Battlefield 2142

Thanks to the wonderful world of copyright infringement, I could get my hands on the final version of Battlefield 2142 a couple of days early.

The game plays out pretty much like Battlefield 2. The engine looks pretty much the same and almost everything is as sluggish, both in terms of loading times, menus and the way soldiers move. Maps are generally cramped and designed primarily for infantry. It’s not Unreal Tournament, that is for sure. Single player is worse than ever, sporting only a handful of maps (five, of which only one — Suez Canal — is any fun) in 16 player mode and no immediate ability to unlock any of the more advanced weapons or features. Nor is there any way to permanently advance in rank. Nor can you play the fancy new game mode. Plus there is no way to edit gamma / brightness inside the game. As for the gameplay itself it is clearly aimed at encouraging team play, with a severely limited ammo count and no ammo or health stations around, other than the specialized infantry classes. All in all a disappointment, on the same level as Battlefield 2 even though it was not as bad as Battlefield Vietnam.

And for those that actually do connect to play online and bothered to buy the game, there is the issue of in-game ads. Thanks EA.

I guess I am mostly angry because this is such a missed opportunity. It could have been Starsiege Tribes meets Planetside.

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