Battlefield 2: Modern Combat Review

By Matt Martin Published 18 April, 2006

Soldier-up when it's time to go to war...

Version tested: Xbox 360

Modern Combat nails the tension and thrill of war like a sniper nails a headshot. It's smooth and it happens so quickly it can leave you shocked - if you're not paying close attention you'll end up with your limbs spread across the war zone. If the on-screen action makes your palms clammy and your heart beat a little faster, the game must be doing the right thing. Whether man-to-man with automatics blazing, frantically darting for an inch of cover and hoping a combination of skills and blind luck will save your arse, or tank-to-tank, the pause between shell loading causing your buttocks to tighten as you take aim a shot you hope will rip your enemies apart. Modern Combat is a tense and dangerous war game from the very start.

The single-player campaign has the unique Hot Swapping feature, allowing the player to assume control of different soldiers with the simple tap of a button. It's surreal to begin with but highly effective, as you Hot Swap between soldier classes and vehicles, whether to push forward, change tactics, gain the upper hand or simply survive. If it's a novelty, it doesn't get old quickly, partly due to the sheer amount of variety on offer. The player bypasses the frustration of being the wrong man in the wrong place by potentially being all the soldiers, with all the equipment and vehicles at your disposal. Drop the rooftop enemies with a sniper, Hot Swap into a tank to destroy a barricade and then jump to a grunt for the final bloody push.

'Battlefield 2: Modern Combat' Screenshot 1

Helicopters aren't easy to control, but the death and destruction they bring is worth it.

Hot Swapping does take some getting used to and demands an element of discipline in how you play. If your troops are spread out you can become disorientated after the initial jump, which can then lead to the loss a crucial second adjusting your position or simply avoiding getting your face shot off. If it does get too confusing and you fail a mission the scripted events make the learning-by-rote gameplay easier. You'll know from where and when your enemies are coming the next time around, so the spontaneity is left to you and your Hot Swapping, which seems like a fair trade. You're encouraged to play the single-player campaign over as efficiently as possible in order to unlock better equipment and medals, and with the variety of soldier classes and their weapons, as well as the vehicles in use, there's scope for varied tactics and experimentation.

This constant body-swapping is also necessary because your AI team-mates don't always play cautiously. They can be a gung-ho bunch so it becomes essential to jump between soldiers for defensive as well as offensive reasons. It sometimes feels like the game is running along at its own rapid pace and control goes out of your hands as you struggle to keep up with it. As there's no opportunity to give orders, you can't survive playing lone wolf with one character. You'll need to be thinking on your feet and Hot Swapping across the whole map when necessary. It can become exhausting as much as it's exhilarating.

Also tacked on for the lone gamer are the Player Challenges which sway from the uneventful to the gruelling. Hot Swapping as quickly as possible across a map isn't fun. It might hone your reactions for the wider game, but it never enters the realms of excitement. And the game wasn't really built for timed races in a Humvee either. Success unlocks different weapons as a reward, but curiously, as soon as you register your copy of the game with EA (i.e. as soon as you play online) you're sent a cheat to unlock all weapons anyway - something you're going to be tempted to use when you've had your arse handed to you in a helmet numerous times.

'Battlefield 2: Modern Combat' Screenshot 2

Roll that bad boy out and CRUSH THE INFIDELS!

The game plays out completely differently online; with (obviously) no Hot Swapping ability and good old human beings instead of AI goons it becomes a more traditional war game. Technically it's an impressive experience, with only a few niggles such as tanks getting stuck behind farm gates breaking the illusion. There's plenty of variety in the 16 maps, from sun-drenched desert towns complete with heat haze, to midnight showdowns with a vision-hampering blizzard. Where the single-player campaign doesn't allow for much exploration due to the hectic nature of the missions, the multiplayer challenges you to seek out buildings and trenches, alleyways, rooftops and other advantage points. Not every building is open to exploration, but there's more than enough terrain to take advantage of. The maps themselves aren't huge, or should we say not as huge compared to the PC Battlefield titles (there, we mentioned them), but they seem a perfectly acceptable size for the 24 online players.

For once, cold, hard figures amount to something in Modern Combat - 50 weapons and 30 vehicles go a long way to keeping the game fresh. If tanks aren't your thing, boats, snowmobiles, Humvee's and more are at your disposal. Some vehicles do feel awkward when you first take control, but if you're not comfortable with it, try something else. It's worth persevering with the tricky ones as the first time the controls for helicopters click into place it opens up a new dawn for relentless, down-right nasty deaths - there's nothing like trapping foot soldiers in a shower of bullets. You'll soon find the means for destruction that you're looking for and this is where the game really rewards the player. There's as much fun to be had planning devastating hits with a bazooka as piloting a chopper and dropping your team-mates onto an occupied oil rig while you support them from above.

Your experience of online play is clearly affected by the company you keep. It's a game where the more time you spend investing in it, the more fun you'll have. It's certainly not a game you can drop straight into with a large degree of success, but those first kills soon mount up, and with practice you'll be scoring deaths on the side of your tank with pride. It's not a strictly hardcore experience partly due to the arcade leanings of the combat, but it's not newbie friendly either. Our advice is to get in with a clan that you can learn from, because it would be shame to be put off by any elitism, overwhelming brutality or that type of person who can only be described as the Online Tosser.

'Battlefield 2: Modern Combat' Screenshot 3

THAT'S what we think to your game of volleyball.

Arriving on Xbox 360 just six months after its current-gen incarnation, there will be an initial sense of disappointment for anyone that already owns the Xbox or PS2 version of Modern Combat. Apart from a handful of additions and some tightening up of the online experience, it's the same game bar the slightly nicer visuals (and they are pleasing to the eye, too, I have no shame in being that shallow). With only two modes - Capture the Flag and Conquest - there's the sense that the extra development time might have been better spent injecting more life into online play, particularly given the community feel the 360 is constantly striving for.

Those that have already exhausted the game's potential would be rightly hesitant to splash out on another copy unless they really feel the bizarre need to unlock Achievements and grow that Gamerscore. If you've had enough self-control to wait for this shinier version you're in the best position here and Battlefield 2 comes highly recommended. Its single-player campaign is elevated from mediocrity with the inventive Hot Swapping feature, while twenty-four players, armed to the teeth and unforgiving in their violence, is what Xbox Live was made for.

8 / 10

Read the Eurogamer.net scoring policy
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Comments (64) Latest comment 4 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • kgthatsme #1 6 years ago

    show us some in-game shots for once.

  • Huntcjna #2 6 years ago

    They are in game shots, the game has a spectator mode and in HD it does look that good.

  • Furbs #3 6 years ago

    Wow, didnt think it'd get an 8. Better than GRAW? :p

  • gizmo #4 6 years ago

    Welcome to the 360, they are ingame shots.

    Like a monkey, I bought this even though I have the xbox version. This really is on a different level to the xbox version, truth be told. That much was apparent from the demo. Yes, the graphics are much better, and that in turn means better draw distances, being able to see whats going on in the distance, spot on smoke, particle effects etc. Persistance in terms of spent shells lying on the floor, excellent physics on explosion wreckage and so on.

    I can see where the extra dev time was spent, TBH.

  • Triggerhappytel #5 6 years ago

    This game is currently a tenner on Play.com on PS2 & Xbox. Graphics aside, who would pay 4 times as much for the same game on a new console?!

  • trevd72 #6 6 years ago

    finally a game that has taken my attention away from halo 2, i was starting to think it would not happen. The variety of stuff you can do is brill. my fav at the moment that i am trying to do with artistic flair is the "car bomb trick" with the special ops dudes. Love it love it.

  • kangarootoo #7 6 years ago

    Played the demo of this. Loved it to bits (except for suffering a few idiots, but I'm sure their numbers would decrease in non-demo sessions).


    "Wow, didnt think it'd get an 8. Better than GRAW? :p"

    I'm an old time GR fan, but in this case, having played both now (in demo form admittedly), the answer to your question has to be yes. Its close mind, they are both excellent.

  • Fozzie_bear #8 6 years ago

    With only two modes - Capture the Flag and Conquest - there's the sense that the extra development time might have been better spent injecting more life into online play

    Maybe they have spent that extra time coming up with more modes of online gaming... but they've realised that they can get away with charging people extra throught Marketplace to unlock them?

  • Dizzy #9 6 years ago

    >but they've realised that they can get away with charging people extra throught Marketplace to unlock them?


    Weak dude... weak... maybe Trolls should invest more time finding original trollbait?

    Anyway.. played the demo and was a bit confused and a bit meh-ed... I am currently enjoying GRAW multiplayer and I might give this one a try but right now Oblivion is just stealing all my free time. Still I didn't expect an 8 :)
    Edited by 1 at 18/04/06 @ 15:17

  • gizmo #10 6 years ago

    The whole battlefield object is based around conquest. The only successful derivative of it, is when the points have to be captured in a progressive linear manner, so that the battle swings back and forth as a single spawn point is being fought for at all times.

  • gizmo #11 6 years ago

    "This game is currently a tenner on Play.com on PS2 & Xbox. Graphics aside, who would pay 4 times as much for the same game on a new console?! "

    This simply cannot be compared to say the PS2 version! Thats like comparing driving around Silverstone in a poxy corsa, as opposed to a 911 and saying its shite.

  • Furbs #12 6 years ago

    TriggerhappyTel - by the same token, why would people by Doom 3 when its just a rehash of Doom which is shareware?

    Personally GRAW still edges it for me as its a bit more sedate (curse my crapness with a pad), but they do compliment each other well. If it werent for the hotswapping the missions on BF2:MC would be pretty dire and linear, but the opportunities presented by being able to change class make it alot more interesting.

  • Triggerhappytel #13 6 years ago

    All I'm saying is that I want and expect more from next-gen than just prettier graphics. All the extra power and potential and we seem to be getting mostly ports of existing games.

  • Furbs #14 6 years ago

    OK, what do you want then? More immersive AI? Well this is a multiplayer game fundamentaly. Larger levels? Well its being done (look at GRAW/Oblivion).

    Noone ever suggested this was anything but a port, and believe it or not, some people a) havent played BF2:MC on the "current gen" b) are happy to pay simply for better visuals - otherwise noone would by an HDTV :)

  • lennon #15 6 years ago

    @Trigger happy tel - The kind of person that only has a 360 AFAIK the xbox version is not backwards compatiable.

    On the game itself. I am addicted to it. Love the way the battles flow and so far not many idiots encountered which was my main worry!

  • gizmo #16 6 years ago

    Its the only game thats pulled me away from Oblivion. GRAW is half finished back in the box - I will return to it though, now I'm through those nasty night levels.

    I've had some pretty good experiences with some American guys too, actually covering each others backs and working in small teams. Its a game that gets exponentially better when played with like-minded teammates. Had a few TK incidents on the demo, but none on the full game - other than genuine accidents.

  • mazzl #17 6 years ago

    so why only an 8, looking at this game on it's own.. without already owning a bunch of bf titles. the review sounds like a 9 or a 10 ..

  • Bitkari #18 6 years ago

    finally some nice image-based lighting on the 360.

    wooo.

  • Burnt-Kona Verified Senior Artist, Full Fat Productions #19 6 years ago

    Played it a great deal over the Easter weekend. The only downers have been the lack of clan servers (which have now come online) and just how dark it is on my CRT TV. Other than that, it is great fun with a good bunch of friends. 8 sounds spot on to me.

  • kangarootoo #20 6 years ago

    "There really are no games for the 360 ATM"

    0-0

  • Grunk #21 6 years ago

    When did this Matt guy turn up?

    /hasn't been paying attention

  • richardiox #22 6 years ago

    Does this game use the Commander > Squads system that is on the PC version?

  • Furbs #23 6 years ago

    Dont have an issue with snipers in this at all. For one thing, if you keep moving they're screwed due to reload times. Secondly you have the kill cam (sadly) so if you get sniped twice from the same position its your own fault. I actually like the cat and mouse aspect of going head to head with a sniper.

    So long as it doesnt reach Joint Operations levels then I'll be happy (and if they do something to help the team win, which not all do).

    No squad/commander system in the game sadly (I really miss being able to spot enemies for colleagues too) but there is artillery still, and thankfully its less frequent and you have to make an effort to use it.
    Edited by 1 at 18/04/06 @ 16:39

  • gizmo #24 6 years ago

    The sniping is easy to counter, unlike the PC version, this one has a vapour trail from the snipers position, and if you get shot, the camera pans to the approximate position of the origination of your death dealing bullet.

  • gizmo #25 6 years ago

    Burnt, its funny you say that. I had a few american guys saying they were having to play with the brightness turned full up to see what was going on. I've had a few experiences where, in a stairwell for example, I get total darkness with no discernable edges. Sometimes out in the open, only one or two times, I've had a major brightness shift?

  • Burnt-Kona Verified Senior Artist, Full Fat Productions #26 6 years ago

    gizmo - The brightness issue seems to be a common one, with many forum posts at EA. One person did ring to complain, and got told it was for strategy so you used your flashbangs. Somehow, I can't see using a flashbang to navigate stairwells. It does seem like the HDR solution isn't great on it.

    Maybe an option like in PDZ for TV-type?

  • morriss #27 6 years ago

    Sounds surprisingly good.

  • Furbs #28 6 years ago

    Weyoun, might I suggest you dont stand still near flags? It stands to reason thats where the sniper will be paying attention :)
    Maybe take a tank too? Quicker and safer!

    Have to say on HDTV it seems a bit dark too, especially inside buildings.

  • absolutezero #29 6 years ago

    Weyoun I think its about time that you became a sniper yourself.

    I've been playing the PS2 version for a fair while and the one thing that gets me down is the stupid medal system that asks impossible tasks when your in a hectic game and trying to help win said game.

    You try fixing 5 vechicles and not being killed once.

    Im not sure if the maps are the same in this version but nothing beats defending the Mosque in Backstab.

    Just like to point out that theres nothing really wrong with the PS2 version, at least the online component which is basically all I play.
    Edited by 1 at 18/04/06 @ 16:59

  • Pike #30 6 years ago

    It's not too dark , Furbs. The problem is that your diet of meat by-products, Coca-Cola and no-veg is turning you blind.

    :p

  • kangarootoo #31 6 years ago

    @Furbs

    "For one thing, if you keep moving they're screwed due to reload times"

    Reload is only a problem if you miss ;)

  • gizmo #32 6 years ago

    Another vote for the bullet hole effects! Detail like that really does add to the immersion. To be running towards a building, see the bullets tearing into the plasterwork with plumes of dust and then hearing the gunshots behind you.

    I've always been a big FAN of the PC series, but the 5.1 really does make the audio in this game. Especially by the flags, when you can tell where the gunfights are going on just by the sound.

  • Furbs #33 6 years ago

    LOL Pike ;)

    Weyoun, not trying to flame here (honest) but cries of "camping" make you sound like you're whining because your arse is being handed to you. If you want Q4 style run and gun, get that. Whatever you do though, dont play GRAW online as you'll find 50% of people "camp" (or, find a good location and use it, depending on your perspective). If you dont like that someone is prepared to wait for a target, even though theres not many advantages to being a sniper (red triangle, "tracer" effect, kill cam) then you really shouldnt play the game.

    Next you'll be moaning about people using helo's against you when there arent any SAMs around.

    Dont forget, by denying you access to a flag, and diverting resources to hunting them down, they are doing their bit for the team too.
    Edited by 1 at 18/04/06 @ 17:08

  • kangarootoo #34 6 years ago

    "When did camping become acceptable again"

    I'm not sure what you are seeing is necessarily camping. Sitting on a respawn point would be camping. Sitting in a positiojn that allows you to guard your own flag (you did say you were spawning and then running for a few mins) just sounds to me like tactics. You wouldn't expect the opponent snipers to just run in circles in plain sight would you.

    I'm not saying your concerns aren't valid ones. And getting shots loads with little comeback does not make for fun gaming. But I wonder if changing your approach might provide better results.

    During the brief time I spent playing the demo, I found that running straight up to the flag would get me shot by people who were, quite rightly, guarding the flag. So in future I checked the area first, chucked a grenade into a known hiding place, took a team mate or two with me so we could cover several angles.

    BF2 really seems like the sort of game where, if everyone else is simply running and gunning, those who employ some team tactics can wipe the floor with their opponents. By the same measure, a failure to employ tactics is going to result in a lack of fun.

    So, those of you who play this regularly, give Weyoun your gamertags and get him involved in some team play. I'm sure it will be more fun for all.

  • DrDamn #35 6 years ago

    @Weyoun

    You shouldn't be going back to 1 in either of those cases - that is the mistake you are making. It should be ...

    -) Work out how best to get Sniper
    -) Get Sniper
    -) Bask in warm feeling of revenge

    If no one takes out the snipers then no wonder you keep getting killed. Take 'em out and they usually have a large distance to trek back if they want to snipe again. You can even wander back to where you died at first and pick up your old kit bag.

  • DrDamn #36 6 years ago

    @Weyoun

    "too many people trying to boost their rank by sniping loads of kills"

    Snipers never get lots of points and never come high on the lists. Taking flags gets you points, not sitting in one place to get the odd kill. Next time check the stats of those that sniped you. Not all that impressive. It may be annoying but it most certainly is not a rank booster. It gives very poor PPH stats.

  • Furbs #37 6 years ago

    If you are being sniped repeatedly in the PC version of BF2 then you ARE doing something wrong given the accuracy of them! :)

    I reckon I could count on two hands the number of times I've been headshotted/oneshot killed by a sniper on the PC version and thats coming from a below average player.

  • DrDamn #38 6 years ago

    Why are you running everywhere? Drive and bail before you get there to check the place out. Don't take the obvious routes and absolutely floor it. Much quicker.

  • Furbs #39 6 years ago

    Sounds like you're playing on the public ranked servers which are awful. Try playing on some clan servers (search for GF5 for instance - great bunch of guys) and you'll find much better teamwork and less idiocy. If theres no vehicles, wait a minute or two - the spawn times are stupidly low and is much quicker than running flag to flag (and safer when you get there).

  • DrDamn #40 6 years ago

    If they got em blown up then they should be reappearing very shortly - think of these people as mine clearers for you :-)

    Spawn times are based on very short time after last one blows up. For example charge to flag 2 as MEC in Backstab. When you capture it a little 30mm gun tank with a stupidly high rate of fire appears. Drive off and blow stuff up to hearts content. Should someone get you then respawn at flag 2 (if still yours) and your tank appears at the same time more or less.
    Edited by 1 at 18/04/06 @ 17:31

  • Bertie Verified Senior Staff Writer, Eurogamer.net #41 6 years ago

    This game promotes war!

  • S0L0man #42 6 years ago

    I'm suprised no ones mentioned the comms bug. More than half the games I play in there is no sound via the voice comms but you can clearly see the talk icons comming up both when you talk and when others talk. Really puts a cramp on getting any team play going.

    I also think that it's far too dark inside some buildings. In almost every case I have to either hope that my memory of the xbox version is accurate or play in total darkness, just to catch a glimps of a wall texture.

    It can also be a right pain trying to find a euro server at times as well.


    This is a game that you simply must play at a team level to get anywhere. Loners may snipe the odd target or capture the odd flag but without team work you can never hold on to a flag for long.

  • kangarootoo #43 6 years ago

    "More than half the games I play in there is no sound via the voice comms but you can clearly see the talk icons comming up both when you talk and when others talk"

    That may be the mic reacting to background noise when no-one is actually speaking. Half the time I spent playing the BF2 was to the ambience of some slobbering fool breathing into their mic like a typhoon (I'm not sure they were even playing, maybe they just liked to watch) because they had yet to master the mute function.

    Its not anyone even really talked during my match (except me to tell someone in a heli to stop shooting the flag when I (on the same side as them) tried to approach it).

    Sorry, I hijacked your comms issue there with my wingeing :)

  • S0L0man #44 6 years ago

    No problem with your hijack.

    There is definately a comms bug as at times I've had to resort to private chat with a team mate in order to get things done. It's not just a case of people not talking.

    They really should'nt have put in the open mike option. Having to press a button in order to talk meant that you would'nt have to listen to your team mates breathing and whatever crap their listening to coming through your headset as noise.

    Ah the virtue of hindsight, it's a gift

  • banjo21 #45 6 years ago

    Oh look they left leftie support out of the demo, got the feedback and left it out of the full game. Nice one EA and friends.

    I'd love to buy this game if only if had a southpaw option.

    Can't you EG industry insiders have a word in their ear just for me :)

  • Furbs #46 6 years ago

    Apparently they are aware of the comms issue and they are working on a "youknowwhat". Some people have suggested removing the demo from your HDD if you still have it.

  • Helios #47 6 years ago

    This is a response to the post below, sorry if i'm covering previously passed points, or if I cause offence, I don't mean to.

    "That's my point, though, I'm not just standing around, I'm moving about trying to help my team. When did camping become acceptable again ?"

    Never. I played a lot of PC BF2 under the tag of DUFFKING, and my main role was either assault or medic. I got 4-5 times as many kills as a standard foot soldier than I did in vehicles, so it is very possible to play without snipers being a problem. Only one eigth of my kills were from sniper rifles, the majority were from machine guns and assault rifles.

    When you start playing the battlefield series you will inevitably have problems with snipers. It's a matter of adapting to survive. Rather than travelling on foot through wide open spaces, get a vehicle (any one will do - I don't care what people say about there never being vehicles at bases, 90% of the time there is), or just stay low. In cities, just stay off the roads and travel through alleyways.

    You should give the series another try. It is very difficult to stay alive to begin with, but after I while I became far more effective as a standard soldier armed with an assault rifle than anything else.

  • Rambaldi #48 6 years ago

    Why is it so dark? It's almost impossible to see at night/indoors. I get the same thing on sections of burnout. Is it something to do with converting the game?

    Oh yeah - not a patch on Halo 2

  • TripSkyway #49 6 years ago

    Good stuff this. Having trouble finding a speedy server, but maybe that'll change after it's released in Japan.

    First impressions of the Multiplayer were pretty bad. I started using the hot swap thingy more though, and from then on I was having a great time. It's got a real arcadey edge to it with the combos.

  • trevd72 #50 6 years ago

    I have read a few things about snipers on here. my answer is its war baby and snipers have thier role to play in keeping you on your toes. take cover dont hang around for an easy headshot. it may be arcadey in one respect but the dynamics and strategy is there.

  • DrDamn #51 6 years ago

    There is an update coming at some point to address the super loud announcers and clean up the shadows. Maybe they will add southpaw then? Seems strange they missed this but did include options for the colour blind.

    I think part of the beauty of this game is that there is always a counter to a particular tactic. For snipers there is the kill cam and actually thinking about how you approach stuff. For the choppers there are the SAM sites etc. Though I did see a chopper master last night, he would come over to our base and do a single run over the top trashing a number of vehicles, then just flew off for a bit. I got him in the end though - oh yes.

    Had a couple of nightmare games last night. No one captured flags at the start so we got flooded by people at the base. Mucho deaths. It was balanced by a couple of storming games I had at the end of the evening. The climax being a face off with a bloke in a jeep determined to run me down near flag 4 on Bridge Too Far. He had 6 or so attempts before the final clip of my SMG took him down - sooooo satisfying. :-)

  • Fatfish #52 6 years ago

    Played the 360 demo of this last night - I wasn't sure I'd like it from what I'd heard, but it's safe to say I will be picking this up very soon! Took a couple of games to get me into it, and although I'm far from mastering the style of play, it seems to have so much potential and combined with the strategy element, I've got a feeling this is going to be great fun.

    Key 'must buy' decision moments:

    #1: Looking out of a window and zooming in with my sniper rifle just in time to pick off one of the enemy as he zoomed past in his jeep - kind of a reverse drive-by! Ok, more luck than tactics, but it felt so good.........is that wrong?!

    #2: Finding 2 enemies holed up in a vehicle garage respawn point. Took them both out from a distance with the assualt rifle as I approached. They then respawned and camped in the garage for cover. Couldn't get to them until my backup arrived in the form of a tank! He sat directly in front of the garage entrance with enough distance to get a clean shot inside should he need to - I then came up on his flank, using him as cover, and skirted my way round to the front of the entrance before succesfully picking off the two guys sat in the corner. Funny sight - 2 guys pinned to a wall, quaking in their boots because they're being stared down by a f*cking great big cannon barrel and nothing but harsh language to throw at it!!

    Great fun! :)

  • Helios #53 6 years ago

    I've got a question to those who like to play left handed:

    Have you tried the game preferences option on your gamercard? There should be a general option there, and one of the options in it sets a preference for movement to be on a stick of your choice.

    Does this work?

  • bauhaus #54 6 years ago

    Guys, I`ve played this to death on the PC, is it worth getting the 360 version?!?

    (So i can sit in the lounge with me fat LCD??)

  • kangarootoo #55 6 years ago

    I think you answer your own question there. If you know a few people (or can find a few) to continue the fun you had on PC then it really just comes down to whether you like a lot of cushions and a TV.

    Though if you can plug your PC into your TV then the answer is probably no. I guess if you don't like sticks for FPS control then it might not be as much fun, but I personally think the sticks in BF2 are very well implemented.

  • DrDamn #56 6 years ago

    There are some key differences between this and the PC version. Not played the PC one myself but from what I gather the console version is a bit more action oriented. Some say a more intimate or action packed experience. Maps are not as big as some of the huge PC ones and a max of 24 players is no where near 64 on the PC.

    Pluses and minuses on both sides, depends what experience you are after.

  • Furbs #57 6 years ago

    DrDamn's right. As a veteran of the PC version its a very different game - alot quicker, totally different maps (much tighter and focused), the classes work in different ways and theres a very respectable single player mode in BF2:MC.

    I still prefer the PC version for pacing reasons (I like long range encounters rather than run and gun) and the squad mechanic, but this is still a very good game. Review is spot on - its good enough and different enough to hold its head up against the PC version, even if it doesnt get to the same levels.

  • bauhaus #58 6 years ago

    Thanks guys

    Its pretty academic at the moment as all my local shops have sold out! :(

    I can plug the PC into the TV, but its a right palava, leads every where and scowls from the missis.

  • DrDamn #59 6 years ago

    Rather strangely my missus actually likes this game - to watch at least, she acts as my spotter. Completely unexpected, but it plays to her competitive instincts. She even - shock, horror - tried to play. First time she's picked up a pad to play a game in ages. It's all a bit too frantic online for her to get used to, but I will try her again on some of the single player stuff. It would be nice if you could start a server to just twat about and get to grips with the map on.

  • bauhaus #60 6 years ago

    If only i could prise Guitar Hero from my wifes hands, perhaps I could try the BF2 demo...

  • kangarootoo #61 6 years ago

    "I like long range encounters rather than run and gun"

    Hmmm, me too generally speaking. I did enjoy the BF2 demo though. When I started up I chose a sniper role, because thats what I do best (and not just sitting there in one spot before anyone flips out at me, I just mean shooting opponents from a long way off without having to run about so much myself), but I found that approach didn't really work. So I switched to a straight forward gunner and had a much better time getting into the thick of it.

    Actually, after I said I thought the sticks were very well implemented (which I do still stand by on the whole) I did find that shooting moving targets at anything over a couple of hundred meters was pretty hard going. Sniping in Halo is much more controlled by comparison (and in FarCry, don't even try, grumble).

    Oh, and a side word for the uninitiated, based on my very limited experience. Its much more fun all round if, when you bag a jeep or other multi person vehicle, you pause for team mates to climb in with you instead of just pissing off over the horizon asap :)

    EDIT: "because thats what I do best" Just to add context, in case that sounds like I am blowing my own trumpet. I don't mean I'm any good at snipping, I'm just "less worse"at it than running and gunning.
    Edited by 1 at 19/04/06 @ 18:14

  • bauhaus #62 6 years ago

    Finally got it.

    Its a bit dark aint it?!? can't see bugger all

  • DarkTrojan #63 6 years ago

    I have ordered the full version and it's on it's way, however without sounding too big-headed I am a veteran of the demo having spent all my time on it since i first discovered it (and probably will for a while after getting the full game, for the sake of a few friends who need persuading).

    Personally I am almost always a sniper, as that is what I do best. I see nothing at all wrong with guarding your own flags while the rest of your team go and get the others.

    And in response to the guy with the sniper problem (i.e having to go back to step 1 - sorry you're on the other page). All you need to do is get behind the sniper, sounds hard but if you get some cover and get behind us, we're very vulnerable. You don't even need to be sly, hell knife us and we wouldn't notice you until it's too late (unless we see your shadow :p). He shouldn't be back there in a hurry, and if he is then wait for him next time - scare him off.

    DarkTrojan is my Gamertag btw so add me if you want some good old *team* game play (i.e no toss-pot heros who go in and get themselves blown up, hence forcing the enemy to be ready for us)
    Edited by 2 at 02/05/06 @ 19:06

  • Bangaioh #64 4 years ago

    wow I've never even considered this until I tried the bad company demo... now I think I'm into it and probably am going to buy the game on day one :)