A Battlefield 2 players review of Battlefield 2142
I was lucky enough to secure a invitational beta test from EA very early on in the Battlefield 2142's development. Some might say "unlucky enough" but I remained confident throughout the beta testing phase that the games complications would be ironed out in due course. EA/Dice have indeed had a rough ride from the Battlefield 2 community throughout due to Battlefield 2's chequered history, so scepticism regarding Battlefield 2142 was rife with a fair proportion of the community stating "Its simply a mod of Battlefield 2". Indeed Battlefield 2142 does share the same engine as Battlefield 2 although changes and optimisations have been made for improved performance and in game effects which I will elaborate on later in this review. Although Battlefield 2142 is a stand alone game and not a mod of Battlefield 2, comparisons will and are inevitably made as both games share the same engine (albeit optimised for Battlefield 2142 in various aspects) although the reader of this article must bear in mind this is NOT Battlefield 2 and most certainly doesn't play like Battlefield 2.
Gimme game modes!
Excluding the blatantly obvious differences between Battlefield 2 and Battlefield 2142 such as the futuristic setting, Battlefield 2142 offers the same Conquest mode familiar with the Battlefield 2 community in which players must secure as many flags as possible, or control more than half the flags on the map to slowly deplete the enemy's tickets to secure a win. Along with Conquest is now a mode called Titan. Titans are considered the motherships of each team and if your team is successful in destroying the enemy's Titan, you are granted the win. Destroying the Titans themselves consists of capping ground based silos. Each time a silo is capped a missile is launched at the enemy's Titan. That same silo will launch missiles intermittently to deplete the enemy Titan's shield, unless the silo is re-captured by the enemy. Once the enemy Titan's shield is disabled from the continual barrage of missiles, the teams have a choice of to continue capping silo's until the Titan is completely destroyed or go for an early kill by boarding the Titan. Players can board the enemy Titan by pod or other means such as flying transport. Once you are within the Titan, your task is to reach the reactor room. Before you can successfully reach the reactor room you must disable FOUR consoles that lower internal force fields one by one, thus allowing you access to the next console respectively. Once all consoles are destroyed the Reactor Room door blows and allows entry to destroy the Reactor. Destroying the reactor can be achieved by weapon fire or explosives to secure a win.
Titan shenanigans
Due to familiarisation with Battlefield 2142's environments and weapons, Titan mode was hectic during beta with people seemingly wondering around the map, although as time went by you now see concerted efforts by both teams to destroy each others Titans. The mixture of open map combat to close quarter corridor fire fights makes for a varied game play experience that also opens up the realm of tactics considerably such as, do you go for an early kill by boarding the Titan or continue with missile attacks via capturing silos let alone what squads and classes that are best for the job at hand. When located within the enemy Titan you invariably find yourself facing a well dug in defence as a large percentage of the Titan is composed of corridors and chokepoints making for some fierce firefights with many casualties on both sides accordingly.
Overall, Titan mode is refreshingly new and implemented into the Battlefield universe very well, while maintaining that crucial balance issue that is required of any FPS game.
Graphics and the Battlefield 2142 engine
Battlefield 2142 shares the same engine as Battlefield 2 although it has been optimised for better frame rates and eye candy with some other code changes to accommodate the vehicles such as the Battle Walker. As a seasoned veteran of Battlefield 2, I can see a marked increase in performance with Battlefield 2142 in relation to Battlefield 2. Due to PC specifications and the variables involved, this might not be the case for everybody, although I can confidentially predict if you run Battlefield 2 I would say this would perform just as well, if not better on your current rig. You certainly notice the eye candy graphics in action when within the games environment, most notably the temporary vehicle force fields and massive explosions. Buildings and landscape are complex in construction although sensible in design offering you good cover in many situations. The landscape itself does indeed look like a battlefield with craters and half destroyed buildings on fire adding to the expected battlefield atmosphere. The overall "tone" of the game is implemented very well with weaponry and mechanics suitably detailed and coloured for the games futuristic setting while providing a large selection of maps offering a varied battlefield experience and environmental setting.
Sound
As the year is 2142, you certainly notice the difference in tone with weapon use. The sound effects are considerably more "meatier" than Battlefield 2 in every aspect. Explosions are the most impressive with a pleasing bassy rumble coupled with the lighting effects added from the game engine itself makes for pleasurable frags. Indeed, explosions of all types are one of the most impressive aspects of the game purely because of the sound coupled with graphics. The clever use of background radio use adds to the futuristic theme of the game while not interfering with the job at hand. Each sound seems to fit the situation perfectly from pod launches from APC's to reloading your weapons. They seem to have spent a lot of time in the sound effects department in the construction of this game and its certainly noticeable by the quality. The musical score for the game itself lends well to Star Wars in its orchestral mix and is much more pleasing to listen to when connecting to servers or navigating the games options. Many FPS games have failed to deliver within the realms of creating that all important atmosphere to suit the setting. A good example would be firing the primary weapon on a tank only to hear a wimpy "boom!". Battlefield 2142 delivers in every respect regarding sound by providing that all important "BOOOOOM!".
Weapon handling!
This seems to also be a controversial issue within the Battlefield community. I have always felt Battlefield 2 was influenced by the wrong people within the patching process and a little to much was nerved to accommodate those people who are either just to lazy to learn specific skills or are simply to stupid to play Solitaire let alone Battlefield 2. I know this is a controversial comment but I have been part of this community and have read many posts within this subject with have never felt the weapons to be inaccurate. I can say I have indeed emptied an entire clip into someone only for them to turn around and kill me, although this experience is few and far between and is also present in Battlefield 2. Bullet spread overall seems more concentrated towards the center of your crosshair than Battlefield 2's and just s Battlefield 2, burst fire or single shot mode often alleviates all issues of accuracy. Because weapon accuracy is seemingly better in Battlefield 2142 I usually experience much less enemy proning unless at distances.
Gameplay feel:
My first impression was the immediacy of mouse movement in comparison to Battlefield 2. Mouse movement seems much more responsive and accurate which is certainly an aspect that I personally thought Battlefield 2 lacked, possibly because I'm an old school Enemy Territory player. It has previously been mentioned that Battlefield 2 didn't allow the option to disable mouse acceleration so maybe this has been disabled as default? Please do NOT presume that Battlefield 2142 is similar to Battlefield 2 regarding gameplay speed. After the initial familiarisation with weapons and its Titan game mode, you will immediately realise Battlefield 2142 is considerably faster and fierce in gameplay than Battlefield 2, and you generally find yourself in combat situations much more frequently than Battlefield 2. Although gameplay itself is faster, the soldier movement does seem pretty accurate to that of Battlefield 2 although ever so slightly faster in your average run speed although run length is shorter but fixable via an unlock. As expected from a seasoned Battlefield 2 player, vehicle handling initially felt unfamiliar, primarily with the hover tank, but as with any game it is soon mastered and perfected to devastating effect. Flying is very much easier than Battlefield 2, although balance has been maintained with suitable ground support weapons to counteract the airborne menace and certainly doesn't present the same problems experienced in Battlefield 2.
Badges and Toys!
Battlefield 2142 has a stat system of its own with a large and varied selection of unlocks per soldier. It has been argued a small number of unlocks should come as standard on certain soldiers such as the defibrillator kit on Assault class and universal sprint speed length throughout all classes as opposed to an unlock, which I tend to agree with, but other than that the selections are well chosen and provide for extensive variation in gameplay from the A12 Enforcer Sentry Gun to the IT-33 Optical Camouflage for Recon class soldiers. Unlocks feature heavily in Battlefield 2142 and must be chosen carefully to avoid all those "doh!" situations in which you say "I could have used that!". Upgrades also consist of smaller items such as sniper scope stability upgrades, ammo clip upgrades and of course the controversial stamina recovery charge as well as providing further battlefield team communication methods such as reconnaissance drones. Overall your not stuck for choice although players are advised to choose their unlocks carefully to accommodate their play style and requirements. Badges are awarded as Battlefield 2 although now there is extra incentive to use the knife in combat as you are awarded the enemy's dog tags for each kill as bragging rights, a very good addition to the game and is most amusing when the enemy is your friend on coms.
Game options
There is everything you would expect within Battlefield 2142's options as you would see in Battlefield 2's, although there are a few changes for the better. Most notably is the addition of a buddy system within the join server screen. This option allows you to add your "buddys" and then you can ascertain exactly which server your friends are playing on without obtaining that annoying IP address or server name (ALL on-line games should have this simple option btw).
Round experience:
The initial onslaught is magnificent as both teams scramble to cap the silos. In one sense you dont want to be the first person on scene as you usually find pods of personnel dropping left right and center to your position itching to take you down although this is why its beneficial to work in squads to prepare for such situations. Indeed the pod drops could be right next to you or if carefully navigated (difficult) on top of you killing you instantly. Sometimes you find yourself in a face off with a tank. I tend to throw EMP grenades (unlockable) while a Recon class soldier moves in with an RDX Demopak (C4 equivalent) although again this is if your team is working AS a team. Once you have capped the silo you find a few vehicles spawning which tend to be different depending on which silo you've capped. Once you have secured the area you have a choice on how to move to the next silo. You find a buggy will spawn on all captured silos, these offer a very fast means of transport around the map although weak in armour. Alternatively you can launch yourself from an APC pod and navigate directly to the next silo or possibly land yourself at a clever vantage point to cause disruption and offer covering fire while the rest of your team move in. After a while you find the enemy Titan's shield is depleted, from this situation you can reach the Titan by air transport or pod. I usually navigate an APC which my team can spawn and use a pod to land on the deck of the enemy Titan.
When within the Titan,
you generally find a well dug in enemy who will stop at nothing to take you down. It's generally a good idea to move in slowly and use your iron sights regularly to spot movement or a prone solider waiting with a support class gun. Corridor fire fights are intense and many people die. One situation I experienced was a stand-off with the enemy located within the Reactor Room and my team outside throwing everything we could at them. I noticed a blurry outline of a solider exciting the Reactor room briefly and thought nothing of it until I was stabbed in the back by a Recon class soldier using active camouflage. I assign a droid (as squad leader) who begins shooting into the Reactor room and a few grenades later we move in for the kill successfully taking down the last few remaining enemy soldiers. We begin shooting the reactor core and when critical we run for the exit to bail.
Overall:
I generally find intense battlefield experiences on Battlefield 2142 much more frequent than Battlefield 2 in the sense there's numerous transport options and your never far from the battle unless spawning, and even then you can spawn within the very Titan your defending. Overall I think the game although not massively dissimilar to Battlefield 2 regarding game modes and the principles of unlocks and stats, offers a fresh gaming experience in speed and intensity that certainly warrants the space on your hard disk.
Article Resource: http://www.gamersnation.co.uk/index.php?name=Core&file=article&sid=918 |
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