This game was released back in 2005, about 3 years ago and with all the new games coming out with outstanding graphics and gameplay, how would this game compete?
Gameplay: What defines a Battlefield? a place where people fight? A war of conflicts? Well for this game, Battlefield defines our playground! It's amazing what you can do in this game, you're just given tools of modern destruction in your disposal and then the way you use them is really up to you, each weapon has it's limitation and weaknesses. This just provides balance to the game so that it doesn't feel unfair (With the exception of Heavy vehicles versus certain infantry that are not designed to take them on.) so games are really just rock paper scissor fights. So conflicts can end either way, loss, win and even a draw.
The map variety is pretty good, all in all there are 15 maps (excluding booster packs) and 3 factions: MEC, USMC and China(USMC is in every map). There are some maps that take place in an Urban environment where close quarters combat can be found in the blink of an eye, some maps take place in deserts with massive air craft carriers and a sea to widen the gap. Maps can be scaled in 3 different sizes: 16, 32 and 64, each of which represent a different capacity for the number of players in a map. However the sizes are not restricted to a number of a players, ex: you can have 16 players in a 32 size map or 64 players in a 16 size map(Which is the absolute worst and has players camping in a choke point with hundreds of snipers try to kill and support getting lucky with grenades) but there are many variations, you can even have more or less players with the limit of 64 players, like say: 48, 20, 36 etc.
Characters are split up into seven classes, each with their own special abilities, each faction has their own weapons however they are pretty much similar:
Special Forces, the class that takes care of demolishion of assets and even vehicles with their C4 if they are sly enough.
Snipers are pretty self explanatory, they specialize in silent infantry elimination in just a few shots however they are also great targets from behind and so they can protect themselves or even guard choke points with their claymores.
Medics are also self explanatory, they go into the frontline reviving and healing wounded soldiers who have been taken down by the enemy, however there are cases where in a soldier is immediately killed and cannot be aided by a medic.
Assault, the ones that excel against infantry with their powerful compacted assault rifles and even light vehicles with their grenade launchers which replace their grenades in an instant explosion. They can also provide cover from fire with their smoke grenades that generate a wall of smoke that hides them from enemy sight, however they only have one in stock so you should use it wisely.
Support, the characters provide ammo and resupplies to allies who've run out of spares and are limited to their knives, they also dish out surpressive fire with their light machine guns that can dish out a whole lot of bullets keeping enemies stuck in hiding within cover however their inaccuracy is a big drawback to their powerful firepower.
Engineer, the medic of vehicles, they repair vehicles that have been damaged in combat and can also annihilate vehicles with their AT mines that can rip apart an enemies armor unit, they also excell at close quarters combat within infantry limits with their shotguns however their long range counterpart is a huge drawback and is best as a flanking unit.
Anti-Tank, once again self explanatory, unlike Engineers, they can take out vehicles from a distance, their laser guided rocket launcher can even take down Helicopters that flow within the skies and can be somewhat devistating in infantry combat with their sub machine guns that cary a huge clip but lack in clips. They are blessed with the destruction of the Rocket launcher but are stripped of the ability to toss grenades which can be a draw back in infantry maps.
With all these 7 classes, you may be able to tell that working alone can get you killed, thus they have also developed the Squad system. Players of a team are grouped seperately in squads with a maximum of 6 members, there are 5 members and a leader that commands the members. There is also Voice chat which also helps in battle and saves you the trouble of typing, all you need is a microphone.
The commander is the highest position in the battlefield, he can see all the enemies, call for supplies, command players, assault enemies with artillery, detect enemies with the UAV and Sat-Track, with all these, the commander plays a huge roll in the outcome of a battle.
Along with map variety, there is a bunch of vehicles in your disposal, from the simplicity of the HUMVV to the the swift movement and devistation of a jet, there are different vehicles for each faction with minor differences however the vehicles can be used depending on the player who is piloting it and that can also affect the battle. People can get used to ground vehicles rather quickly however air vehicles can pose as a challenge to master but when you do, you'll feel a sense of accomplishment and you can also reign power that can even match the devestation of the Commander's artillery.
However there are some drawbacks, mainly the bugs and glitches that can hinder your experience and make things somewhat...weird. But most of the major glitches have been fixed with the patches but some still remain so don't worry too much.
Design: The game was made in 2005 and it was probably the best looking game ever made at the time but today, the graphics are outdated but you won't need a very powerful card to play it and the graphics still look pretty good in the complete high settings so you may get more then the game's price.
Story: There isn't one, singleplayer is basically practice for multiplayer that pits you against bots.
Sound: It sounds very real, you can hear bullets zooming through your ears, explosions sound just as real and you can even hear your enemies communicate with each other and detect their location. So muting the game can really put you in a disatvantage and also you'll be missing out on a lot.
Overall: it's an amazing game, you'd think that a game made at 2005 would have died by now right? Well you're wrong, there are still thousands of people and servers online as I type this and possibly for years to come, if you're planning to get this game now then do so.
When you search a bit on this game, you'll come accross something called "Battlefield Moments" and this would be one of the greatest things in Battlefield. It has nothing to do with gameplay, design, sound or even people but merely the moments you have with the game, the funniest, coolest and most memorable moments that you could really keep for a very long time.
This game is simply amazing, the game that can last you for almost forever with it's addictive gameplay it will keep you coming back for more. What I'm telling you is this: GET THIS GAME!
--Rhen_Var
