Battlefield 2

What’s the Story?

Part of the same series that includes Battlefield 1942 and Battlefield Vietnam, BATTLEFIELD 2 centers on conflicts in modern-day hot zones, offering RPGs, submachine guns and high-powered sniper rifles as the tools of war.

Players control different classes of soldiers (assault, special ops, and sniper, for example) who use unique combinations of gear to accomplish mission objectives. In a single-player game, that means players protect a building from snipers or defend an oil platform from paratroopers. In an online game, that means an exciting, chaotic game of capture the flag. To make even a modest showing, players will have to find ways to cooperate with their teammates.

Is It Any Good?

At first glance, Battlefield 2 has many of the features of a middling war-themed first-person shooter: marginal storytelling, passable graphics, and often-tedious missions. Playing the single-player missions might lead you to question why this was one of the summer's hottest PC releases. But online, Battlefield 2 explodes to the front of the pack.

It's in these multiplayer blowouts that the brilliance of Battlefield 2 becomes more obvious. Combat zones feature a high level of interactivity -- players commandeer tanks, boats, helicopters, and pickup trucks. Map design is ingenious, boasting an impressive array of hiding places, fortifications, and obstacles. Players who spend any time playing online will quickly discover that cooperation and creativity are the keys to success. And while Battlefield 2 is saturated in the violence of modern warfare, the lack of blood does something to offset the carnage, and any game that emphasizes ingenuity over gratuitous gore certainly has value for kids of the right age group.