EA Games and DICE have moved the popular multiplayer shooter into the 22nd Century, and while the game has the great gameplay and replay value of Battlefield 2, it also has the same drawbacks. It’s mainly in form of simple bugs that could be fixed before the release, but there are also some serious balance issues to it. Full review after the jump.

When EA announced Battlefield 2142 six months ago, many didn’t really know what to expect. A futuristic multiplayer shooter using the same engine as Battlefield 2, it was dubbed by many as a BF2 “mod”. It doesn’t play or feel like a mod, but it’s certainly a transition, much like Battlefield: Vietnam was for Battlefield 1942.

Gameplay
In addition to the familiar Conquest mode, the new Titan mode requires a bit more teamplay in order to successfully win the battle, especially inside the Titan. While the Titan mode is a new and fresh addition to the franchise, it has its flaws. The Titan ships seem overpowered, with 6 cannons that can target ground units. Since you can move the titan to any point of the map, it is easy to place it in the center and thereby cover most of the missile silos needed to take out the opposing Titan. Should enemy units approach to take over a silo, they’ll be met with fierce resistance from the top.

New additions to the vehicle arsenal have also been made, most notably the Walker. Equipped with anti-personnel guns, anti-tank rockets, and anti-air defense is, in the hands of two good crew members, pretty devastating. The Walker is the by far the most powerful weapon on the battlefield, as it requires at least 4-5 direct hits from an anti-tank missile or tank shell in order to be destroyed. The best way of dealing with it is with EMP weapons and explosives. But in large open-space maps, there little you can do.

Veteran tank drivers from Battlefield 2 (including myself) will be disappointed with the tanks in BF2142. They lack the secondary machine gun fire, and can only take one direct hit at the back before being destroyed. The PAC version of tank is even worse, since it has no movable turret, making aiming quite difficult.

Aerial power is all but non existent. The helicopter and aircraft have been merged into one vehicle with 10 basic air and ground rockets. A tank can take all 10 direct hits and still be intact, Walkers can take at least 15. Ground units have anti-air guns with targeted EMP missiles and flak cannons spread around the map, there’s not much you can use the flying gun-ships for, other than transporting yourself to the nearest flag and bailing out.

Stats tracking and awards
The game features the highly successful the stats and award system of BF2, this time more awards and details statistics are available. While that will certainly keep many players addicted, the awards are built on the same BF2 awards, just with new names and requirements. This time there are 40 unlocks in the game, from basic frag grenades, to tools and new weapons, making it possible to customize a kit depending on the map/mission.

Graphics
While the game don’t look that much better than BF2, it certainly runs smoother. The effects are better and more noticeable, and the game also features some of the best audio to date. Gun sounds, reloads, explosions, all sound fantastic, even if you don’t have expensive audio hardware. The network system is also improved; logging in, finding and connecting to a server is a lot faster than in BF2.

Bugs
As with Battlefield 2, the game has some noticeable bugs. Dead bodies in the Titan begin to “fly away” or drift along the ground. If there are many players on a Titan, things get laggy to a point where you cannot aim or even move. On the ground, vehicles disappear after a certain distance, even in perfect visibility, and Walkers some times tend to slide along the ground instead of actually walking. But all these bugs/glitches seem minor, something that should have been fixed before the game shipped, and certainly something that can be fixed with a simple patch.

Pros.
Build on a solid gameplay and teamwork foundation.
New and interesting weapons and unlocks.
Good and original maps.
Fantastic audio.
Detailed stats and lots of awards.

Cons.
Bugs and minor glitches.
Titan mode is almost unplayable at times.
Some balancing issues with Titans and Walkers.
Contains In game-ads and reported spyware.
Overall the game could have used some more polishing.
No Widescreen support.

Pro and Con.
Plays and feels a lot like Battlefield 2.