The latest 64-player first-person shooter from DICE studios, Battlefield 2142, claims to represent “the future of war.” Yet I still have no jetpack—unlike in the game’s bastard brother, Tribes. In fact, 2142 doesn’t differ much from its predecessors Battlefield 1942 or Battlefield 2, save for the fact that it’s set after what seems to be a future nuclear winter, when Japanese technology has introduced new mechs to dominate the killing fields, and the EU has managed to disperse annoying British accents into the rank and file of its entire armed forces.
Battlefield 2142 has also combined the series’ previous seven-player classes into a mere four: special forces and sniper have become recon; the assault class has become a self-healing juggernaut in combination with the medic; the engineer now carries antivehicle rockets; and the heavy support can sport deadly machine-gun sentries. You still have to unlock most of the fun weapons and gear, but DICE has ensured that ranking up is easier simply by doubling the number of ranks to be accrued through online play.
This new spin on mix and match will let you creatively combine your gear to kill your opponents in a whole host of new ways. For one, electromagnetic pulse missiles, grenades, and mines have been added. The first time you get hit with one of these, the effects on your heads-up display will be so realistic you’ll think your cell phone’s frequency is fucking with your computer monitor. Then you hope your vehicle doesn’t get blown to kingdom come. Adding to the theme of combination, the near invincible jet of the modern age has been replaced by air assault vehicles that feel clunkier than planes and helicopters. There’s also the first new game mode since the Battlefield series’ inception: Capture the flag now has a competing titan mode, where each team must shoot down an enemy air fortress by gaining control of missile silos and boarding the enemy warship. This makes for infinitely more engaging encounters, due to the fact that each team has a fighting chance to win for the full duration of the round.
The coolest addition to 2142, however, is the new ejection capsule launched from aircraft and APCs. This guided, one-person-capacity missile would make Robert Heinlein piss his pants, and it helps make 2142 a solid addition to the series. While the game lacks the terrifying nonelectronic explosions of its predecessors—and playing it sometimes feels more like Halo than America’s Army—there are enough enhancements to the series to make it worth picking up. And as ever, expect new armies, weapons, and vehicles to be introduced via expansion packs. 