For those of you who have played the original BF 1942 and BF Vietnam BF2 is going to come across as a lot of the same in game play but a good step forward in the graphics department. EA and Dice have joined to bring you a new game engine with upgraded graphics and sound. Based in modern times the various maps pit you against every thing from Middle Eastern terrorist to North Korean regulars.
The game ships spread out across three disks with a paper manual and a bunch of advertisements in the box. The install is pretty straight forward with a bunch of language options being your first choice. You have the option of complete or custom install although I didn't really notice much difference in the two. They give the player the option of installing Punk Buster and the BF2 VOIP stand alone server other than that I didn't find any other install options. During the install they ask for the game serial and tell you to look on the back of the box for it…..Its not there…….The serial is found on the back of the manual. I only found this after going to the support forum on the internet. There is a patch out for it as well and I originally had a problem getting the patch installed. When I tried it kept giving me an patch failed error… Another trip to the support forum and I found that you have to have at least 2 gigs of usable space to install the patch. The patch cleans up after itself after so you don’t lose much of the space but it needs it there to unpack.
I spent a couple of days playing the single player maps that the game ships with to kind of get the hang of how everything works. After playing the “Why cant I get the patch to install?” game. I finally got a chance to play online. I wasn't impressed. To be honest I really didn't like BF2 very much overall. It just seems to me that the developers could have had an amazing game but just left it at ok. The AI while passable are mostly idiots who are either Rambo or Gomer Pile. They can sometimes be coerced into following your orders in command mode. Even with clear commands they tend to run around like lunatics jumping into vehicles and just driving or flying around randomly or charging enemy fortifications only to be mowed down by machine gun fire. Online, where this game has a chance to shine, I found it to be little better. I honestly would rather play with the idiot AI on my team than most of the players I ran into. Online play tends to be a free for all with people running in all directions and no one really working together. You can attempt to take control of the situation in a couple of ways either as the overall commander or a squad leader. As the commander you can direct the units, call in artillery support, set up supply drops and provide UAV support using rather well setup commander map. One of the nice features of this is if you are a gung ho multi-tasker you can also grab some gear and head out on foot yourself to lead from the front. The player has a comm setup that allows the commander or the squad leader to call in support by simply selecting your options from the list without going through to commanders map.
The graphics are pretty good overall. I ran on medium settings and there was plenty of eye candy there to enjoy. As far as physics go you shoot someone they fall down I didn't see anything to really grab your attention no "Rag Doll" effects or anything of that nature. The vehicles you encounter are almost all drive/flyable and they can be fun to play around in. But if you’re not driving the bus don’t ride. The AI will either get you killed or just drive you around randomly for a while.
All things considered I just didn’t like this game. I will be uninstalling it to shortly make room for another game. And I honestly don’t see reinstalling at a later date. Sorry Dice and EA. This one is not for me.
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