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 EAs 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 isnt 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
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