Battlefield 2: Modern Combat

05/19/05

Battlefield is among the most popular first-person shooters on PC, so it goes without saying that the next console iteration, Battlefield 2: Modern Combat, has the attention of more than a handful of action-oriented gamers. The attention is well-deserved, as Electronic Arts’ series has been known for high quality and outstanding multiplayer options. Yet with Modern Combat, the franchise is taking a decidedly different tack, one that gamers should be made aware of now before they jump into battle. Battlefield 2: Modern Combat screenshot The most obvious change is also the most significant: players no longer are part of an army…they are the army. In previous Battlefield games, players controlled one troop in an army of soldiers. In Battlefield 2: Modern Combat, players can control every soldier on the battlefield, regardless of position, rank or area of expertise. And switching between characters can be done on the fly using the “hot swap” feature.” Battlefield 2: Modern Combat screenshot The “hot swap” feature lets players select any player within their view and immediately teleport into that character’s role. This leads to some incredibly open gameplay scenarios, and it also provides engaging breaks from what could otherwise be a straightforward title where machine guns were the name of the game. Instead, players can hot-swap to a hill in order to get a bird’s-eye scouting view of the entire battlefield, then immediately hot-swap into a heavy gunner or even a helicopter pilot (several vehicles are available in the game, and players can control any of them by hot-swapping to the pilot). Such swapping can lead to some interesting strategic decisions about how to achieve certain objectives,. Swapping from one character to the next doesn’t harm the AI, because when players teleport into another soldier, the formerly possessed one goes right about his or her merry way based on the situation at hand and the most appropriate tactics. In fact, swapping may occasionally save your character’s life, if you hot-swap right before he’s taken down by bullet fire. Battlefield 2: Modern Combat screenshot Yet avoiding the urge to hot-swap at every opportunity is just as important, because Battlefield 2: Modern Combat also features a role-playing-like ranking system. Soldiers are ranked based upon a kill-dependent points meter, and achieving different ranks will unlock different bonuses and the right to compete with others who share a similar rank. In addition, killing enemies lets players rack up points that can then be spent upgrading the soldier himself, the weapons and even the vehicles. An Apache helicopter equipped with five weapons, all of which can fire at the same time? It’s completely do-able, and it’s just one way to save and spend points. Battlefield 2: Modern Combat screenshot If the upgrade options and “player as the army” aspects sound like a single-player game, that’s because Battlefield 2: Modern Combat is essentially two different titles. The hot-swap feature and upgrades are available only in the single-player missions of the game, while the multiplayer options are the much more traditional one-soldier style. Including the hot-swap functions in the game’s multiplayer matches also would’ve presented logistical, AI and programming challenges, since the game supports 12-versus-12 multiplayer battles online. With basically two different game styles to choose from, one an arcade-inspired single-player shooter and the other a more-traditional multiplayer mode, Battlefield 2: Modern Combat has a little bit of something for everyone. The introduction of the hot swap certainly introduces a new aspect to the franchise, but it might just be the change Battlefield needs to entice more casual gamers while still reaching out to the hardcore BF fans who own an Xbox or PS2. -- Jonas Allen
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