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"Battlefield 2: Modern Combat"

10/28/06

"Battlefield 1942" is still my favorite computer game of all time, just surpassing the old Atari game "M.U.L.E." from about 20 years ago.  "BF 1942" had so much going for it--a deep multiplayer game with character classes, vehicles to drive and fly, team tactics to employ and just a shitload of things to blow up.  The first time you play as an anti-tank soldier and you whip out your bazooka to smoke a heavy tank, you will have a big, big smile on your face, guaranteed.

I bought "Battlefield 2: Modern Combat" for the 360 hoping to recapture some of that magic.  Uh, no.  "BF2" is just ordinary, a bad single-player experience where you seem to die even faster than you did in "BF 1942" and a listless, bland multiplayer game where the maps don't encourage teamwork nearly as often and a confusing environment where you can't always tell who you should be shooting at.  Add in a system of garnering upgrades for your character that are nearly impossible to attain in a multiplayer game where the players have any talent, and some truly poor maps on which battles take place, and you've got most of the makings for a subpar gaming experience.

I don't know if this was rushed to market or not, but what's here isn't too good.  I have decided that for the next BF game, it will be try-before-you-buy, and even then, it's going to take a miracle for me to get my mind up to buying another one of these games.  So sad.

Rating:  Rental

 

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Bellview Rating System:

"Opening Weekend":  Buy this game right away, and don't ask me any questions as to why that's a good move.  A game experience that will almost guarantee repeated controller abuse, lots of ManScreaming and high resale value, you will assuredly play this bad boy for months on end. 

"$40":  Usually after games have been out for a while, they drop in price slightly, or can be bought for slightly cheaper in combination with other new games.  Usually, that's about $40.  You'll feel good getting the game for this price, since it isn't quite run-out-and-get-it-right-now good, but it has enough game in the box for a few weeks' worth of enjoyment.

"eBay":  This game is not too bad, but you'd be better off buying it used from either half.com or eBay.  You also might let a friend buy this game, let s/he beat it, and then try to buy it from them to make them feel better.  Yes, this does tend to feel like "Sloppy Seconds."

"Rental":  Like my cousin Ron, you should always rent games that you aren't sure about first, to make sure that your $50 is going towards something worthwhile.  For games in this category, this is the maximum amount of money ($5) and/or time (3-5 days) you'll need to either gain satisfaction from the game, or beat the game in its entirety.  Rental-rated games are also sometimes perfect for a weekend when you are going to be at home on your ass, with some time to kill.

"Dogshit":  Games like this should have never been released.  If you play this game for any reason, you will regret every second of the experience.  Further, if you can get this game for free, don't do it, because even for FREE, it will still be a negative experience for you!