"Desert combat never looked so good."

It was my first day on the field. I feel the cold handle of my new M4 through my gloves. I hop on the back of a squadmate's jeep and we start to move. We turn down a street and find a potential base. We park and soon have it under our possession.

It wasn't long until they showed up, heavily armed with plans to spill blood. My Squadmate takes the first hit, falling to the ground and twitching like a fish out of water. I try not to look at him on the ground. I need to keep my concentration on the battle. I grab a mounted machine gun nearby and lay down on the trigger. I take out a few of the charging soldiers as they try to take the base. Then it appears. A massive goliath that would turn even the bravest of men into cowards. I point my crosshairs at the charging enemy tank, knowing it's pointless. There isn't enough time to run. It's too close. After what seemed an hour it was right in front of my face.

The barrel was inches away from my face when it fired. I flew back 50 feet, barely alive and gasping for air. I signaled for a medic, but it was too late, my fate was sealed. I watched the clouds go by as the counter on my screen slowly went down to zero. I chose another character class and ran back into battle.

These were what my first moments playing Battlefield 2 were like. Intense action right off the bat describes this Online Multiplayer Desert Combat game. Digital Illusions did a great job creating realistic weaponry that mimics today's technology. Weapons are balanced, as is gameplay. Before respawning you have the chance to choose what class you'll be when you come back to life. Some classes could use a bit of tweaking; Spec Ops. for example, seem to overpower with their accurate automatics and C4 Charges. Unlockable weapons seem to be there more for show than anything, only a few actually exceed above other weapons. The G36C, for example, is a powerful automatic with Sniper-like accuracy.

Servers can accommodate up to 64 players in one game. This means there are plenty of huge deathmatches to be played. Maps are gigantic and sport many buildings to hide in and weapons to mount. In one map there is an enormous crane that you can climb to the top of and snipe from 20 stories up.

There's more to just shooting your foes and blowing stuff up in Battlefield 2. You can take a roll as one of many soldiers. You can choose from a Commander; call for supplies, spy on the enemy in a certain area, or set up an artillery strike. A Squad leader; command your troops to defend, attack, defend, retreat, defend, and more. A Squad member; take orders from your squad leader and follow your squadmate's movements. Of course all of this is completely optional and can be changed at any time during the game. You can even choose to go "Lone Wolf" and let everyone deal with their problems as you watch your own back.

Vehicles define this game. From Jeeps, to Speedboats, to helicopters, to even Jet Planes. Jeeps and tanks are easy to drive, like all land vehicles in most games. Jeeps can hold up to three people; a driver, a passenger (the passenger side has a mounted turret), and a gunner. Tanks spot a driver/gun position and another for a mounted turret. Boats are fast and can hold a lot of allies, but there aren't too many levels that would allow boats to be used to their full potential. There are two types of helicopters; attack and armored transport. The attack helicopter holds a wide variety of missiles and machine guns, while the armored transport can withstand a barrage of machine gun fire. Bolstering two heavy mounted turrets on both sides of the armored transport doesn't make it just a sitting duck.

Jet Planes are probably the most unique and most difficult vehicle in the game. Jets are extremely fast and can cross large maps in seconds. Supporting guided missiles or bombs and a machine gun, Jets can quickly clear out enemy defenses for advancing troops. There is a catch though: Jets are extremely hard to handle. Sometimes flying around can be difficult enough as it is, but fighting and flying can be a real challenge and should really be left to the experts. If you're ever thrown from a jet or helicopter, or need to bail for what ever reason, fear not. You come equipped with a parachute that can be opened while freefalling to assure a safe landing.

Each selectable class brings it's own unique ability to the field. Medics carry a first aid kits that can be used to heal wounded allies. Engineers can repair broken vehicles and place mines. Support can resupply allies when they run out of ammo. You can either choose to be one of these classes or go off and do something else while your allies take care of the "special jobs."

Large, high powered explosions demand a powerful computer, regrettably, Battlefield 2 calls for a pretty slick PC. If you're still running an old PC with less than 512 Megabytes of RAM, don't bother with Battlefield 2. Even after factoring in the bold system requirements Battlefield 2 still dominates it's Genre, leaving players saying, "One more game, then I'll take that shower."

Highs: Great gameplay, great variety of weapons, sweet visuals.
Lows: Load times can be really long depending on the server. Random boots from the game. High System requirements.
The Snipe: Fantastic Online FPS that will provide hours of non-stop fun.
Overall Score: 8.7

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 11/14/05