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Battlefield 2 sees its first expansion pack. The expansion pack manages to intensify the already intense and enjoyable gameplay of the original. Despite the relatively short amount of time between its release and the original, Special Forces improves on a lot of things. However, there are a few bugs that hamper the experience.
The expansion’s single-player mode is basically a single-player variant of multiplayer. Instead of playing against other players, you’ll instead play against bots. The AI on the bots is pretty decent and playing against them does somewhat prepare you for a real game. The single-player mode is useful to get acquainted yourself with the levels, though.
Special Forces adds eight new maps to the game. These maps include an island, an airfield, and a functional spaceport. They replicate the infantry-heavy warfare of the first game which was applauded by gamers. They also replicate some of the urban maps of the original, which proved to be among the most popular for Battlefield 2 fans. The game adds six new factions to Battlefield 2, when combined with the original game’s three factions, this triple the number of factions at your disposal. Each faction in the game is categorized by the classes found in Battlefield 2. This means that all of the factions include a support class with a light machine gun, an antitank class that carries a submachine gun and can take care of tanks, a special forces class with heavy weapons, etc. The game includes some new vehicles, as well. You’ll find ATVs, pickup trucks, and a Jet Ski. The expansion focuses on these light, quick vehicles to easily transport you while limiting the number of heavy vehicles like tanks and jets.
Aside from maps, factions and vehicles, there are also a number of new weapons in the game. You’ll find an RPG, a new assault rifle, and a new SEAL carbine. There are some new tools like tear-gas grenades, a zip line and grappling hook added to the game. The last two allow the infantry to get to previously inaccessible locations, explaining why they’re used to often in the expansion. Nonetheless, DICE was smart enough to make sure that they aren’t overused since you’re essentially helpless when climbing up the rope or zipping down the line. The game also includes night-vision goggles for certain missions that take place in the nighttime. The night-vision goggles also work well since you can’t use them all the time or you’ll be blinded in places where actual light exists.
Unfortunately, all of this being said, the game has some technical difficulties. For one, you need to install a patch that requires 3.2GB of hard drive space before you can install the actual game. Once you install that patch, you’ll have to install another 280MB patch to get the game up to date. While we didn’t experience any of the problems that some users are reporting (not being able to install the patches and such), downloading nearly 3.5 gigs of stuff before you can play a game is a bit much.
Like Battlefield 2 before it, the game’s visuals are undoubtedly amazing. The vehicles are incredibly detailed. Their models are excellent. The infantry looks good and animates very well, which is a welcome change. The environments also have a “wow factor.” This comes at a cost, though, since most of it is not destructible. However, it’s the small details that really shine. It’s amazing to see how your vision is temporarily disrupted after a blast goes off nearby. The game required a rather powerful system but Special Forces increases this requirement. The game has some framerate drops when too much is going on, something that wasn’t present on the original game in the same system. The load times are also a bit longer.
That said, the game’s audio still shines. The soundtrack isn’t particularly noteworthy, but the rest of the audio is so strong that music (or lack of) isn’t noticeable. It’s amazing to hear tanks moving towards you, helicopters flying off in the distance, guns going off, things blowing up, etc. It is simply amazing and allows you to immerse yourself fully.
Battlefield 2: Special Forces is an excellent expansion pack. The game adds more of what Battlefield 2 fans liked from that game while adding enough factions, maps, vehicles, and weapons to make it a worthwhile purchase. While there are some installation issues, once you get the game playing, you’ll have a blast.
Some reviewing some on additional test systems.
-- Jose Liz & -- Adam Nunez, PGNx Media
---- Dec 6, 2005
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