User Score
8.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1140 Ratings

User score distribution:
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this game

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
  1. Oct 16, 2013
    9
    The original massive battle arena. I spent huge amounts of hours in this game and am glad i did. Tons of fun.Online shooters don't come much better than this old gem.
  2. Mar 5, 2014
    10
    Still the war-FPS that all others should be compared to. BF3 and 4 were console ports, and aimed for bad players with the no-recoil and tons of crutch weapons. Those are war arcade shooters. BF2 is a squad based tactical war-FPS. I miss this game, best FPS ever made.
  3. Apr 16, 2013
    10
    My favourite game of all time. Forever and always.

    It has the most content out of all of the Battlefield series and it's definitely the most fun. With over 30 maps with 3 variations each (90 maps, technically) and hundreds of weapons, vehicles, players and mods you really can't find a better pseudo-realistic war game than this one. I think this was the only game I've ever played
    My favourite game of all time. Forever and always.

    It has the most content out of all of the Battlefield series and it's definitely the most fun.

    With over 30 maps with 3 variations each (90 maps, technically) and hundreds of weapons, vehicles, players and mods you really can't find a better pseudo-realistic war game than this one.

    I think this was the only game I've ever played to really balance realistic and not realistic perfectly, it has a realistic chain of command and getting medals and promotions, as well as slightly realistic physics, but you can also get into a car and drive up an exploding ramp and then jump out the side and parachute to safety.

    The game definitely feels the best out of all of the Battlefield games. As soon as you boot it up you just feel like you have complete control over everything, and you feel like it's your fault that your dying when you do die because of how good the controls are.

    As said before, there are loads of vehicles, and most maps have an aircraft carrier for the USMC. The Aircraft Carrier always has helicopters and jets on it, but this isn't like Battlefield 3 where every jet and helicopter are almost exactly the same, these jets have strengths and weaknesses.

    Say there was a two seater jet that could drop 15 bombs and had 4 miniguns, it would fly very slowly and wouldn't be very agile.

    Say there was a one seater jet with no bombs and like 2 machine guns, it would fly very quickly and would be extremely agile.

    Lots of people all around the world still play this game all the time, but sadly, the modding community kinda died out.

    But, that doesn't mean you can't play these mods, because this game has bots, and the bots in this game are very smart.

    If you play vanilla Battlefield 2 you will be greeted to a screen that tells you that you can only have 16 bots on each map, that's fine, you need to get BF2ALL64.

    This mod allows you to play BF2 with 64 bots in 64 player maps in co-op and single player. It's great

    But definitely, the most popular mod is Project Reality.

    Project Reality is pretty much ARMA in the Battlefield 2 engine with Bad Company's destruction, and it is amazing.

    It's a super realistic, slow-paced war shooter that is incredibly intense. I would highly recommend if you have patience, because the matches run very slowly.

    AIX is my personal favorite mod out of all of them. What it does is make the bots smarter and add everything from the expansions into the full game, and it also adds heaps of new stuff, such as miniguns and new maps (Archipalago is amazing, you have to play it on AIX) that you can play in co-op or single player.

    Also, don't listen to what LordLeckie said, the vanilla weapons are definitely the strongest. They didn't go overboard with the unlock thing, which is another good thing.

    Overall, this game is my favorite game of all time and you will probably have a blast playing this, but don't put your expectations too high or you might be disappointed. I'm just really passionate about this game.
    Expand
  4. Jun 7, 2013
    8
    "Battlefield 2" was one of the reasons I had my PC upgraded for (I don't remember exactly)th time :)
    It took much time for "Call of Duty" creators to bring players to the modern action, but EA decided to let us use modern weapons much earlier.
    First big sequel to the popular series brought us large maps, various class types and tons of fun time. I have to say that in "Battlefield 2" I
    "Battlefield 2" was one of the reasons I had my PC upgraded for (I don't remember exactly)th time :)
    It took much time for "Call of Duty" creators to bring players to the modern action, but EA decided to let us use modern weapons much earlier.

    First big sequel to the popular series brought us large maps, various class types and tons of fun time. I have to say that in "Battlefield 2" I was never a big fan of vehicles. Somehow they seemed I bit sluggish so mostly I enjoyed combat on foot, which allowed me to use at my best my favourite class medic. Defibrillator unit was firstly introduced to the game and significantly changed gameplay. Having a medic nearby would allow more heroic actions than you had previously let yourself to perform. Assault class was my second favourite one, although my friends often gave preference to engineers.

    Having one right behind your tank would make you almost unstoppable force. Playing as a sniper was difficult for me, because I never understood a sniper rifle that did not kill an enemy with a single shot.
    A new feature that was introduced but never appreciated, by me at least, was artillery fire, that was often used as bombing of the point at the moment when it was captured by an enemy.

    To give more balance against heavy vehicles new rocket launchers were introduced, that were statically set at some places and allowed firing missiles.

    "Battlefield 2" also had AI partners that could make you a company. Having AI in opposite team often made playing a nightmare as making headshots with a pistol from unbelievable distance was not a big deal for them.

    Weapon's kickback was not a big deal to get used to, but somehow I consider it a problem, because this way you can't 'feel' weapons.

    Anyway, everything that was not appreciated by me doesn't make the game any worse, so at the moment of release, eight long years ago I would recommend it to any player who liked shooters.
    Expand
  5. Jul 2, 2013
    8
    This is the best of the Battlefield series! In my opinion, the new Battlefield games are inferior to the pre-BF Bad Company games. While old-school BF games focus on the multiplayer, recent BF games add singleplayer campaigns and a bunch of other stuff that doesn't belong in the BF series. If you haven't played the old BF games, you are doing it wrong...The graphics and the gameplay stillThis is the best of the Battlefield series! In my opinion, the new Battlefield games are inferior to the pre-BF Bad Company games. While old-school BF games focus on the multiplayer, recent BF games add singleplayer campaigns and a bunch of other stuff that doesn't belong in the BF series. If you haven't played the old BF games, you are doing it wrong...The graphics and the gameplay still hold up very well and there are a bunch of fun mods and maps you can install for free! Play BF2! Expand
  6. May 17, 2013
    7
    I like what the battlefield series is trying to do, but they have some issues. BF2 has way too many exploits. Hit-boxes come unglued when player's run around. Bunny hopping can make you immune to being blasted by an entire clip at point blank range. Often the game involved running this marathon across the game map only to die and start all over again. I did get some real enjoyment out ofI like what the battlefield series is trying to do, but they have some issues. BF2 has way too many exploits. Hit-boxes come unglued when player's run around. Bunny hopping can make you immune to being blasted by an entire clip at point blank range. Often the game involved running this marathon across the game map only to die and start all over again. I did get some real enjoyment out of the game tho. The urban maps were a lot more fun to me. Expand
  7. Jun 15, 2013
    8
    Many people look at BF2 with rose tinted goggles and remember only the good parts about it and then give it 10/10 Im not gonna do that here i will list some of the big mistakes of the game>

    Cons........ Class balance You basicly only see assaults & medics Engineers & antitanks weapon suck ass so no one basicly ever used them. Magical repair aura in vehicles when you drive it as
    Many people look at BF2 with rose tinted goggles and remember only the good parts about it and then give it 10/10 Im not gonna do that here i will list some of the big mistakes of the game>

    Cons........

    Class balance You basicly only see assaults & medics Engineers & antitanks weapon suck ass so no one basicly ever used them.
    Magical repair aura in vehicles when you drive it as engineer This led to camping side by side with 2 tanks & commander dropping supplybox behind them that repaired them aswell.

    Vehicle balance Helis 1 shotting everything with TV missile once you got the hang of the missile You could basicly dominate entire battlefield with it .
    Tanks basicly useless if there was any jets helis in the map
    Dolphin dive & bunny hopping
    OP weapons over other weapons

    Pros...

    Maps
    Teamwork
    Big squads & commander
    No supression
    Flight mechanics
    VOIP
    Destroyable bridges
    Intense fighting

    At the time Battlefield 2 was my favorite fps game and amazing for its time. It had major issues with bugs crashes balance but still in end i'd play it again
    Expand
  8. Sep 11, 2013
    6
    I tried to go back to playing this game recently, and the ballistics is terrible. I'm not complaining because there is no bullet drop, but the bullets simply do not hit where you are aiming most the time. Instead of recoiling your shots just radiate further and further away from your aim point. So I tired using the semi auto fire modes often and even though it is more accurate theyI tried to go back to playing this game recently, and the ballistics is terrible. I'm not complaining because there is no bullet drop, but the bullets simply do not hit where you are aiming most the time. Instead of recoiling your shots just radiate further and further away from your aim point. So I tired using the semi auto fire modes often and even though it is more accurate they still don't always hit where you are aiming which is very frustrating. Otherwise a great game, but the gun play is lackluster. Expand
  9. Jul 24, 2013
    9
    one of the better fps'. Got really into it when i got it and i still play i from time to time. You can purchase replica airsoft guns from the game here: http://www.airsplat.com/battlefield-2.htm
  10. Aug 1, 2013
    10
    I don`t know how often I heard the loading screen of the MEC and USA but it never gets ols. Good gameplay and it is a grat game. Bf3 did not have the same feeling as in Bf2 but it is still pretty good.
  11. Jul 6, 2016
    8
    Gameplay : 8
    Graphics : 7
    Story : 5
    Sound : 8
    **********************************************************************************
    Overall : 8
  12. Jul 12, 2014
    9
    Battlefield 2. My friends at school all really love one of two series: Battlefield or Call of Duty. What really ticks me off about it is that the popular kids all really like Call of Duty, which I consider terrible, and the unpopular kids really like Battlefield. It just goes to show you that these two franchises are at war with each other, and it has had really dire side effects on theBattlefield 2. My friends at school all really love one of two series: Battlefield or Call of Duty. What really ticks me off about it is that the popular kids all really like Call of Duty, which I consider terrible, and the unpopular kids really like Battlefield. It just goes to show you that these two franchises are at war with each other, and it has had really dire side effects on the world at large. I however, have chosen not to take a side in this war. I've only played the best games of these two franchises and that was it. I have already reviewed Call of Duty 4, which I thought was one of the worst games I've ever played. Now I'm reviewing the best Battlefield game, Battlefield 2. So, is this series really better than Call of Duty in every way, or do all modern warfare shooters totally suck after all? Let's find out. This game is an absolute blast to play! It is an online shooter with massive battlefields to fight on, and massive armies to fight with. This game really captures what it's like to be a member of the army and fight on huge battlefields. This game has only one gameplay mode, but because every map is so huge, when the game starts to feel old, other maps make it feel new again. This gameplay mode is conquest. In conquest, the two armies must fight to take control of the entire map, by taking over all of the control points. There is also a reinforcement counter, which shows how many more units on an army can spawn on the battlefield. Once one team controls more control points than the other, the other team starts losing reinforcements. The first team to take control of all of the control points, or get rid of all of the opposing team's reinforcements (this can also be done by simply killing the enemy as opposed to taking control points) wins. This game also emphasizes teamwork quite a bit. It is highly recommended that you get in a squad as early as possible. Also, if you are getting bored of going on foot to fight, or you have to take a long walk to an enemy control point, don't worry about it. There are also several vehicles to drive such as buggys, tanks, fighter jets, and even boats. This game also controls like your average shooter, so you don't have much to worry about in the controls department. In fact, this game is so fun, that the only real problem I have with it other than having only one game mode is that the jets and helicopters are really hard to fly. I found it insanely difficult to fly both air vehicles. However, it just goes to show you that this game has a good learning curve. The AI of this game can also be a challenge, which makes the game much more interesting. They do have a few problems here and there, but nothing major such as just sitting there doing nothing. Overall, no matter how you want to play this game, it will be fun no matter what. As for the graphics, while they may not be as good as Half-Life 2, which came out a year before this, they are still great graphics for their time. Everything in this game is very well detailed, looks the way it should, and perfectly replicates this game's modern warfare setting. It has settings in the United States of America, China, and the Middle East. All of these settings look about how you would expect in a modern day setting. The buildings, vehicles, and character models all look quite good. The only real problem that exists with the graphics is that despite how good they look, they might be a bit dated. Overall, the graphics of this game are great, if a bit dated. As for the presentation, it's great too. The menus can be a bit confusing sometimes, and the tutorials can be a bit confusing, but that's about it. Otherwise, this game has all of the modern military forces you would expect. Of course the U.S. Army is in this game, along with the Chinese, European Union, and Mecca armies. This game definitely presents itself as an excellent multiplayer shooter, and it succeeds in that respect. Overall, this game is a fantastic multiplayer shooter. It has everything good you would come to expect from a multiplayer shooter and more. The battles may be long, but that's just how they should be. In the end, I haven't chosen a side in the war between Call of Duty and Battlefield, but if I did, I would definitely choose Battlefield.
    Gameplay: 9/10
    Graphics: 9/10
    Presentation: 8/10
    Overall: 9/10
    Expand
  13. Apr 5, 2014
    10
    The Maps are awesome, the weapons are awesome, the Engine for that release year is still good and everything else is awesome!

    Now you got BF4 and all this new stuff, but if you imagine, how BF2 was like BF4 back then. I prefer BF2 over the other ones, even if i only bought it last year. Still there are active people playing and new people too! Its just sad, that no one plays the
    The Maps are awesome, the weapons are awesome, the Engine for that release year is still good and everything else is awesome!

    Now you got BF4 and all this new stuff, but if you imagine, how BF2 was like BF4 back then.
    I prefer BF2 over the other ones, even if i only bought it last year.
    Still there are active people playing and new people too!

    Its just sad, that no one plays the Special Forces DLC. Its a good DLC in my opinion, but the people care about the main game and the DLCs, that are build into the game, and not have to be started over the main game.

    This game is also moddable and has awesome mods like FORGOTTEN HOPE 2 and PROJECT REALITY with servers and players!
    Expand
  14. Apr 11, 2014
    10
    A really fun game that's it
    A really fun game that's it
    A really fun game that's it
    A really fun game that's it
    A really fun game that's it
    A really fun game that's it
    A really fun game that's it
  15. Apr 16, 2014
    10
    This game is a Masterpiece !!!! Is the best game in the series with great big maps, balance cases and guns with recoil :) This and 1942 are the diamante of DICE.
  16. May 12, 2014
    10
    I miss the days before all this modern-aged shooters like Call of Duty:Puppies and Bugfield 4...I am still playing this game with my cousin and a bunch of friends and it is fun.If you have never play it,give it a shot!
  17. Mar 29, 2015
    10
    For me it is the best I've played Battlefield before. The game manages to bring an atmosphere, a very good multiplayer. A great game for that year. .
  18. Oct 6, 2021
    9
    Great refresh after bf1942. Was nice to have some updated guns and vehicles but was said no navy like bf1942
  19. Aug 4, 2017
    9
    Battlefield 2 is a true evolution from both 1942 and Vietnam. By bringing the Battlefield franchise to the 21st century, and adding heaps of new vehicles, weapons, and other war devices, Battlefield 2 ended up being one of the best multiplayer experiences of 2005. I am sure people are still online, playing this amazing game, and more power to them. However, like the other classic BF games,Battlefield 2 is a true evolution from both 1942 and Vietnam. By bringing the Battlefield franchise to the 21st century, and adding heaps of new vehicles, weapons, and other war devices, Battlefield 2 ended up being one of the best multiplayer experiences of 2005. I am sure people are still online, playing this amazing game, and more power to them. However, like the other classic BF games, the graphics are very poor my modern standards, so be prepared for that. Expand
  20. Apr 1, 2015
    10
    The best bf game to date fantastic maps,guns vehicles,spawns,team work and bla bla bla bla bla bla
    10/10 i miss the old bf2 days soooo muchhhhhhhhhhhh
  21. Aug 25, 2015
    9
    Many a good time was had playing this game back in the day. Every match played out differently. Maps were actually designed for 64 players - unlike the claustrophobic corridor shooter BF3 and BF4 maps. Commanders and squad leaders had an important role to play as did the many different classes. Helicopters could barrel roll and had a decent amount of agility. Grab 5 of your friends andMany a good time was had playing this game back in the day. Every match played out differently. Maps were actually designed for 64 players - unlike the claustrophobic corridor shooter BF3 and BF4 maps. Commanders and squad leaders had an important role to play as did the many different classes. Helicopters could barrel roll and had a decent amount of agility. Grab 5 of your friends and spend the night yelling and screaming at each other with joy. Good times. Expand
  22. Jun 22, 2016
    10
    A masterpiece. One of my favorite Games in all time. Sadly Dice/EA hasn't kept Offline singleplayer sessions with Bots what i would really appreciate. Still playing this Game in 2016 with in Fanmade multiplayer project.
  23. Nov 10, 2015
    8
    Was a really nice game, i will miss it, but Battlefield 2142 was better. Still 2 good games!!! I played it a lot. It was really funny and cool, good all times is the best time
  24. Apr 15, 2016
    9
    El primer shooter que juegue en la vida y me entrada al mundo de accion, en ese entonces me fascino lo realista del juego, me viciaba horas jugando al mapa de la planta nuclear utilizando la clase de francotirador. Hermosos recuerdos.
  25. Oct 11, 2017
    10
    Battlefiled 1942 and 2 were a great games and i enjoyed playing them for a long time some things in battlefield 1942 were just great like both the teams having a aircraft carrier which they could take anywhere around the island map and many other fetures which are yet to be explored in the latest battlefield games. Going to battlefiled 2, well that game is a marvel, a could improve onBattlefiled 1942 and 2 were a great games and i enjoyed playing them for a long time some things in battlefield 1942 were just great like both the teams having a aircraft carrier which they could take anywhere around the island map and many other fetures which are yet to be explored in the latest battlefield games. Going to battlefiled 2, well that game is a marvel, a could improve on player freedom but never the less a master piece. Expand
  26. Jul 22, 2021
    7
    good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good good
  27. May 31, 2018
    10
    Meu Battlefield favorito, bem melhor que aquela merda do Bad Company 2, o multiplayer do bf2 é incrivel
  28. Jan 13, 2019
    10
    Игра хороша. В ней есть не обычная механика которая была только в этой серии игр. Вырос уровень интеллекта у ботов. Стало больше карт и классов.
  29. Feb 9, 2021
    9
    Absolute masterpiece at the time of release. One of the best multiplayer games, where communication was the key. I remember to this day playing with one dude almost everyday, almost always in a chopper :)
  30. Dec 18, 2020
    8
    One of the best games in BF series. This game was the foundation of battlefield multiplayer.
  31. Sep 26, 2020
    9
    В игре произошла революция в графическом плане. Текстуры подросли значительно после Вьетнама, игра стала куда интересней и реалистичней. Для своего времени топ, но и сейчас вполне играбельно и графика не сильно режет глаз. 9/10 пробовать стоит всем.В игре произошла революция в графическом плане. Текстуры подросли значительно после Вьетнама, игра стала куда интересней и реалистичней. Для своего времени топ, но и сейчас вполне играбельно и графика не сильно режет глаз. 9/10 пробовать стоит всем.
  32. Oct 6, 2022
    9
    Funny Awesome Game Score 90
    Full Action Game
    Full Action Game
    Funny Awesome Game
  33. Nov 19, 2021
    10
    One of the best Games of the Series and a true cornerstone to the Battlefield Franchise! Buy!
  34. Feb 26, 2021
    9
    Disclaimer: the BF2 community is still alive on PC (usually 100-200 players online) as of 2020. See BF2Hub for more info if you're interesting in playing again. YMMV

    Singleplayer: since patch 1.5, the single player features twenty maps to play on against bots. By default, only the 16-player version of the maps are available but the 32 and 64 player variants are available via mods. The
    Disclaimer: the BF2 community is still alive on PC (usually 100-200 players online) as of 2020. See BF2Hub for more info if you're interesting in playing again. YMMV

    Singleplayer: since patch 1.5, the single player features twenty maps to play on against bots. By default, only the 16-player version of the maps are available but the 32 and 64 player variants are available via mods. The singleplayer is not representative of the multiplayer experience due to the simplistic AI.

    Multiplayer: LAN parties, ranked servers, and unranked servers are all available to players to choose from. The options provided to server owners are excellent and are becoming increasingly rarer in newer titles.

    Maps: BF2 featured 12 maps on launch, 4 post-launch maps added via patches, and 6 booster pack maps made free via patch 1.5. The map design in this game is probably the best in the entire franchise with all-time greats such as Gulf of Oman, Karkand, Sharqi, Wake Island 2007, Kubra Dam, and many others. They are very well balanced, provided opportunities for diverse playstyles, and facilitated a great flow to them.

    New features: Battlerecorder allowed players to download files that had individual matches, Commander facilitated more teamwork than 1942, the 7 class system had new features like reviving, sprinting was now present in the game.

    Mods: BF2 had a great modding community with one in particular, Project Reality, having a profound influence on future milsim titles. Forgotten Hope 2 was a WW2 mod for this game and is imo the best one available.

    Pitfalls: unfortunately not everything was great about BF2. 5 of 7 classes carried 4 frag grenades when caused grenade spam on most maps, claymores couldn't be easily disposed of and locked down chokepoints, servers were unstable and hitreg was unacceptable. Air-land balance was very poor as well because the mobile AA was a joke, TV missiles were one shot kills against all vehicles, twin seat bombers wasted everything beneath them.

    Overall, this game gets a 91/100. Although it had problems with bugs and crashes during the beginning of its lifespan, it went on to deliver one of the greatest multiplayer FPS experiences I've ever had and is a top 3 BF game.
    Expand
  35. Oct 29, 2021
    9
    I played the game long time ago, when I was still going to school (I am 25 now) and it was the first Battlefield game I have ever played and man, I loved the game. I didn't have internet back then so I played with bots but still the experience was amazing. Now when I think about the fact BF2 was released in 2o05 it blows my mind - the game was definitely ahead of its time. I am sure youI played the game long time ago, when I was still going to school (I am 25 now) and it was the first Battlefield game I have ever played and man, I loved the game. I didn't have internet back then so I played with bots but still the experience was amazing. Now when I think about the fact BF2 was released in 2o05 it blows my mind - the game was definitely ahead of its time. I am sure you still can boot it up and have plenty of fun with it. Expand
  36. Jun 26, 2020
    10
    Best FPS of the past decade !!! BF2 at the time it was the most beautiful the best and the most fun DICE and EA GAMES got lost in time
  37. Mar 13, 2022
    8
    After the success of Battlefield 1942, the second edition saw a nice improvement in graphics! Undoubtedly, all BF marked the time and this one was no different.
  38. Nov 9, 2020
    9
    ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎ ‏‏‎
  39. Sep 17, 2021
    10
    Best Battlefield all the time, this is a real game, not casual trash like the new ones!
  40. Dec 17, 2020
    8
    The game is good. It has an unusual mechanic that was only in this series of games. The level of AI has increased.
  41. Dec 15, 2020
    8
    All around great online shooter for low end PCs. Mod support and community-ran online systems keep it running well, even today. It has its fair share of age, though. Even with a good connection, there is the occasional lag or hitch.
  42. Oct 7, 2022
    10
    The best game of my life. Spend so much time playing it. So fun and chalenging. I have found so many friends in this game so we became friends in real life. Hate EA so much for shut downing servers and community servers.
  43. Jan 3, 2021
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This is a wonderful game and I will play it in 2021 :))

    I am currently in the Cold War stage, which has been great so far :)

    10/10
    Expand
  44. Mar 8, 2021
    10
    This is best battlefield gamer ever to many maps (you can download from extra more maps) very very beatiful expension packs and very nice gameplay
  45. Apr 5, 2021
    10
    Best BF game ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    And My favourite battlefield game.
    this game is very playable in 2021.
    I prefer playing this game.
  46. May 23, 2021
    0
    This is the second bf I played and I didn't had fun with it. Big and open map but it is just meh to me.
  47. Jul 26, 2021
    9
    my childhood game i played again and thats beatiful my first played fps game
  48. Nov 15, 2021
    10
    Nine year old me would rate it a 10, so i did the same.....................
  49. Dec 12, 2021
    8
    This was a blast at LAN parties with friends and lots of NPCs driving and shooting around, causing mayhem. I had great time playing it.
  50. Jun 22, 2022
    5
    While this one doesn't even have a story, it's focused 100% on online.......
  51. Jan 10, 2023
    0
    Considered an all-time classic, but not for me.

    Battlefield 2 is considered an all-time classic and a gem of a game. Sadly, I cannot share this opinion. It certainly does have something to do with the fact that I was really bad at it, but even today, I still think this game is boring, unfair and the maps too big. Of course, I will back this up with arguments. It all started for me
    Considered an all-time classic, but not for me.

    Battlefield 2 is considered an all-time classic and a gem of a game. Sadly, I cannot share this opinion. It certainly does have something to do with the fact that I was really bad at it, but even today, I still think this game is boring, unfair and the maps too big. Of course, I will back this up with arguments.

    It all started for me when I discovered that this is a multiplayer only game. I did not know any better back then and was expecting a campaign mode, like the Call of Duty games and the previous Battlefield games. It was not there, and while this was certainly my own fault, it still disappointed me.

    Graphically, this game looked, and still looks, amazing. The detail in the surroundings, buildings and vehicles is really nice, the sun and weather effects still make this game feel very realistic. The animations and walk cycles look great too and I only wished that I could experience this beautiful graphics in a campaign mode in the game back then.

    The sound is solid and bullet impacts and explosions sound amazing. It really feels like an all-out war and I cannot complain about the sound design whatsoever.

    The controls for moving, shooting and aiming work fine but I found the many different things and inventory screens a little confusing. It is certainly not as easy as Call of Duty in terms of understanding the controls and menus. The combat itself is far more realistic then Call of Duty and for this reason, aiming and killing your enemy is a lot harder in my opinion.

    When I accepted the fact that was multiplayer only, I got started and was ready to play some matches. Immediately, I felt miserable, and I hated every second of every match. This was because of two factors:

    Firstly, the maps in Battlefield 2 are massive. Not big, not huge, massive. It felt like an entire continent was placed in a single map. There is room for half the population of earth to fit into a single map of Battlefield 2. This all sounds fun and dandy, but when trying to reach an enemy point to capture or simply search for someone to shoot, it felt like walking through five marathons in a row before I saw something of interest. And when I saw something of interest, after walking a thousand miles, it was the bullet that landed between my eyes. I died, re-spawned and needed to walk to the end of the world and back again. Many times, an encounter with another player took ten minutes to reach and when it did, it was two seconds of fun and tension, before I bit the dust and needed to start over.

    Yes, I mentioned walking to every place. I am well aware of the many, many vehicles in the game that you can use to navigate easier and faster around the map. But now, we arrived at my personal vendetta number two: At the start of the game, all the vehicles are snatched away and take off in mere seconds, leaving me and some other unlucky noobs behind, forcing me to walk everywhere. It was really impressive and mind-blowingly ridiculous to see how incredible fast the vehicles are taken and blast away, leaving you to choke in the tire smoke and exhaust fumes. It really felt like Black Friday and when the countdown was over, it was every man for himself, trying to get some sweet wheels. No matter how hard I ran, how much I begged in the chat as a pathetic child to wait for me or give me a chance to ride along, it was always: “sorry bro, git gut”.

    My biggest challenge in the game, besides not dying or killing one single player in a match, was getting to a vehicle. I tried so, so hard but I never made it to one single APC or truck. This experience made me hate the game to a level that I cannot express in words.

    Like I said before, I sucked really hard at the game and to call me a noob in Battlefield 2 would be an understatement. However, I just felt that I did not get a fair chance to learn or to get better at the game. The vehicle snatching, the endless walks, the insta-deaths from an unseen enemy five hundred miles away, the huge environments with nothing to do except dying made me really hate Battlefield 2. I despised the game, and this feeling has not changed to this day.

    So, based om my personal experience, I would not recommend this game.
    Expand
Metascore
91

Universal acclaim - based on 55 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 54 out of 55
  2. Negative: 0 out of 55
  1. 100
    Once you strap into an F/A-18 and rocket over the landscape, once you're crouched next to a tank trying valiantly to repair it while bullets ping off of the armor inches above your head, once you defend a waypoint and ask for new orders from your commander over the radio, all of those nitpicks about map balance or sniper power fade.
  2. 100
    With incredible communication tools, top-notch visuals, and a fantastic balance of vehicles and classes, EA has won the battle and the war of online team-based shooters.
  3. 89
    The thing to remember about Battlefield 2 is that it's exceptionally fun.