Game Review 21:Battlefield 2142

After the success of Battlefield 2, EA decided to release Battlefield 2142. Battlefield 2142 is not a sequel to any Battlefield game, though; it consists only of multiplayer. Single-player only acts as practice sessions for you before you take on real players. Having said that, do not expect any campaign from Battlefield 2142.

If there is anything that can describe Battlefield 2142 shortly, this is it: It feels almost like Counter Strike. The multiplayer action is tense, though not as addicting as Counter Strike’s. Battlefield 2142 consists mainly of two modes of play, namely Conquest mode, which was retained from Battlefield 2, and a new Titan mode, which can be quite interesting. Titan mode requires the enemy’s airborne warship to be destroyed to win the battle. You can accomplish this by securing missile silos on the map, which when taken control will launch anti-titan missiles at intervals. After a while, your enemy’s titan shield will drop and eventually be taken away, making the titan more vulnerable to attacks. There is another way to destroy the titan, though. You may also board an air transport and land on the enemy’s titan and work towards the center of it to destroy its core reactor. There is a video in the game menu that will guide you on how to attain success in the Titan mode. Either way, the game promotes heavy teamwork.

One particular failing of Battlefield 2142 I want to point out is its graphics. If a game has been released with this kind of graphics 2 years ago, it would be easier to forgive, but now? After experiencing the amazing beauty of F.E.A.R. and FarCry on PC, it is hard to go back to Battlefield 2142. Graphics seem somewhat unpolished and colors look dull. The developers could have done more by adding more colors to make the environments look more vibrant. Even explosions are not any better. Graphical effects are average at best. The sound in this game would not win any award as well. It has been done better before in many games including the ever immersive Call of Duty 2. You just do not get the feeling of being in the game when you play Battlefield 2142.

However, despite some of its shortcomings, Battlefield 2142 is still a solid multiplayer game. There are a wide variety of futuristic vehicles to ride, including hover tanks and weapons to wield. Vehicles controls could use some practice as they may be difficult to control at first, especially aerial ones. Your soldier will die within a few shots so you will have to be on your toes to survive. Moreover, more items may eventually get unlocked once you progressed through the various ranks, prompting you to clock more hours with the game. Battlefield 2142 does succeed in brining back the ‘Counter Strike feel’ I have been missing for quite a long time, but with limited maps whose numbers do not exceed a dozen, I must say that you may grow out of this game in a few weeks or months time. Buy Battlefield 2142 for its solid multiplayer, but just do not come in expecting much because the game is more or less an average one with some nice additions here and there.

Overall score: 7.9/10

Good points: Solid multiplayer action, new Titan mode, tons of unlockable items
Bad points: Poor graphics and average sound, may feel dull after a few months as maps are less than a dozen, no single player campaign (seriously, including this would be nice).