Pros: Excelllent graphics and sound, rewards collaboration, commander mode, awards skill, lots of variety
Cons: Some textures look muddy, requires a powerful system, only one mode, requires fast internet connection
The Bottom Line: This is an excellent game that's worth every dollar, but be weary of the system requirements and the learning curve. Also make sure you have a fast internet connection.
I must admit, I must of been addicted to this for a while. Now I know why various people were calling this game of the year when this was released, this is an excellent game.
From the minute I booted the game, the graphics looked amazing and sorta felt like a pseudo-reality, they lighting feels like the real thing and I do like the various effects like bumpmapping that they used to give an additional sense of depth. I did notice that some textures felt rushed and less detailed which does break the illusion a little bit, but other then that the graphics are top notch, makes you feel like you're on the battlefield. The sound is also top notch, the sound effects are various and give the weapons punch, give the vehicles a bit of believability and make the environment feel alive. The game also has support for X-Fi, which doesn't give you any benefit in terms of sound quality but it helps with game performance I guess. The game is the only reason why I bought an X-Fi card, so I could take advantage of the X-Fi in the game. The game also supports EAX which improves performance because the sound effects are hardware accelerated.
Now the game, this is mainly an online multiplayer game only. The singleplayer mode is like a practice mode for you to get acquainted with how the game works, there is no story or plot to speak of in singleplayer, it's just a practice mode. Now the multiplayer mode, the mode can be a lot of fun depending on your skill level and the speed of the internet that you have. The game is mostly strategy oriented as you have to work together in order to stay alive, you must also be on your ears and toes, looking for where the enemies might be and where they might strike. Though this doesn't happen most of the time as some squads usually go alone, this varies from match to match. There are 7 classes, each with their own unlocakble. The medic can revive people if needed and comes with an assault rifle. The special-ops is good for destroying bases and comes with an underpowered SMG. The sniper is good for sniping people in the head, if you're good at sniping people in the head. The Engineer is useful for repairing vehicles, placing mines for unsuspecting vehicles and also comes with a shotgun for close range action. The assault class is for plain assault. The support class is for supplying your teammates with ammo and comes with a machine gun. And the anti-tank is good for destroying tanks and comes with a slightly more powerful SMG.
The more interesting part comes from the fact that you don't have to be the same class over and over again. When you die, you can pick a different class, or you can switch to a different class by picking up a kit from a deceased soldier, this gives the game variety. You can prone which mans that you lay down, this gives you more accuracy at the risk of vulnerability. Though earlier in the game's lifespan, players used proning and jump-proning as a way to confuse the enemy and kill him, an unfair tactic which has been fixed in later versions of the game. The most interesting mode is the Commander mode, which allows a commander to scout out the battlefield and give assistance such as scanning an area for enemies, ordering an artillery strike on some unsuspecting enemies and even sending out supplies for someone in need of some, you can also give orders to soldiers like an RTS game, though most of the time people don't respond to your orders, leaving you a bit frustrated. There is also an option to commend or disown your squad by right clicking a squad's and clicking on a phrase which you feel as what the squad needs, though it's underused by many people, it's a useful feature nonetheless. You don't get it instantly, people will have to vote you in as commander, this is dependent on your rank which also serves as your skill, as a person with a higher rank will likely get commander then you. There's also a mutiny option if a majority thinks that he cannot do his job properly and this will demote him from commander status and allow a new commander to be elected. Squad leaders will also have a similar mode to commander mode but without the ability to create artillery strikes, though they will be able to request artillery strikes and scans of areas that the commander will be able to do, but note that they will have to accept or deny your request.
There's also an interesting feature in here is that if you press Q (default key), it'll bring up a menu where you can request help, backup, a medic, or even say your welcome. This makes it a much easier way to communicate with everybody then just pressing a button and typing everything while leaving yourself vulnerable. Commanders and Squad Leaders have specific options, Commanders have the ability to initiate any of the commander specific features by pressing Q and selecting artillitary strike, support drop, or scan, Squad Leaders are also able to thank their own squad and request anything by pressing Q and doing the same thing that the commander would do. Most of the game takes place on foot but there are many different vehicles that you can drive in the game, from tanks to APC's which are especially deadly if they're used right, to fighter jets which require a lot of practice and basic maneuvering skills to use and a helicopter which is used as a transportation device with some turrets on the side. Though I was disappointed by the fact that there is only one naval vehicle, the inflatable dingy boat which is used for transport, though the MEC APC can travel in water but it's just not the same.
There are awards which are rewarded for doing extraordinary feats such as attacking a certain number of people without dieing and reviving a certain a number of people without dieing. I won't bother listing the awards since they are numerous but they encourage you to play harder and avoid dying, you can even earn them multiple times which in my opinion, makes earning awards more then just a one-time ordeal. The ranking system also shows how skilled you are in combat and also gives you points to unlock weapons which may be more powerful then the ordinary weapons, based on how you use them. The game also tracks how much you die, how many enemies you kill, basically keeps statistics on everything you do as an additional identifier of your skill. This game rewards skill well and keeps you from getting bored of the game easily.
The variety of maps is excellent, with such maps such as "Gulf of Oman" and an updated version of Wake Island. The game gives you 8 maps to play in (6 which can be played in singleplayer unfortunately) that range from a jungle, a forest, a city or a desert. Though there are some reused scenery between maps, most of the maps are original and offer different ways to flank your enemies and should keep you playing for some time, though various booster packs (now offered free with the 1.5 patch) and expansions offer more maps and expand their playability, this review is about the original version without the booster packs and the expansion packs.
Though the game is pitch perfect, it does have some flaws. There is mostly only one mode, Conquest, which has been Battlefield's norm. Don't get me wrong, the mode is great and innovative at the time but we expect different modes like deathmatch or capture the flag or something, playing the same mode over and over again could expect you to want something different after a while but it's just my opinion. There are also some grievers in the game that place down C4 and destroy Jets and vehicles that the players are supposed to use, though I find them funny, it really disrupts the game. There are times when everybody doesn't work together and makes the game feel less like a strategy first person shooter at times, though this can be easily overlooked. There are also times when a commander will strike a place that's a spawn point, giving them an unfair advantage and it'll take some time for you to use the Jet's like a pro, gunning down other jets and destroying enemies from up in the sky, but apart from these minor flaws, this game is a must own and you'll definitely enjoy if from the first moment you open it up, though you might want to get a powerful, powerful system in order to enjoy it.
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