Online play supports up to 32 simultaneous players, and the eight maps included for online play range in size from small to huge and are designed to be matched to the number of players in the game - if you pick the largest map for a six player game, you'll spend the entire time looking for each other. One mode of play is supported, Frontlines, but the fact that the game browser has a field for game mode indicates that other modes may be added in the future. In the Frontlines mode players fight over a set of control points set in the middle of the map. If one team captures all of the points, the frontline is pushed forward and a new set of control points is created. This is a good system because it directs the fighting to the small number of control points along the front while eliminating the problem of players scattering all over the map looking for undefended control points deep in enemy territory. As the front is pushed forward, the number of spawn points in friendly territory will increase while the enemy will have fewer spawn points as their territory dwindles. A team can achieve victory in one of three ways: capturing the last set of control points on the map, holding the most territory when the game timer expires, and forcing the enemy to use all of their respawn tickets.

Frontlines supports role-based play in which you select a loadout that will define your basic role in the battle: assault, sniper, etc. You can also further specialize by selecting a support role. These support roles each come with a special ability, such as the ability to deploy drones, create defensive emplacements, call in air strikes, or knock out vehicles with an EMP. Each ability has a recharge time, so you'll need to be careful in selecting the best moment to use one. Successfully using abilities will earn you experience, and when you level up you'll be given access to more powerful abilities. Unfortunately this experience is only on a per-game basis, so you'll be back to square one again in the next game that you play.

The game's host browser could use a little work - you have to scroll through available games one by one and if you attempt to join a game that is no longer available you'll be directed back out to the game's main menu - but once you're in a game things definitely swing to the fun side of the equation. Full games on the larger maps are a lot of fun, not just because of the size of the maps and the number of players, but because the large-scale battles increase the importance of specialization and teamwork. A team filled with a bunch of assault players jostling with each other to grab the team's tanks will be quickly outmatched by an opposing team that fields a variety of role players and makes effective use of the game's excellent squad system. Not only do squads get their own voice channel, the squad leader can set waypoints for the squad and serve as a mobile spawn point for squad members.

I had fun with the multiplayer mode, but Frontlines is not for everyone. If you're the kind of online gamer who spends all of your time in deathmatches or slayer modes, then you'll probably be frustrated that lone wolf tactics don't serve you too well in this game. On the other hand, if you enjoyed playing the Battlefield series and other similar games, then you'll find Frontlines a lot to your liking. And lastly, you're better off purchasing the game if you plan on spending more time with it online than off. The single player campaign is fun, but it lacks the intensity and punch found in the campaigns of other top-tier shooters on the Xbox 360.

In The End, This Game Hath Been Rated: 85%. Fans of team-based online shooters will definitely want to spend some time on the frontlines.

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