Battlefield 2

"Fast paced and action packed, a must-have for any FPS connoisseur"

Intro

Well if you aren't already familiar with the Battlefield series, Battlefield 2, is the best place to start, not only does it do justice for it's Battlefield 1942 predecessor but the injustice some may have experienced with Battlefield Vietnam. Battlefield 2 is not your average fps, it combines vehicle combat, on the ground and in the skies above, playing either as the fictional MEC, the United States, and the Peoples Republic of China, each with it's own individual features. Note, if you want a single player experience, you might want to look for something else, this game is all about Multiplayer military action.

Story 8/10

It's not exactly a novel, the basic premise is that, the U.S., for some odd reason, is at war with China, and the Middle East, it's based on modern combat, however, some of the vehicles they have are based on proto type Machines that have yet to come out on the Military Scene, i.e. the F-35B. Battlefield 2 having been set on the modern day battlefield, you'll see all of todays military armaments, the M1A2, and the T-90, so this isn't your dad's FPS, their is nothing more to be said other then, it's war and expect a lot of fast-paced blitzkrieg action.

Gameplay 10/10

Well it's Great, what more can you ask for, Run'n'Gun, frag fest, it's everything and a bag of chips (chips not included). Lets start off with the setting, or the Maps, they are scaled, that's right scaled to size, so if there's only 16 players, you won't have to travel far to "ice" your enemies. The more players the bigger the map gets, even though they are scaled, you'll find yourself knee deep in enemy territory, so use common sense, or your map. Just imagine a 64 player battle on-screen, jets flying over head, Artillery Barrages, tanks firing, and shells of ammunition zipping by you, it's truly an awesome sight, through a videogame that is. The combat is nerve wrecking, taking cover from tank shells and other enemies, you'll just want the enemy to come for you, but nonsense, you'll man-up and fight the enemy as all these explosions and bullets zip by you, don't worry, hopefully some of your anti-tank friends take out that tank while you flank your enemies and waste them!!!

The organization of the game is superbly done, with squads moving as a team to take out the enemies artillery, eyes (UAV), and vehicles, you are just immersed in this world. So you think you have what it takes to be commander, not likely, you'll have to earn a spot, achieve rank through teamwork and dedication, the higher the rank, the more your opponents will fear you, or be intimidated by it. That's not all, you'll have access to several unlocks, these unlocks include new weapons, to quench your "killing" needs, as you progress you'll have more variety of weapons to take out your enemies.

Being a commander is a different story, you have to lead your squads to victory, through artillery support, supply drops, and be their eyes and ears, it's a lot to take in but once you get the hang of it, I can assure you it will be 2nd nature to drop artillery on places where the enemy is abundant and supply drops to keep your war machine truckin'. The gameplay, as I have said, is fast-paced and action packed, you'll be grinding your teeth and squeezing the mouse tight as you navigate yourself through this battlefield of explosions and gun fights, it does not disappoint.

Graphics 10/10

I have a 6800 Ultra, 1 gig of RAM, AMD 3.5, so I can experience the true beauty of Battlefield 2's graphics, the lighting and shadows are almost real, and the maps are huge, with this sense of realism. Sometimes you just have to get away from the fragging, head to the highest point and gander at the beauty and realism, I really can't say more, it's really self-explanatory but once you play it, and even on low settings, you can still appreciate the beauty, you'll see what I am talking about. Everything just seems so real, the Soldiers uniforms and lighting on everything, you'll have to see it for your self...

Sound 9/10

"Run!!", is the first thought that comes to mind when you hear a whistle sound above you, and then all of a sudden a loud crash, "what is it?" you ask, Artillery barrage, need I say more. I will, hehehe, the sound is amazing, the footsteps, the loud thunder of a chopper overhead, and the *bang* noise of a 'nade, it just adds to the immersion that you will be in when playing Battlefield 2, "You've been Thunder struck!!" The sound department, is really amazing, it captures the realism and action of whats happening around you, just putting you in this huge battlefield with different things happening, around you, none of which you have control over but are forced to par-take in. The voice-overs are not the best but it helps, the crying of "MEDIC!" as you see your fellow soldier take a sniper shot, really puts you in a different virtual world. Unfortunately you can't fly in with music like in Battlefield Vietnam, so the soundtrack or music during loading times, is not very pleasing, in fact, when you first start off, (loading screen) you'll be hearing that for a while.

The sound may not be the best, but it adds to the effect of realism and immersion of virtual combat, that makes you feel, as if you were right smack down in the middle of it, any sound that does that, it's mission accomplished.

Replay Value 9/10

Yeah the occasional lag and connections problems, it's all apart of online gaming, however, the reason I don't give it a perfect score, even though I should is simply because, along with every other FPS community, the not so bright people come out, the guy who loves to tk (team kill) for stuff, or just plain likes to tk (team kill), can get annoying rather quickly. I'm not saying it's all bad, but nothing you won't see in any other FPS community, not everyone is going to play as intended, with that being said, it still has a high replay value, you'll want to unlock those toys I was telling you about, and achieve rank, so you can flaunt your friends or enemies. It's like I said the game puts you in this world and you don't want to leave it, you just want to keep on fragging everything in sight, it's very addicting. Now, I should give it a perfect score for this reason, all I have to say is one word, "Mod", this game will have a huge replay value with mods like Forgotten Hope 2 which brings back World War II combat with the Battlefield 2 system, there are tons of other mods but I will focus on this one simply because I loved FH on Battlefield 1942.

Those who are familiar with it, know that it will be amazing, basically it will change BF2 to BF 42, but with a 'tude, all the new knacks of BF2 will be put into this map, I really can't say more other then, when it comes out, WWII combat will come alive.

Overall 9/10

It's not a singleplayer game, so please, if you don't already know that, don't buy it for Single player. It's pure action packed, and addicting, you won't want to stop once you start, if you're familiar with Battlefield 1942 and Battlefield Vietnam, it will quench your appetite for destruction, if your a fan, you should already have this (SHAME ON YOU!), but if you're new to FPS PC Gaming, you won't be disappointed, it's so action packed, even the intro will rock your socks, it's everything you want in FPS shooters and then some.

Conclusion

Get it, Get it, Get it, and I can't stress that enough, well my time has expired, I better get to fragging, *Salute*, I hope to see you on the Battlefield Soldier, DISMISSED!!!

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