Product Reviews

Having developed multiplayer online shooters based on World War II, Vietnam and contemporary conflicts, it makes sense for EA to continue the successful Battlefield series by setting its latest first-person shooter in the future, with Battlefield 2142.

This is more a rethinking of Battlefield 2 than a revolution for the series. Gone are the modern tanks and helicopters, the American troops and Middle Eastern coalition. In their place is the coming of a second Ice Age, an array of semi-futuristic weaponry, hovering tanks and jump jet-powered air vehicles. The graphics have improved only marginally since the previous game, but they still impress even on lower-end machines.

Under the surface, the core gameplay is unchanged. Two teams of up to 32 players each battle across a variety of excellently crafted maps on foot and in all manner of vehicles. Battlefield 2142's angular and hovering vision of futuristic engineering is a shade unoriginal, but the stars of this line-up are easily the giant walking tanks. These walkers look stunning and

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are veritable powerhouses. They tower over soldiers, whose only hope of disabling the hulking player-driven robots is to work together, one player disabling the walker with EMP while another straps explosives to its legs.

The biggest change from Battlefield 2, however, is the game's Titan mode. Players must complete a series of objectives to destroy the opposing team's Titan, a massive floating airship that dominates the sky. This involves lowering the opposing Titan's shields, before assaulting the undefended warship in launch pods and destroying its core. It's a lot of fun and requires a degree of teamwork for any hope of victory.

Despite the range of modes, Battlefield 2142 can be unforgiving to new players. It uses a system that gives access to new weapons and tools the more you play, so until you've devoted some time to the game you'll be under-equipped compared with everyone else. Still, if you plan to get engrossed in Battlefield 2142, the unlockable equipment gives you something to aim for amid the endless battles. Sadly, the single-player mode is as terrible as ever, with no plot, characters or proper campaign mode to speak of. You simply fight a series of battles against unimpressive AI opponents. This game must be played online.

This is a fantastic game, but it can't be recommended to those who've yet to play a Battlefield title. Battlefield 2142 hasn't improved spectacularly on the previous game and, if anything, it's less accessible. If you want to work as part of a well-drilled team this is a great game, but those looking for an occasional online fight are better off with Battlefield 2.