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The keys are in the chopper, the
C4's strapped to your dune buggy and all your medals are polished. You're now
ready to battle it out on the online war zone known as Battlefield 2: Modern
Combat. You're probably asking if it's
worth spending fifty quid on what is essentially an Xbox port.
Many Battlefield fans will argue that the PC version of Battlefield is still the
best in the series; the game itself has seen action on various consoles
including the Xbox, PS2 and now the Xbox 360. What exactly does this next-gen
version bring to the Xbox 360 to be quite honest. Other than better graphics and
achievements there really isn't much else on offer with this new version of
Battlefield 2. Even so the game itself is a joy to play and it comes into a
world of its own as soon as you go online. If you've never played Battlefield 2
then please don't even consider any other game, buy this as it will fill you
with pleasure for countless hours. If you have already played it then there are
really only two reasons to buy this new
version, if you want to boost your Gamerscore or if you want to play the most
addictive online game on your next-gen console.
Let me first talk to you about the aspect of the
game which DICE hoped to
improve the most, I am of course talking about the graphics. Graphically this
game is far superior to its Xbox counterpart. Vehicles look so smooth and so
detailed, also you will notice that your weapons have been given a major visual
over haul and the final result is truly amazing. The lighting effects have also
been upgraded and it really does make a difference, you will notice it most when
you're up in a chopper but even on the ground you will see just how much work
DICE have put into this new game.
The actual characters do of course look unique, a sniper will be covered in
leaves to help him blend in with the surroundings, were as engineers will have a
giant rocket strapped to their back and not only do they look unique, they also die
in unique ways thanks to the bolstered rag doll physics implemented into the
game. It's always good to see a dead body hanging off a turret or impaled on a
tank. Two other additions include bullet casings remaining on the floor, they
won't magically disappear after a few minutes but instead stay put until the end
of the game. It really does look good when you watch your friend go through four
hundred bullets and then see the pile of bullet casings left over. The other
addition is the fact that your bullets will create greater damage to the
buildings, if you shoot a wall in the same place you will notice that bigger
chunks of debris are fall away from the building. Something this simple adds
so much realism to the game.
As well as vehicles the actual maps have been given a glossy coat to make
them look that little bit better; to be honest the buildings don't look that
much different from the Xbox version. The thing is as soon as you look down you
start to see where all the work really went (you're probably thinking I'm mad
telling you to look down!) but trust me you really see a huge difference in the
ground physics. I managed to get the Xbox version side by side with the 360 game
and although the vehicles do look a hell of a lot better, it was the landscape
that impressed me the most. The Xbox landscape was bland and looked like it was
made up of a metre long square just copied and pasted across the map. Yet the
Xbox 360 doesn't look anything like that, it looks like every blade of grass,
sand and gravel is unique and as such it just makes the game look amazing.
Explosions also look unbelievable on the Xbox 360. The aftermath of an artillery
strike is so beautiful that you really do start to get scared when you hear the
distant whistle of fifty missiles honing in on your position. You will also love
the mouth watering results of a military barrage on a tank or helicopter.
Finally the mini explosions from grenades and especially C4 really add to this
games realism and you will yearn for destruction after only a few minutes of
battle.
There are a few downsides in the graphics department, the biggest problem being
the absolutely horrid shadows. I would have probably preferred the game without
shadows as what you see by the side of your tank or vehicle is a pixelated mess.
The smooth and sleek look of your tank will be completely ruined as your shadow
is made up if pixels a foot in length. It's a shame to see that they couldn't
finish the shadowing off as it does ruin the game in parts. The other problem is
the fact that soldiers can float, granted it only happens if they are a quite a
way away. Even so it really does ruin the intense feeling of war when you see an
engineer floating across the road a foot of the ground firing rockets towards
you. Overall though the upgrade in graphics is great and in really does look
next-gen in parts.
The campaign mode is pretty much a copy and paste job. It's a near replica of
the Xbox version and to be honest it's very dull. Granted the unique hot
swapping is a rush, but that only lasts a few minutes. The only reason why
anyone would want to venture into the single player game is if you really
wanted to get a bigger gamerscore otherwise I would steer clear! You're
probably thinking that it's unfair to say that the single player is pointless
but trust me once you play it you will never sign off Xbox Live again. In single
player you'll loose the feeling of team work and you will also find yourself
being more careless in the campaign mode. In the single player game you will
have to follow a ranking system much like the online game and to get a higher
rank then you must get certain medals or kills. You get a group of soldiers
(whom you can't control in anyway, shape or form) but the sad thing is they can
in no way be compared with real soldiers as they seem to only have one thing on
their mind; to die in the quickest way possible! They seem to just run out into
the open even if there's a 120mm in front of them and that really does dent the
realism factor in the single player game. If you do manage to wade through the
campaign mode then you will find a variety of different missions on offer from
sniping to undercover special ops mission and my favourite which is of course
the
helicopter missions, but overall there really is no point playing the single
player mode as online the game is so much more rewarding.
Now we get to what has to be the best aspect of the game, Xbox Live. Forget
about the crappy single player mode and focus as this is the one reason why
this game is worth the fifty quid price tag. As soon as you sign onto Xbox Live
this game turns into an absolutely amazing game; 24 player matches, countless
maps and a massive collection of vehicles to commandeer. What more could you
want? On the Xbox, the online connection was always a problem, servers kept
failing and lag was about as common as Jade Goody! Luckily the online portion of
the game has been given a slight upgrade and you will immediately notice that
lag hardly ever rears its ugly head and the chances of being disconnected are
now minimal. With this new upgrade the online aspect of Battlefield is truly
remarkable.
The first thing you will notice is just how much team work is involved, not
having a mic is finally considered a crime and since I first played the game I
have yet to experience a muted game. Now vehicle hogging is very much frowned
upon and as such you will find yourself always waiting for other players to jump
into your chopper or tank as going in on your own is pretty much suicide. You
will also find yourself figuring out new ways to kill the enemy such as
strapping C4 to vehicles and waiting for an enemy soldier to start the engine
only to find shrapnel lodged in his brain! Now that's what soldiers of this day
and age call tactics and to be honest it is rarely seen anymore. It's a shame
because if you wish to advance your rank on games like Battlefield 2 then you
will have to think rather than doing the good old spray and pray routine and
because of it the game feels so realistic.
There are a couple of game types including Capture the Flag, but for the best
online experience you can't get better than conquest. Conquest involves a series
of flags spread across the map and your mission is to take these flags over and
as such take over the majority of the map. The more flags you have the quicker
your oppositions score depletes. You will also notice yourself taking a fancy to
different soldiers; now the class you choose can depend on personal preference,
map or just how you feel at the time. For example I used Assault Kit on Damage,
Spec Ops on Backstab and a mix of Sniper and Engineer kits on Bridge to Far, but
in the end its completely up to you and the variety between the kits. You will
also find yourself choosing different vehicles in different situations, many new
players (or n00bs as is stated in the unwritten online dictionary) will
constantly go for the Helicopter (guilty as charged), but the novelty soon wears
off as
tactically they are nothing more than troop carriers because chances are you
will find yourself being hunted down by three GTAM's (Ground to Air Missile)
within seconds of taking off. In retrospect this game would be a pile of
smouldering horse manure if it wasn't for Xbox Live and yet as soon as you
go online you immediately realise that the price tag of fifty pounds is
justified. Gamers will be online for many, many months and to be honest I think
its already the best Xbox 360 online game.
The controls in the game are very easy going. Vehicles are very easy to steer
and things like weapon switching and jumping will become second nature after a
few games. The controls for the helicopter are a tad more difficult, but they
need to be as a map could be over-run if the helicopter controls were over
simplified. The game also excels in the audio department, with things like gun
fire, vehicles and missiles sounding unbelievable realistic. Explosions sounds
so intense, the boom you get from a 120mm being destroyed will vibrate your room
and on 5.1 surround sound the sense of war just becomes jaw droopingly good. As
for the soundtrack its simply one song which is the BF2 theme, but if you want
to get the full Battlefield experience then you will turn your iPod off and
simply bask in the presence of Modern Combat.
Battlefield for the Xbox 360 is a must for anyone who has never had the pleasure
of playing it before now, as for everyone who has experienced it on the Xbox or
PS2, well you should get it anyways. Yes the fifty quid price tag is
extortionate but then again if you do a bit of searching online you can find it
for a steal at around thirty quid. The game is a thing of beauty once you take
it online, you will find yourself losing all sense of time and the only thing
that will be on your mind is the screams of your enemies as they get mown down
by your assault rifle. This game not only offers you great visuals and a
flawless online game, but you will also find yourself using tactics like
flanking enemy tanks and dropping from helicopters to gain a foot hold while
playing online. The campaign mode is pretty dull, but the only reason why you
need to buy this game is for Xbox Live.
Simple as!
Audio - 90%
Controls - 80%
Gameplay - 80%
Graphics - 90%
Lastability - 80%
Rating - 84%
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