Battlefield 2: Modern Combat

While Modern Combat does offer some amount of charm with its highly produced interludes and its slick unit-switching mechanism, ultimately this multiplayer-focused military shooter falls short of its promise with design flaws in its campaign and clunky vehicle handling. The obvious graphical enhancements for the Xbox 360 do add something to the overall package, though.

If you’re looking for a chess match, you’ll probably be disappointed by what’s instead feels like the kind of war game you played with toy soldiers as a kid in the backyard - lots of bodies flying around willy-nilly and lying face first in the dirt.

While it doesn't have as complete a package as "Ghost Recon," it will satisfy those with tastes that run more to instant action, vehicle-based shooters.

My suggestion: skip the single-player campaign and head straight to online play.

For diehard folks who loved the first console version, this Xbox 360 version is an interesting conundrum. It's better, but not by much.

In the face of "Ghost Recon," Battlefield 2: Modern Combat is by no means the most modern shooter available for the Xbox 360, though its good design and sheer fun still make it a battle to remember.

Playing online is what will keep you coming back to Modern Combat over and over again. With better connections, much less lag and 3 new maps, the XBL features are definitely worthy.

Though the single-player provides some feasible outcomes to the what-if scenarios posed by the desperate fiscal, military and political interests of the superpowers in Kazakh oil, the multiplayer provides a more realistic answer to what might happen - endless, bloody, war.

Are you going to play multiplayer on Xbox Live? If you are, rush out and pick this game up right now. It's got just about everything you could want from a multiplayer game, including plenty of competition and a solid netcode implementation.

It hurts a bit to have to pay $60 for what is basically a slight upgrade to an old game.

I expected more from the single player than I got, especially having time between the current-gen and Xbox 360 version. Weapons upgrades and unlockables are cool, but a storyline that really doesn't go anywhere or suck you in, combined with still lackluster computer AI bring the experience down.

This frantic and wildly intense FPS is clearly the superior version because of its slight graphical enhancements and its improved online component, but these changes are too cosmetic to influence me to purchase it.

Its single-player campaign is elevated from mediocrity with the inventive Hot Swapping feature, while twenty-four players, armed to the teeth and unforgiving in their violence, is what Xbox Live was made for.

Better looking version of the current generation console game of the same name. It still doesn’t quite recreate the PC experience perfectly but it does it well enough to make it a compelling purchase.

It lacks the insane large scale combat of the superior PC game and is more akin to something like Star Wars Battlefront, but if you find the right group of people, online matches can be a lot of fun.

If you have never played Battlefield 2 before, give it a rental. If you have... Avoid this and get the PC version

If you’re expecting a whole new game built from the ground up you will be in for a disappointment but if you’re looking for a fun game with an addictive online multiplayer mode then you will definitely want to buy this game.

Doesn't deliver the exact experience of that on the PC, but in watering the formula down just a tad, EA has managed to create an experience all its own.

For me, it doesn’t get much better than this. Sure, it is a port, but a damn good one that will keep me busy for quite some time.

With a better A.I., more realistic enemy spawn points, and improved presentation, Modern Combat is a welcome addition to the Xbox 360's library.

If you just don't have the system to play the PC titles, Battlefield 2: Modern Combat is enough to tide you over until you take out that second on your house in order for you to upgrade.

The game is almost identical to its Xbox/PS2 counterpart. While this is not a death sentence, you would expect an Xbox 360 game to have more of that “next gen” feel.

The gameplay is still fun and the graphics have been drastically improved. The only problem is that we’ve seen almost the exact same game on the original Xbox.

If Battlefield 2: Modern Combat was already a great game on the “old” systems, you’d have to expect it to be great on the next-generation of consoles, and you’d be right.

Somehow the guys at EA have worked some magic by reproducing the Battlefield experience without the expense or hassle that comes with today's gaming PC.

It isn't a huge upgrade but if you've been holding off for the Xbox 360 version then Battlefield 2: Modern Combat is still a very enjoyable game.

All the glitches make single-play stumble, but the game looks good, sounds great, and runs smooth like butta. [Jun 2006, p.86]

Battlefield 2: Modern Combat is definitely staying in rotation on my 360. Not for the single-player but for the multiplayer, which I continue to enjoy, playing just one more match until the wee hours of the morning.

I think if I had not played GRAW first, BF2 might have fared better in the score department. But with a better modern-combat game already on the shelves, Battlefield 2: Modern Combat has to settle for a just-above-average.

Mostly, this game is just another semi-realistic FPS.

Those of you that haven’t had a chance to check out the franchise yet owe it to yourself to pick up a copy of Battlefield 2: Modern Combat, as it is one of the best online games available on the Xbox 360.

If playing online isn’t your thing, you probably won’t need to get this game, but if you have Xbox Live, that’s a good enough excuse for you to take a good, long look at why war can be cool when only your pride may get hurt.

If you don't already own it on Xbox, it's one of the most intense online experiences around. [May 2006, p.66]

I am going to play this on Xbox Live to death.

If you are a veteran of the Xbox or PS2 versions then there is no reason to take a second tour, however if you have never experience this title or are just plain tired of playing CoD2 and PD0 than this game is a great addition to your collection.

It is thoroughly enjoyable and easily recommendable, but it doesn't really compare to its PC counterpart.

In spite of its delay, the game simply can't steal the thunder from the one-month-old GRAW, especially with AI discrepancies that take away from a core gameplay mechanic like HotSwapping.

Despite the spruced up graphics, hot swap and Xbox live features, there is quite honestly very little here to entice gamers who already have the Xbox or PS2 version.

The best shooter yet released on Xbox 360 - it really does have everything.

Forget Pat Benetar, I guess I only like this Battlefield--for its online play. [Jun 2006, p.109]

The single-player campaign definitely has some balancing issues that I pray DICE patches up in the future, but there are few games that can even be considered in this game's league when it comes to the wars that unfold online. [Jun 2006, p.116]

Although it retains all the good stuff, the game does not get any next-gen treatment at all.

Don’t get me wrong, the graphics aren’t next-gen quality but they sure are eons better than the crap you see in the PS2 version.

The single-player game, while damn hard, is also fun. Shame it's just another Xbox port really [Issue#6, p.97]

But if you have played it, or if you still own it, then there’s no gripping reason to reinvest the time—and most importantly, the money—into the Xbox 360 edition.

Although not a bad game, Battlefield 2: Modern Combat did not live up to my expectations. There is nothing original about the game and in many ways I felt that this was a poor man's GRAW.

Whether you are looking for an action-focused single-player war game or a fantastic multiplayer experience that rivals those Tom Clancy titles, Battlefield 2: Modern Combat is a masterful bit of game design. They managed to put just enough single-player elements in to keep the game fun for the solo players while keeping everything intact for the online warriors.

It’s a solid game, but with GRAW for the Xbox 360 and BF2 on the PC, other better options are available.

Fair enough, it's very, very similar to the previous Xbox and Playstation 2 versions we've all played - but the added graphical touches and stable Xbox Live play make this a good buy.

It's annoying that it's not a better port of the PC version.

Multi-player is undoubtably the main event, but single-player manages to stand out thanks to Hot Swapping, which allows you to go anywhere and do anything you want. [Issue #7]

Battlefield 2: Modern Combat is definitely worth considering if you don’t already own a copy on another format.