Battlefield 2142

Battlefield 2142 (BF2142) was released in October 2006, and is an FPS, a First Person Shooter game published by Electronics Arts for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS. It is the fourth installment in the Battlefield Series. BF2142 is set in the 22nd Century during an Ice Age in which there is a pitched battle for survival between two superpowers, the EU (European Union) and PAC (Pan Asian Collision).Sounds familiar? Combine the ideas of Battlefield 2 (BF2) and the 2004 movie, “The Day after Tomorrow” and what you get is BF2142. There are two modes of gameplay, Conquest (offline) and Titan Mode (the online mode).Both modes support Multiplayer gameplay, up to a maximum of 64. There is not a very significant difference between BF2 and BF2142, the latter seems an upgraded version of the former, except for the Titan Mode of play.

Minimum system requirements:

Windows XP or Mac OS X (Intel based) operating system, 1.7 GHz processor, 128 MB DirectX compliant video card with Pixel Shader 2.0 and above (AGP and PCIe only), 512 MB RAM, DirectX 9.0c or higher, broadband internet connection. The ESRB rating is T (Teen - Violence).The MSRP is $39.95. So even though the changes from BF2 seem minor, there are enough improvements to give this game a shot. A hands-on with the game will prove more productive. Let’s find out.

The plot of the game revolves around the two factions, EU and PAC fighting for survival. As the northern hemisphere becomes frigid, people move to the more habitable southern hemisphere and due to lack of space, wars erupt, both for land occupation and world supremacy. The action takes place from the arid lands of Africa to the war torn Europe. This ultimately translates to a very interesting war between the Russia dominated PAC and EU. The weapons are not very Futuristic but mere upgrades of today’s weapons. There are a total four classes in this game, each with its own set of properties, advantages and disadvantage and each class has 2 modes, each having a different specialization depending on the class. The range of weaponry is massive with around 40 different types of weapons to unlock. The catch to this game version is that the more you play, the more career points you accumulate hence leading to more unlocks. For a player starting right at the beginning, this can be a bit frustrating, but the rewards are worth the wait.

A new feature of BF2142 is the Titan mode of play, where you have to sink the opposite team’s Titan, which is a floating ship surrounded by a powerful shield. The fighting inside the Titan can get very intense as the opposite team defends its base for survival. The Titan can be blown by getting access to the 4 reactor rooms inside it. A mode made for intense and exhilarating multiplayer gameplay.

As with BF2, the sound effects are awesome and very detailed. The weapon sounds are distinct and likable; the ambient noise is also very effective in bringing out the right atmosphere.

Overall, not a very different game from BF2, but it benefits from BF2’s popularity, and has enough improvements in it to appeal to the FPS fans.