Battlefield 2 is the sequel to Battlefield 1942, but it is not called “Battlefield 1943” because “1942” referred to a year and not the nearly two thousandth iteration of the game. Besides I’m sure that you would agree that “Battlefield 1943” would not be an appropriate name for a game set in modern times. Of course you also have Battlefield Vietnam, but that was more of a same game, different place kind of thing than a real sequel and therefore not really deserving of a “2” after its name. So you probably can now see that Battlefield 2 is indeed an appropriate name for the game. You are also quite probably wondering if this game’s rating is a result of it being aptly named or if this reviewer has had to write just one too many opening paragraphs for game reviews and has finally lost it. Well with regards to the first point I can say no, it’s because it is actually a pretty good, enjoyable game. On the latter point I can only say that it is not I who is crazy, it is I who is mad!

A squad moves in.

So anyway, Battlefield 2 (BF2) takes place in modern times with American, Chinese, and Middle Eastern factions squaring off against each other on 12 different maps. Each of these maps is scalable, coming in 16, 32, and 64 player sizes, so you essentially have 36 different maps here. The maps provide a good variety of terrain that includes mountains, deserts, and river valleys and are populated with cities, villages, industrial complexes, and the requisite bases. It is evident that a lot of thought went into the maps’ design as they feature a well-balanced mix of chokepoints, open spaces, and back routes that make for battles with plenty of ebb and flow. This being a Battlefield game you can also expect to find numerous gun emplacements from machine gun nests to artillery, all of which you can hop into and take control of at any time.

BF2 preserves the core gameplay that made its predecessors so much fun. The battlefields are filled with planes, helicopters, tanks, jeeps, boats, and more, all of which any player can take control of at any time. Some vehicles can be manned by multiple players, either as a method of transport or as a way to man extra guns. The game places an emphasis on fun and playability, so the same basic control scheme is used to operate every vehicle in the game – if you’ve played a FPS before, then you can drive the vehicles as they use the de facto standard WASD control scheme. Each vehicle has its own feel – tanks plod along while jeeps zip about at high speeds – but the game does not complicate matters by trying to realistically model each vehicle. It may not be realistic, but it sure is fun.

BF2 is a class-based game, meaning that there are different roles to play in the game such as medic, sniper, and assault soldier. You select your role before spawning into the game, but there is nothing to stop you from switching to a new class when respawning should you be killed in the battle. Each class comes with its own set of weapons and tools, so it’s critical to select the right class when spawning – you won’t get very far trying to assault the enemy base with a medic.

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