"Massively Multiplayer First-Person Sweetness."

A few years ago, a little something called Battlefield 1942 invaded our PCs. Massively multiplayer online warfare. Vehicles - Fighter planes, boats, jeeps, and tanks. It was a hit. However, the sheer size of the game and the world had their influences on the graphical aspects of the game, While enjoyable, the world and players certainly had room for improvement.

We got an upgrade with the more recent Battlefield Vietnam, about a year ago. We were introduced to jungle warfare - And this time around we were introduced to the world of helicopters and jet planes, in addition to refinements to the existing vehicles and world. The lush jungle environments were rendered impressively, but still limited in comparison to the mainstream engines of today.

And now, 2005, we're introduced to a new contender. Battlefield 2. Modern aircraft and combat tactics are today's M.O. on this battlefield. Welcome to duty, soldier.

Graphics: 9/10

Battlefield 2 has some very impressive graphical elements, to say the least. My favorites are the character models. Each class has their own unique model - From the lightly armored Special Forces soldier with small details such as a headset, to the Sniper with a Gillie suit, to the medic with defibrillator and the engineer with his land mines. What's more fun to watch is players running along. As the soldiers sprint, equipment dangles from their waist, bouncing along in a realistic manner. Characters also wear proper equipment, when flying in a vehicle, for example. Gunners and pilot of the Black Hawk don helmets, while the rest of the team piles in and goes for the ride. Idle animations are the most impressive. Characters inspect their weapons, blink, examine the world, and seem nothing like the soldiers we played as in 1942. These seem like real, living squad members, not just expendable characters. And, each team (Chinese People's Liberation Army, Middle Eastern Coalition, and the United States Marine Corps) has their own variants on the kits to boot. How's that for a slice of fried gold?

That's not to say the world isn't detailed, either. While not quite up to the visual quality of The Source and Unreal engines these days, it's quite impressive accounting for the game's scale. Minor details like moving grass and birds captivate you into the world (And can also provide great cover or a distraction for the enemy. That moving object off in the distance might just be some shrubs, blowing in the wind.) Likewise, each map has it's own style and setting, whether you're battling it out through the streets of Karkand in an urban warfare setting or you're flying across the Chinese mountains in the FuShe pass. Each point to capture in the maps is visually interesting, as well, if not a little repetitive - Some of the buildings are used across multiple maps.

Gameplay:10/10

Gameplay is probably the most important part of a game. I'm proud to report that Battlefield 2 contains quite a lot of play time. The new statistics tracking system and ranked servers are a good way to gain practice and get some benefits and awards as well - Characters are awarded medals, ribbons, and badges for their proficiency and competency in the heat of battle. But the stats tracking is small compared to some of the major game enhancements that have been made.
First, notably, is the command system. Players, at the start of each round, apply to be the commander. Based on your stats ranking (Lance Corporal outranks a Private, for example) the commander position is selected and appointed. At the disposal of the commander are supply drops, for refueling and repairing squads when a support soldier or engineer cannot reach them, artillery strikes, which unleashes a devastating hail of mortar fire on a selected point, and two types
of ways to detect enemies - A radar scan to determine where concentrations of enemies are, or a UAV scan which deploys a drone to scan the area - Useful to clear out capture points and make sure no more enemies are around.

In addition to these extra features, also at his disposal is a Voice Over IP channel to each of the squad leaders, if the server supports it. This is helpful for communicating orders to individual squads to effectively capture points. He can also issue standard orders such as Repair, or Move to the squads - Using a right-click interface on a map with the Commander Interface Screen, or using the "Commo Rose", another new feature. Much to the enjoyment of Battlefield fans, you no longer need to utilize the F-keys to transmit orders or enemy locations - You use an intuitive button menu brought up with the Q key. All of this brings us to a new topic - Squads! Teams (The whole of the MEC, Chinese, or USMC) are split into individual squads of up to 6 people, one of whom is appointed squad leader. He can issue orders to the rest of the squad and intercept them from the commander. He can also request artillery strikes from the commander or other forms of support (Radar, UAV drones and supplies.)

That's a lot of technics, but what about the actual gameplay? It's incredible, in a way. Helicopters and aircraft execute air strikes and assaults on targets, while jeeps and DPVs assault ground targets on foot and tire. Tanks and LAVs are damaging in Urban Warfare, until the Anti-Tank soldier shows up. And all the while bullets are whizzing along by you, sniper fire has you pinned down in a corner and the medic is trying to revive the guy next to you. A tank is spotted nearby on the radar by the UAV drone - And things aren't looking good. That is, until the airstrike is called in. The entire course of this flag capture has just changed - Destroying the tank and anything in it's vicinity, your team has just enough time to capture the flag and open up a new respawn point, as well as reducing your enemy's ticket control rate. The feel and pace of the battles in Battlefield 2 are tense and quick - Even sniper duels can turn hectic and speedy when someone tries to sneak up on you with the shock paddles.

Each class is unique and is equipped with his own kit. The Special Operations soldier is equipped with Plastic Explosive, as well as the standard knife and grenades. He has an assault rifle which is lower-power than the Assault class, but still gets the job done. His specialty is taking out vehicles and equipment, like enemy artillery. There's Snipers, who's Gillie suits conceal them pretty well in most environments, and pick off the enemy with the hard-hitting sniper rifle from a distance. There's the standard Assault class, who is equipped with body armor, an assault rifle with grenade launcher, and smoke grenades. He's sort of a jack of all trades, but not specific in what role to play. This is a perfect class for beginners to get accustomed to the game and find their place in a squad. Like the demolitions with the grenades? You might enjoy the Anti-Tank class, who is equipped with a SRAW or Eryx rocket to destroy enemy vehicles. Like using the smoke grenades and assisting your team with capture points? You might like a Support or Medic class in which you can earn points by healing and reviving team mates or providing them with extra ammo. Last is the Engineer, who's definitely an integral class to any successful squad - Anti-tank mines and the wrench ensure that the enemy vehicles are destroyed and that yours stay in fighting condition.

Of course, the world isn't perfect. And some players refuse to work in a team and try to get the most points for themselves - Which is usually a laughable attempt compared to the swift effectiveness of the squad system. Likewise, commanders do not always respond to squad leaders' requests. However, it's to be expected, and if you don't like the commander or squad leader, you can start a Mutiny vote or make a new squad. This is usually a minor hitch to gameplay. At the time of this writing, most Ranked servers for the statistics are often laggy and full. Linux servers are crashing on game completion. With a new patch, already released, these bugs can be improved or fixed.

Sound and Ambience: 10/10

Sound options are limited on a modern battlefield, but the effects in Battlefield 2 are most impressive. Shells whizzing by all sound very impressive, and each weapon has it's own distinct noise so you can usually tell who's firing. It's fun to trick people around by stealing the opposition's kits from a dead soldier and using it against them. All of the weaponry and vehicle sounds are clear and accurate. The maps' ambience is quality, as well - Birds in the morning in the wetlands to approaching storms, radio chatter - All of it is present across the multitude of Battlefield 2 settings and environments.

Replayability: 9/10

While Singleplayer is limited, you don't look at the Battlefield franchise for having a strong singleplay mode. The meat is Multiplay, and it will have you hooked for hours - trying to get the next badge or weapon unlock, to improving your personal statistics. At press time some of the highest rankings are Corporals, and ranks reach as high as the coveted Battlefield Commander. Weapon unlockables for multiplayer and badges, ribbons and medals to collect are abound. And the addictive gameplay is something rarely found in games of this calibre in terms of multiplay.

When it comes to combining massively multiplayer gaming into a FPS gamer's universe, DICE and EA have nailed it with Battlefield 2. I'm hooked. And you should be too. It's got the standard Battlefield quirkiness we've come to expect from the series, yet is gripping and intense at the same time. Whether you're a casual FPS gamer or someone who's a hardcore gaming addict - This game appeals to both audiences and has suitable play options for each. This much fun under the $50 price tag isn't something that's common in the game scene these days. And the stats and rankings are something that will keep you occupied far after your chest is full of medals and ribbons as the Battlefield Commander.

Carry on, soldier. You have your orders.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 07/07/05