Battlefield 2 : Games : Web Wombat

Battlefield 2 is an action packed, realistic first-person perspective war game that follows its precursor's lead (Battlefield 1942) but brings a range of new features to the table.

It depicts modern electronic-aided warfare, rather than the WWII era of the original Battlefield, and this time the gameplay is even better, and the graphics more visually stimulating.

By combining the best features of first person shooter gaming into a single title, Electronic Arts have made it clear with Battlefield 2 that it is aiming to take the multiplayer gaming experience to a whole new level. Bringing together visual enhancements, such as dynamic lighting, the game as a whole is a much more enticing package, and a welcome addition to the landscapes of Battlefield 1942.

Battlefield 2 also features:

Dynamic environments
Abundance of vehicles - more than 30 of them
Excellent multiplayer modes - 16, 32 and 64 players
Penetration of material such as cans, vehicles, buildings etc.

There are also multiple classes of soldiers and kits including Special Forces, Sniper, Assault, Medic, Anti-tank, Engineer, Support roles. There have also been some communication enhancements that improve player interaction during online play. In addition to the multiple roles, there are also three teams to choose from: the U.S., Chinese, or Middle East Coalition troops. Each team has their own arsenal of weapons, and there are pros and cons for all three.

Ruined cities feature big in Battlefield 2,
and make for some very intense fire-fights

Previous Battlefield titles lacked any form of integrated voice communication. This was resolved with players using software such as Teamspeak or Roger Wilco.

However, those players not in the same voice channel or server as the rest of their team had to resort to typing, which is rather hazardous when in the middle of a battle! Battlefield 2 combats this by including full VOIP support.

There are two voice channels in the server. The first allows you to talk to other players in your "squad" (up to 6 players), and is activated using the default V key.

Secondly, the squad leader is able to communicate with the Commander, using the B key in order to coordinate attacks, request supplies, etc.

The game's developers, DICE, haven't forgotten about the text-based chat though. Battlefield 2 messages are now available in a variety of colours. This allows you to see at a glance, if the messages are coming from your buddy, your squad, your commander, or even your enemies. Being able to quickly and correctly identify intelligence can make all the difference on the battlefield.

Another new feature that Battlefield 2 brings to the Battlefield series is the brand-new 'Commander' mode. Not unlike systems seen in the Tribes games among others, the general idea behind this is a simple Real Time Strategy interface, embedded into the first person shooter. If you're the designated Commander on the server, you can press Caps Lock and bring up the Command interface, similar in design to the spawn interface of previous Battlefield games. From there you can perform a number of tasks:

Field Scan: Locate all enemy combatants and marks them with a red dot
UAV Scan: Performs a Field Scan and then forwards the Intel report to your teammates in the area. Useful for locating and eliminating any last pockets of resistance
Artillery Strike: Drops accurate artillery fire on to your chosen target
Ammo/Equipment Drops: Keep your troops fully stocked to ensure victory

Although the Commander Mode is vital to your team's success, it's not difficult to use. This is due to the simplicity of the interface (using the Caps Lock key, which is a little strange at first) where all of the functions can be performed with a simple click of the mouse.

It's a truly massive game: commandeer a jet and
wreak havoc from thousands of feet above sea level

Players of previous titles in the series will be familiar with the standard game modes. These include conquest, custom combat and evolution. All of these game modes are available in Battlefield 2 and DICE has stated that if there is enough interest in specific game modes, they will try to patch it in at a later date.

Introducing a large range of new game features, Battlefield 2 includes graphical and visual enhancements as well, which comprise of ambient visual affects, such as birds and waterfalls, adding a touch of beauty to the violence of the modern day battlefield.

There's also improved sky textures and landscapes, plus destructible objects, but this graphical goodness comes at a price - you'll need at least a 1.7Ghz processor to run the game, along with 512Mb or random access memory.

Before it was released, one of the most talked about features of Battlefield 2 was material penetration. This can be a real asset when the enemy is hiding behind a gas can - as it makes for a great explosion (there are a number of other items, which can be impacted that you'll discover through gameplay)! The game's physics engine measures the worth of a bullet and how far it will penetrate/impact into any given surface. Concrete is tough, but a bullet certain types of bullets can penetrate wood.

Battlefield 2 has an excellent engine running at the core of the game. While load times might be extended for those with lower end systems the online gaming experience is quite stable. Battlefield 2 is essentially about massive multiplayer games, offering a unique gaming experience that is tailored to the number of players participating. The more players there are, the bigger the map size.

Another feature included with release of Battlefield 2 are global stats. If players log on to specific ranked servers, then the in game stats they gain will be logged and tracked online, a place where the nerd in all of us can come out to play.

Additionally, depending on a player's level of experience, new weapons, medals and awards can become unlocked. The Global Stats give each player the chance to view their overall personal performance and compare their scores with other Battlefield contenders.

Battlefield 2 is a very big game, with more latitude than most other war games. If you don't want to sit on the grassy knoll with your sniper-rifle in hand, you can always jump into an attack helicopter or a jet fighter and rain fire on the opposition - all while chatting in real time. A very impressive, very realistic and utterly huge combat title well worth looking at if you have a quick PC and a broadband connection.

Game: Battlefield 2
Players: 1-multi
Online: Yes
Developer: DICE
Distributor: Electronic Arts

Rating: 85%

(Ratings Key/Explanation)

Battlefield 2 is on the shelves now.

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