Previewed: June 4, 2006
Previewed by: Brad Furst

Publisher
Electronic Arts

Developer
Digital Illusions CE

Release Date: June 6, 2006
Genre: Tactical FPS
Players: Online
ESRB: Teen

Screenshots (Click Image for Gallery)
Battlefield 2: Armored Fury is Dice’s newest “Booster Pack” for Battlefield 2. Following in the footsteps of its predecessor, Euro Forces, Armored Fury is not a full-fledged expansion pack and can only be bought via EA’s downloader program, similar to Valve’s program Steam, although is not required to be running while playing the game.

Armored Fury features:

  • 3 new diverse maps in the USA set the stage for huge armored battles
  • 6 new vehicles including 3 lethal ground attack aircraft and 3 radar equipped scout helicopters.
  • New vehicle drop capability for commanders mean soldiers can secure transport anywhere on the map
  • Online multiplayer action with 64 players on the PC
  • Character Persistence and Growth. With in-game success, players can attain additional ranks and unlock new awards
  • All-new co-op support across all single player maps, with adjustable bot numbers, team ratios, and difficulty settings
  • Full in-game community support
  • Voice-over IP supported with USB headset
  • Available exclusively via the EA™ downloader service
Again, following Euro Forces, Armored Fury introduces a completely new scenario – an invasion on American homeland! After fighting in the Middle East and China for months, little progress has been made by the Middle-Eastern coalition, the Chinese Army, or the American Army.

In a bid to break the stalemate, the Chinese and MEC form an alliance to drive forward onto American soil. While the MEC focuses on the East coast and ultimately Washington DC, the Chinese attempt to secure oil from the Alaskan Reserve. Spread thin, the American Army is doing all it can to repel the two invaders.

The fight in America is brought to life via three new maps that take place in Alaska versus the Chinese (Midnight Sun), a sprawling farmland versus the Middle-Eastern Coalition (Operation Harvest), and finally a highway battle against the Middle-Eastern Coalition (Operation Road Rage).

Also introduced are six new vehicles for players to utilize, one for each team: the A-10, SU-39 and Fantan Q-5 ground attack jets; as well as the EC-635, WZ-11, and Littlebird scout Helicopters. This doesn’t include the additional semis and cars players can now drive either.

Each map is approximately equal in size, and the ambience is a welcome change to the Middle-Eastern and Chinese levels, although players will gladly be able to replay and enjoy a new experience on the original maps with the additional vehicles.

The new vehicles also add interesting elements to gameplay, including the anti-tank gatling gun of the A-10 and its ilk, and the radar sweep of the scout helicopters. Originally even cluster bombs were to be part of the A-10 arsenal, although they’ve been modded back down to normal fighter missiles since.

Tactical air offensives and effective recon are the keys to winning this historic conflict. Gamers will need every ounce of muscle from their tank busting ground assault aircraft, to the finesse of the radar equipped scouting choppers to contain and eliminate the domestic threat.

The Battlefield 2 game engine and physics system brings the modern battlefield to life in amazing detail. The material penetration feature measures weapons' ability to fire through barriers based on their composition and players will need to know the difference between concealment and cover in order to survive.

Team play allows up to 64 players to enter the action on the front lines as part of a formal squad, or work behind the scenes in Commander Mode to direct the strategic assaults of their teammates. New features such as vehicle drops for Commanders and single player co-op mode (via the 1.3 patch) deepen the experience even further.

The booster pack is scheduled to be released on June 6th, 2006 at a cost of $10. Whether it’s a worthy purchase or not remains to be seen.