun, I can easily say that this third Battlefield game is far better than both previous versions, namely Battlefield 1942, and Battlefield Vietnam, including all expansions and even community modifications. Those who don't agree on this may meet me on the field in Battlefield 2 for a live ... discussion.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 06/23/05