Category:Featured Games/December 2007

Battlefield 2's cover.

Do you remember "lightning in a bottle?" - The famous quote used in the Gamespy^[1] review for Battlefield 2. The comment was a reference about Battlefield 1942, and it's almost revolutionary game-play and realism, in an era of over-saturated futuristic shooters. Well, following in their example I consider Battlefield 2 to be a, "hurricane in a bottle." No game has ever hit the First-person shooter market quite as hard as Battlefield 2, for better or for worse. To this day, it remains one of the most addictive FPS games in existence, rivaled only by Counterstrike, Gears of War and Halo. Though it will never be touted as one of the more revolutionary pro-gamer games due to some of it's rather unique features (cone-of-fire), it did however revolutionize game-play for all First-person shooters by introducing never before main-streamed features.

Before Battlefield 2 came along, maps were initially smaller to cater to the smaller number of players on the server. Afterall, who would want to play on a huge sprawling map, when only 6 people were actively playing? With Battlefield 2's new 64 player settings, the entire reason for developers to avoid creating gargantuan maps was nullified, and with the aid of fast transport vehicles like the Humvee, or fast moving planes like the J-10, F-35B, or F-15 getting across from battle to battle or flag to flag has never been easier! This is a good thing too, because unlike it's predecessors (or any other game for that matter) the maps in Battlefield 2 can be quite complex. Kubra Dam can be quite daunting if you've never had a chance to see the layout before. Don't fret though. Battlefield 2 offers server administrators the options of playing smaller sized maps (16 playered and 32 playered), as well as smaller player-amounts. This means that you won't be forced to put your computer through a rigorous stress test every-time you want to play the game.

An F-15 plane in action.

Maps in Battlefield 2 are not the only thing that has become more complex. The introduction of Bullet Drop and the Cone-of-Fire create a level of difficulty as well as skill-balance that are completely alien to an First-person shooter world built on twitch-shooting skill. Both concepts are Digital Illusions CE's answer to otherwise boring Long-ranged, and Close-Quarter Combat battles, that were otherwise guaranteed to the more skilled combatant without any semblance of circumstance or chance to effect the outcome. These new concepts also force players to acquire an entirely new set of skills. No longer can a sniper camp a thousand yards away and be guaranteed a quick easy head-shot. With Battlefield 2, it now takes a great deal of patience, and a great deal of knowledge to effectively take advantage of the Sniper Kit's true purpose in the game. In close-quarter combat, situational awareness becomes more important than your twitch-ability. Often times, the player who is more able to adapt to his situation is the one who comes out on top, which can give even a mediocre player a chance to beat the professionals who have long dominated the First-person shooter genre. Of course, this is also the main reason why Battlefield 2 doesn't make the best professional league game in it's un-modded form. Thankfully the mod, BF2Pro fixes this problem for the professional gamers, giving BF2 a whole new breath of life for professional gamers.

Battlefield 2 also offers a wide assortment of vehicles that are sure to appease any player's personal style. There are tanks for those of us who like to take out our road rage on some unsuspecting victims. Planes for those of us who've always dreamed of ruling the skies, and helicopters for anybody who gets giddy at the prospect of blowing or shooting up anything and everything that moves on the ground or in the sky. Of course, there is a hierarchy due to imbalances regarding the vehicles. Planes are of course kings of the sky, and because those who're grounded are unable to truly fight back against those who are in the sky, Planes are the king of everything. Helicopters come to a very close second; for even a skilled plane pilot can find it difficult to down a skilled helicopter pilot. Plus for a helicopter it's easier to kill the ground targets, since they don't have to go back to a nearby Helicopter Pad to resupply themselves with munitions. Tanks of course are the second lowest on the totem pole, with Infantry being at the very bottom. Make no mistake though. A skilled infantry player can easily remove an unwary tank operator, and with the aid of a .50 caliber gun emplacement on a transport vehicle, a skilled infantry player can even destroy an unwary Helicopter Pilot.

A Cobra TV'ing a J-10.

With all these choices of game-play, casual gaming in a Battlefield series has never been easier. With it's fast paced, and frantic arcade-like action, Battlefield 2 is the perfect fit for anybody looking to just log on and frag a few people to unwind after a long day. Of course, with it's revolutionary Recorded Statistics System, that offers rewards to players who meet specific goals, even the most casual of gamers will find themselves playing more often than they know they should. With the same feel as an RPG, theres that "just one more round" mentality that makes Battlefield 2 so addicting. The award system itself is very unique. It features Awards for the many different roles of the six uniquely different kits (classes) provided to players in Battlefield 2. Many of these rewards even require you to earn a set amount of Team-work points, which is a concept that Digital Illusions CE used in the hopes of getting more people to work together. Though it can be (and has been) easily exploited; it certainly does put a new take on FPS game-play. Most importantly, it allows the newer players to learn the game, while still feeling like they're contributing to the team, even if they're not able to rack up dozens of kills like their more skilled team-mates.

It has been more than two years later after it's release, and Battlefield 2 still remains one of the most played First-person shooters. Giving Battlefield 2 an extended longevity that only Counter-strike is able to boast nowadays.