Battlefield 2: Modern Combat Preview

It's been a long time but Battlefield is coming to the Xbox. With the recent release of Battlefield 2 for PC, Xbox (and PS2) owners will finally have an opportunity to play Battlefield on a home console. Battlefield 2: Modern Combat will be the console version of Battlefield 2, which is already a hit on the PC. The previous versions of Battlefield were set during World War II or Vietnam, but Battlefield 2 is based upon current war-time affairs. But the settings of the game have always been secondary to the gameplay.

Battlefield has always been gaming at it's most basic “Us versus Them.” Those that have played the PC versions know what I'm talking about but for those that haven't then let me elaborate. Battlefield allows you to choose sides, good or evil (Axis or Allies) and then play a huge game of capture the flag/king of the mountain. Instead of just one flag being on a map the game has several flag spots located throughout the map. The team that captures the most bases (flags) at the end of the match wins the game. It's a really simple idea that works amazingly well and has hooked gamers for the past couple of years. There are countless stories about people playing Battlefield for hours upon hours because it's just so much fun. I'm proud to report that all of this excitement appears to be present in the Xbox version of Battlefield 2: Modern Combat.

The demo available right now offers players the ability to sample the online multiplayer aspect of the game. The demo allows up to 24 players to play the conquest mode, where you pick a side and then battle it out for possession of the bases. Veterans of the PC game will be right at home with the console version since the multiplayer hasn't changed dramatically. You pick a spawn point and then battle for possession of a base. Once you have captured a base you can then decide to capture another base or hold position in case the other sides comes after the base. Before you spawn into the game you can pick from several different solider types that all have their own unique weapons and abilities. For example if you pick an engineer then you start off with a shotgun and have a rocket launcher. While a sniper starts off with (of course) a sniper rifle. Each time you die and have to respawn you can select a different type of soldier to use so you can experiment with what works best for you.

The other key part of the Battlefield franchise has been the vehicles and Modern Combat doesn't disappoint. Tanks, Helicopters and different vehicles are always littered throughout a map. The helicopter played the biggest deciding factor in the Xbox demo because it enabled the transportation of other gamers to different parts of the map. But the helicopter doesn't have to land, oh no, since you can jump out of the helicopter and parachute down. I had a blast riding in the helicopter as a engineer and trying to take out tanks using a rocket launcher. The vehicles have previously been used to perform some amazing jumps and stunts in the PC version and I wouldn't be surprised if console gamers try to come up with their own unique stunts.

The gameplay of the demo was tight with the controls responding to everything right away. Switching to the different weapons, firing the weapons, controlling vehicles and moving around the map was never an issue. Since this is a first-person shooter the targeting system and sensitivity was top notch as well. Hardcore FPS fans shouldn't have any issues with the controls. The demo did lock up a few times during a game for no particular reason. One nasty bug would cause the game to freeze up while my speakers were making this incredibly annoying sound. The only way to stop the sound and get back into the game was to restart the Xbox. From the message boards I visited this was a common problem with everyone. Another problem was a server issue where it seems the servers would just drop a game usually at the very beginning of a match.

The graphics on the game might be a stumbling block for some gamers because there are some Xbox games that look better. Xbox owners have grown accustomed to having some of the best-looking first-person shooter games available for a console. Battlefield 2: Modern Combat won't be the best-looking game available. Some of the buildings in the game lack stunning detail that gamers might be expecting. The framerate for the demo would stutter at times, which was a nuisance especially during heavy combat. In fact I don't remember these issues being present with the demo I played at E3 this year but there is still time to iron these issues out. One amazing effect that I never got tired of looking at was the heat wave effect that would generate when someone would fire a heavy artillery shell (such as tank cannons or missiles from a helicopter). The stage would create a wave effect around the impact zone to represent the heat generated from the blast.

The demo of Battlefield 2: Modern Combat is a blast to play that no one should avoid. The demo is available in the August 2005 Official Xbox Magazine which should be on newsstands right now. The same intense, action packed, fun-filled gameplay from the PC version is here in all it's glory but with a modern look. Sure there were some rough edges present in the demo but hopefully those will be ironed out by the final release. If you're a FPS fan that only has an Xbox then this is a must-own game that shouldn't disappoint. Look for Battlefield 2: Modern Combat later this year.