Reviewed: October 23, 2006
Reviewed by: Jeff Gedgaud

Publisher
Electronic Arts

Developer
Digital Illusions CE

Released: October 17, 2006
Genre: Tactical FPS
Players: 1-64
ESRB: Teen

9
8
8
10
8.8

System Requirements

Battlefield 2142 brings the same game engine with some tweaks and improvements as Battlefield 2 but with all new weapons, maps and a new game type. In the new Titan multiplayer game you have to bring down the opposing teams ship called a Titan by destroying its shields and then the ship itself. Multiplayer is where the fun in BF 2142 is at with the single player game more of a practice but not without its fun.

This Battlefield installment adds many unlockable weapons and equipment while you earn your ranks, new vehicles and futuristic weaponry. You also have the chance to play as squad member, squad leader or Commander of your forces. Many aspects of BF 2142 are much like our real military where you can earn numerous awards, ribbons and medals during your action from a wide variety of heroic and combat related actions.

The gameplay is pretty much the same as in the other Battlefield games but with some new twists. There are two types of games to choose from, conquest and Titan. In each you start out picking what type of soldier you are from one of four types; assault, recon, engineer and support. You then have to pick a spot on the map where you spawn and start your hunt. In each game you have your pick of vehicles but for the conquest you have to capture and hold bases while the Titan mode you first destroy the shields of the enemies Titan and then the ship itself.

You shoot down the Titan shields by using missile silos, i.e. bases, and holding them long enough for it to launch missiles at the ship. There are three to five silos on a map and for the first stage of the game it becomes a fight to capture and hold these bases. After the shield goes down you can just continue to hold the silos that will launch against the ships plus board the Titans to blow them up. Boarding and blowing up the ship involves a lot of close quarters fighting reminiscent to that great scene in Star Wars with Darth Vader boarding Princess Leia’s ship.

In order to blow up the Titan from inside you have to board the ship, destroy four control boards and then the reactor core. To get on you can land a flying gunship or eject out of an armored personnel carrier in a pod and steer it onto the Titan, which has two areas perfect for boarding. You then fight your way to the four stations to destroy the consoles and then the core.

The single player game of BF 2142 is fun in its own right but the game excels in the multiplayer area. With a much better variety of gameplay and being able to earn points toward unlocking new weapons and equipment the multiplayer is excellent fun. The ranks and combat awards are earned to unlock items for use in combat. Items can range from better weapons for each class of fighter or additional equipment like mines, grenades or command gear.

During each round of play there is one player on each team who is commander of his side of the fight. You can also have squads of fighters just like in real military units. The command positions and squad leaders also get bonuses for being the leaders but it’s a tough job. Commanders’ direct troops, call in air strikes, move the Titans and all while they are on the battlefield themselves. Walk by your commander and if he’s not moving, well he’s actually busy directing the fight.

Battlefield 2142 has 14 maps to play on with a wide range of terrain from open areas like desert or snow fields to tight close quarters combat like the Camp Gibraltar map inside a ruined prison camp. The game contains several vehicles that all have their own uses during fights like the armored personnel carriers, tanks, walkers or mechs and of course the Titans. Inside the titans the fight becomes one of close quarters combat but before the boarding you can also fight from your Titan by shooting the air defense cannons at ground or air targets.

For several days I have been playing BF 2142 and watching the forums of EA for many of the complaints and problems people are having with the download version of the game and the anti cheating PunkBuster program. I for one was having problems with PunkBuster until I updated PunkBuster from outside the game.

Another odd thing was the patch that came out the same time the final download of the game but it just goes to show you that EA is trying to get things working to the satisfaction of the customers. Although the game was having some problems at the start currently I am not having any real problems in game and am enjoying playing BF 2142 very much.

There are the usual settings seen more often in games today like anti-aliasing, texture, shadow and other settings for quality of the graphics. There is one that can be a system drain for medium to low-end systems called dynamic lighting that enhances the games visuals and lighting. Battlefield 2142 has some very good-looking graphics and they have done a great job of making the battlefields look both an ominous and unforgiving place.

The weapons and vehicles are very detailed and look like what very well could be our future arsenal. I really like some of the effects they have added for that touch of realism like the view screens from some vehicles and how they get a rolling static in them from time to time.

The HUD that you use during combat is a blend of simplicity and usefulness during the rush of bullets whizzing by. You have a map that can be enlarged but is semitransparent for ease of use in combat. There is the usual display for your health and weapons status in one corner and messages from people in another.

The command screen is designed to be used very quickly with all your troop movement and order commands being easy to give. Battlefield 2142 may be the same game engine as the Battlefield 2 game but they have done a nice job of creating a look and feel of the futuristic combat that the game plays as.

Surround sound is really very nice to locate not only the hottest action but even the footsteps of someone trying to sneak up on you. The blasts and other large noises of weapons and munitions are really well done and sound realistic. There are settings for different volumes as well as EAX and a Voice Over Internet Protocol test to make sure your battle command speech during gameplay is working. The sounds and noises work very well and make a good addition to the feel of actually being in battle.

There is no campaign for the single player area but Battlefield 2142 excels at just jumping into a game and having a good fight for a half hour or so. Both the single and multiplayer online games average about a half hour but this is enough, as sometimes the fighting can get intense. With all the upgrades you can unlock and the huge variety of awards for combat that you can earn just trying to get them will take awhile. If you like online multiplayer combat this is one game that is a must for first person gaming.

The action is better and the fun is just what any would be hero can ask for online or in the single player mode. Battlefield 2142 is a great game with excellent graphics; really intense multiplayer combat action and some well designed and balanced gameplay.