Battlefield 2

Overall Rating:
Genre: First-Person Shooter
Christian Rating: 4 of 5
   (slightly offensive)
Gameplay: 5 of 5
   (excellent)
Violence: 3 of 5
   (mild)
Adult Content: 5 of 5
   (none)

Lock and load!

From the makers of Battlefield 1942 comes a modern-day sequel, Battlefield 2. The battle now takes place in a modern day enviornment between the United States Marine Corp, the (fictional) Middle Eastern Coalition, and the forces of the People's Republic of China.

The gameplay is basic enough: Choose your army and your kit, and join in the fight. Infantry combat is not the only aspect of this game; an array of weaponry is available, from American AH-1Z Cobras to Middle Eastern T-90 tanks. Your team wins by controlling capturable “outposts”. On some maps you must have a majority of these for the enemies point count to slowly tick downard, while on others your main base is uncapturable and your point count goes down unless you have at least one capturable base.

An DSL or cable connection is all but imperative to play the game, as single-player mode is extremely limited. Once you register an online account, your statistics are recorded when you play on a ranked server and sent to the player database. You can earn awards, gain ranks, and unlock new weapons by playing on these ranked servers and meeting certain requirements.

A downside to the game is the equipment you need to run it. The minimum system requirements are fairly high, and that's only if you want to run it at the lowest graphics settings. That said, if you have a state-of-the-art computer, the visuals are truly stunning.

Being an online game, one other issue that could arise during gameplay is language typed into the communication lines during a game. Fortunately there are servers that ban language, but this could still be an issue. It could also be an issue with the voice communication capability, but I have not used that part of the game and it is not necessary for normal gameplay.

Another issue of concern could be the gameplay itself. As far as first-person shooters go, this one is mild. There is no blood or bodies tearing apart; players merely fall to the ground once they have been killed, or occasionally fly up into the air if they are the target of a tank round.

A redeeming aspect in the game is the ability to play as a medic. Players “killed” are sent into a revivable state, and medics can also heal friendly players that have taken damage. Teamwork among, while not required, greatly increases chances of winning the round.

Overall Battlefield 2 has good gameplay, oppurtunities for teamwork, and relatively mild violence, but text communication could expose players to unwanted profanity. If you are looking for a strategic first-person shooter and have the system to run it, Battlefield 2 provides some fun times.

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