Battlefield 2: Modern Combat

"Huh? There is a single player mode in this game?"

I will be honest, I have played the single player mode of “Battlefield 2: Modern Combat” for all of 10 minutes. Just enough to see what sort of options were available, and get a feel for the controls. Then I completely ditched that and went online, and have never looked back.

I want to make this very very clear, if you do not have the capability to get your PS2 online, then just forget about this game. I can see no reason to ever play the single player mode of Modern Combat, unless you were really bored. It is just like the PC Battlefields in this respect, where the single player component is only included for the sake of completion.

So now that we have gotten that out of the way, what is this game all about? Well, if you have ever played the PC Battlefield games, then you will be right at home here. If not, then let me explain.

In Battlefield 2: Modern Combat, you play online with up to 24 other players in either Capture the Flag or Conquest modes. Capture the Flag is about what you would expect, but the real game is in the Conquest mode. Conquest has you fighting to control a map that is divided into “Control Points”. Your team attempts to capture and hold these points for as long as possible, which will keep you from losing “tickets”. The team that holds less territory is generally drained of tickets. Other events can also drain tickets, but holding territories is the major element. The winning team is the one who holds more tickets at the end of the match.

This concept is really a lot of fun when you are actually in the middle of it. It strikes a great balance between strategy and action, and you really feel like you are part of a real battle.

I am happy to say that the rest of the game easily matches up to it's excellent concept. Graphically, Modern Combat is one of the best looking first person shooters you are going to see on the PS2. All of the models are highly detailed, and the draw distance is amazing. There are so many little graphical details that make the game world seem real that I can't even begin to list them, you will just have to trust me when I say this game looks fantastic. I have had a few people watch me play and comment they didn't think the PS2 could pull of a game of this scale looking as good as it does.

The sound is also great. The music is very atmospheric in nature, and most of the sound effects are related to the vehicles and weapons; you can identify every object in the game by the unique sound it makes. Another nice touch are the voice overs that announce changes on the battlefield (such as a Control Point being captured). These are played as radio broadcasts, and are actually in the native language of the team you are playing on. So if you are on the Chinese team, the announcements will really be in Chinese. While this makes the game a little tough to follow, it is very immersive,

Speaking of radio, this game also features a very nice voice communication system. You can speak normally into the headset at any time, and only those who are in close physical proximity to you, or are inside a vehicle with you, can hear you. If you want to address the whole team, you then hold the chat button. This is really nice, as you can just speak freely with the small squad you are working with, and don't have to bother the whole team with chatter that doesn't concern them. Another really nice touch is the fact that if you get close enough to an enemy, you can actually hear him speaking as well. It's possible to actually spy on the enemy by sending in a soldier to hide in the enemy base and eavesdrop on their conversations.

Perhaps one of the best features of the game however are the vehicles. Modern Combat follows all the other Battlefield games, in that it is not a pure FPS. Vehicles play a very large part of the game, and arguably you will never win a battle without using them. You have full control of everything from civilian cars to Apaches. Nearly every vehicle also has room for multiple passengers and crew. For instance, the larger vehicles such as the HIND and Blackhawk allow not only a pilot position, but also multiple gunner positions in addition to the passengers. This means you can have a vehicle crewed with a pilot or driver, a gunner, and still have room to carry troops. You can really get creative with tactics by using vehicles of this type, and they make the game much more dynamic.

One problem I have always had with Modern Combat is the vehicle physics. Modern Combat employees a fairly advanced physics engine, but it is definitely not without it's bugs. If you roll a tank over an object, even something as simple as a steel drum, it will get completely stuck 9 times out of 10. This can make navigating in close quarters infuriating; and more often than not, then enemy will walk right up to your vehicle and destroy it with a C4 charge or mine before you can break free.

But perhaps the worst issue is not one that is really a fault of the game. As I write this review, it has been months since the servers have operated properly. It is very difficult to get into a game, and when you do, the lag is usually bad enough to keep you from having too much fun. Unfortunately, this is not the first time this has happened, and almost certainly will not be the last. There are rumors that EA is going to shut the servers down permanently soon, so if you want to get in on one of the best FPS experiences you can get on the PS2, you might want to hurry up.

In the end, the game itself is almost perfect. It's minor faults are not enough to condemn the game, yet I cannot ignore them. I also have to take the server instability into account. While it is not a fault in the game itself, the online multiplayer is the primary draw of this title, and without it the game is almost worthless. I would really suggest you do your homework before purchasing, and make sure you can get online with this title (both in terms of your own setup, and the current server conditions). Rent this game first to make sure you are able to play online successfully, and if you can, I am willing to bet you will be heading right to the store to buy it.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 11/08/06