Battlefield 2: Modern Combat: The Art of Modern Combat
Company: EA Games
Though it?s seen more than its fair share of imitators, most notably Star Wars: Battlefront, the Xbox has yet to see the original in "go anywhere, do anything" combat, Battlefield. Released a few years ago on the PC, Battlefield helped to reinvigorate the FPS genre by introducing large scale battles taking place in giant maps. The excitement was only enhanced by the inclusion of vehicles, which include jeeps, tanks and even jets that players could jump into at any time during matches. Much to the delight of hardcore PC gamers, the large scale battles (and stunning graphics) kept the game off consoles, until now, with the upcoming release of Battlefield 2: Modern Combat for the Xbox.
I was a big fan of the original Battlefield and were it not for my lack of a good PC, I?d probably find myself getting nothing done and playing the recently released Battlefield 2. Well, it seems that EA would rather an non-productive me than a productive one given the addictive quality of the short demo. The Xbox version of the game packs in all of the fun of the PC version and will surely draw the ire of the hardcore PC gamers. Among the varying modes available in Modern Combat, perhaps the largest is Conquest. Here, players take the roles of varying job classes and battle for checkpoints across vast expanses of real estate. Each team begins with a set score that slowly diminishes as players on that team are killed. The first team to hit zero loses.
Teams are made up of a cast soldiers, each with specific abilities and jobs on the battlefield. These include normal soldiers (who are your typical grunts), snipers and Special Forces operatives. These types will likely make up the brunt of your fighting force. Specialized classes are also available, such as anti-vehicle engineers (who come to the party with land mines) and a support class that can act as a field medic and call in artillery strikes. The latter of these two abilities is one of the more devastating abilities in the game. Hit at the right time, and you can wipe out entire armies. The downside is that a mistimed artillery strike could destroy your army just as easily as the enemy. In addition to on-foot fighting, players can also jump into vehicles, which encompass nearly every tool in the military?s mechanized arsenal. Players can start in jeeps for quick travel, or go right for the big guns in a tank. Helicopters and jets are also available for those who feel the need for speed and want to strike their opponents from above.
If there are any downsides to Modern Combat, it is the reduced number of players that can participate during battles. The 24-person battles are still fast-paced and a lot of fun, but don?t quite match the mayhem that make up the 64-player battles of the PC version. On the plus side, this also means that there are less people to have to manage during a battle, leading to tighter battles rather than the free-for-alls games on the PC can become. The player numbers may have shrunk, but the action hasn?t. If the demo is any indication, Battlefield 2: Modern Combat looks to be on pace with its PC brother and could knock Halo 2 out of the top spot on Xbox Live.
-Starscream, GameVortex Communications AKA Ricky Tucker
Related Links: Battlefield: Modern Combat Official Site EA Games
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