Battlefield 2142

Launch woes aside, EA and developer DICE have delivered a fresh coat of lacquer to the already popular Battlefield franchise.

Battlefield 2142 takes place in the distance future, as the name might suggest. The world has been thrown into a second ice age, and like dad always said, real estate is never a bad investment. Two factions, the European Union and the Pan Asian Coalition now fight for the little land that remains on a barren Earth.

The new game mode, Titan, gives players a welcome change from the classic “Conquest” game. In Titan mode, players must gain control of silos in order to barrage the enemy Titan with missiles. Once the enemy Titan’s shield is destroyed, players can board the monstrous ship and attempt to destroy the reactor. Destroying the reactor wins the match.

A set of new weapons and gadgets help to fuel the new persistent leveling system that rewards players immediately after each promotion. I’ve found the system to work well, and it gives players a reason to look forward to racking up points. I had a hard time picking between the autonomous gun drones and the predator-like stealth suit.
Using a “modified” BF2 engine, BF2142 ran flawlessly on my P4/6800 test machine. The engine has been tweaked to provide refreshed graphics, and overall accomplishes this goal with large maps and detailed textures. Fans of the series, or players looking to pick up a new FPS for the PC, should consider BF2142 a solid pick.