Battlefield 2: Modern Combat Member Review for the Xbox

Jeez, where to begin. It's been such a whirlwind the last few days concerning BF2:MC. Let's see, first things first:

The connectivity issues that you've all been hearing about are in the process of resolution. EA and DICE are really putting an effort in to make sure this game doesn't lock-up or drop off servers in the future. Like any new release there's bound to be a couple of bumps in the road. I'm going to stick with it through this process and I feel you should do the same. Not for EA sake, but for DICE. They are a really brilliant developer.

Now, down to the game:

GRAPHICS: You may or may not have heard people blasting BF2:MC for it's lackluster presentation. This is not true! The graphics are very good for a game that offers so much freedom. Even the mighty GTA series's graphics are starting to look bad (I'm looking at you San Andreas). The lighting is great. Everything has a soft feel to it. The texturing is a little on the low res side, but that is to be expected with such a large field of vision. The characters are animated very smoothly and the weapons are modeled nicely. Though they are not the strongest aspect of this game, they get the job done well.

SOUND: This is hit and miss. On one hand you have excellent weapon sounds. You can hear distant firefights and explosions. You have radio chatter when you fly a helo and bullets pinging off the sides of vehicles and walls. Rockets roaring past your head. Explosions rock the very ground your on with barrels and debris flying all over the place. It's all is very chaotic. Then you have the soundtrack. To be honest, I think the music is the weakest part of the game. After an hour you'll most likely be turning it off as I did just to hear those little subtle sounds. Another sound that I think is neat is how your character runs. You can hear the dirt crushed under you boots and it really feels like you're running (not "ice-skating" like some people stated).

CONTROL: This where most shooters fail if you ask me. BF2:MC keeps the controls responsive and intuitive. Pull the left trigger to open your inventory and use the right analog to select items. Easy! Jumping can be tricky at first since you have to time the jump. When I first started I kept hitting the wall, then I realised that I have to jump about a foot away to clear it. The aiming is really smooth and accurate. You just have to remember to lead your targets. One thing I wish would've been change is the acceleration and brake for land/sea based vehicles. Since you can't shoot from vehicles when you're the driver (ala FarCry), why not allow players to use the L & R triggers for acceleration and braking instead of pushing up and down on the left analog. Small complaint. The helos control very well.

GAMEPLAY: I was really excited to hear the DICE was including a single player to BF2:MC. It was only till I played it that I realised it felt a little tacked on. I think this is due to the fact that even thought there are large amounts of gamers on XBL, there's still a majority who play offline. The hotswapping is a very unique gameplay aspect. Being able to jump from soldier to soldier around the battlefield is fun. Though it can be come a little tiresome making you feel like your fighting the entire battle yourself. Again I congratulate DICE on adding a single player (with a story and cut scenes none the less) into a game that in the past was strictly online multiplayer. The XBL portion of BF2:MC is the real meat and potatoes. Even with the initial server problems, this game will get better as the weeks roll on! I've also found that smaller scale engagements (around 12 players) offers a bit more tactical play than the highly touted 24 player rounds. I find myself drawn more to these games.

OVERALL: BF2:MC is still a highly addictive game. Even when the server drops or the game freezes, I stop playing for about 15 minutes and then find myself jumping right back on. The ranking system is well implimented and executed. There are a few hiccups here and there, but over all a solid game.