The Battlefield series jumps two hundred years into the future, but you'll only need a 2006 era PC to play it. by Patrick Evans

June 22, 2006 - The Battlefield franchise has been a storied experience on the PC for many years, but EA’s franchise got a real shot in the arm last year with the release of Battlefield 2. Continuing the perfect balance of the soldier classes and introducing the Commander to their already solid system, EA could do no wrong in absolutely devouring our free time.

Well, EA isn’t satisfied with just tackling modern day scenarios in their wargames. They have decided that looking to the future, specifically the year 2142, would be a good idea. And thus, Battlefield 2142 was born, a game that pits the European Union against the Pan Asian Coalition in a post-Ice Age world with limited resources and more than enough conflict.

Showing at E3, we got to play Battlefield 2142 at the EA booth for the first time. The demo stage appeared to be a city district and the surrounding plains with plenty of snow and wintery weather. Littered across the field are different missile silos while an ominous airship hovers overhead as the demo previews a new mode in the latest Battlefield, Titan mode. Essentially, instead of fighting for control or spawn points, players fight for control of missile silos to launch missiles at their opponents Titan. When you have hit a Titan with enough missiles, you can board it with a helicopter, plane, or by rocketing from an ATV ejection seat. Once inside, four points must be destroyed to bring the massive ship down and score victory for your side.

In addition to the new, impressive gameplay mode, Battlefield 2142 featured some impressive weaponry and vehicles. There were the familiar, if not considerably updated, tanks, helicopters and such, but what stole the show were the bipedal mechs that tore across the landscape like they owned the joint. Carrying tons of firepower and handling like a dream, the mech action in Battlefield 2142 was impressive. To counter this gigantic mech threat, EA has also provided vehicles and infantry with brand-new EMP weaponry that is harmless to humans, but devastating to machinery. Along with these weapons, character classes are balanced against the vehicles to set up a sort of rock-paper-scissors system of balance on the field of combat.

Maps in 2142 will still be scalable to the number of participants in battle, the commander mode will still vital to the experience, and the game will still look fantastic when stacked against any competition out there. Battlefield 2142 storms PCs in only a few months, so be prepared to say goodbye to your family and friends when you enlist this fall.

By Patrick Evans
CCC Staff Writer