Dec 8 2005
This summer we were introduced to the mass destruction that is Battlefield 2, the latest in a series of multiplayer military shooters that has always been on the forefront of the genre. Only 5 months later, Special Forces, the first expansion for the game, has arrived, promising urban combat and an increased emphasis on infantry, along with an assortment of new toys to play with. No doubt, plenty of Battlefield fans have already had words with Santa about this one.
I used the EA Downloader to get Special Forces, and it was painless enough, although a few people did report problems. Options to allow you to select a folder of your choice for the program and downloads would be a big improvement for this service. Note that you'll also need a fairly large patch which, contrary to what you'd expect, doesn't available through the downloader.
Into the Darkness
It wouldn't be an expansion without new maps, and Special Forces has 8 of them, each of which comes in the standard small, medium, and large iterations. Oddly, in single-player mode only 6 of the 8 are available, and only in the small 16 player versions.
Three of the maps feature assaults in the cover of darkness, where all forces are equipped with night-vision goggles. The goggles give you that green-tinted binocular effect we commonly associate with night-vision equipment. Much like the real thing, they don't work well in lit areas. When someone stands directly underneath a light, it's hard to see them unless you take the goggles off, and clever soldiers are already factoring this into their strategy. Were this Doom 3, you could shoot the lights out, but unfortunately, BF2 has indestructible light bulbs.
For such sophisticated technology, the night-vision goggles apparently have very poor batteries, because they regularly stop working. Then you have to take them off for a bit to, presumably, let them recharge. For better or for worse, this is usually when you die and respawn with fully charged goggles anyway.
If you're into night missions, these 3 maps may justify the cost of the expansion in themselves. Personally, I don't find night missions that appealing. Playing a shooter through a distorted green blob in the middle of the screen reminds me too much of arcade games from the early 80s.
A couple of the daylight maps feel a lot like Karkand from the original game. Clearly they are looking to build on the success of Karkand, which has been one of the most popular BF2 maps so far. Ghost Town combines an urban combat zone with some large vertical structures that are a lot of fun with the new grappling hooks and ziplines.
One of the more unique maps is The Iron Gator, which centers on a fight through the decks of an aircraft carrier. This can turn into an intense indoor gun battle that has a lot in common with a round of Counter-Strike.
It's a nice change to play as a Brit, Russian, or Rebel once in while, even if it is a bit strange that the Rebels and Insurgents have "special forces." Beyond different skins, different languages, and slightly different weaponry, the impact of additional factions on gameplay is minimal.
In general, the new maps feel a little more confined than those that came with BF2. There is an almost mind-boggling amount of action on a full 64 player server.
Jet Skis for the Win
Although Special Forces concentrates on the foot soldier, it wouldn't be Battlefield without vehicles. The new rides, which include civilian cars, pickup trucks with mounted machine guns, Humvees, and ATVs, offer little protection and serve mostly as transportation. Apart from the 2 new attack helicopters, players who like vehicles aren't going to find much to get excited about. Tanks from the original do make an appearance on some maps, but in relatively small numbers.
And special forces on jet skis? Someone at DICE has been watching too many Bond films. At least the scooters in Battlefield Vietnam were vaguely plausible. Okay, maybe they weren't, but still, jet skis?
Gas Masks and Grappling Hooks
Although the classes haven't changed, some of the toys in each kit have. There are now flashbang grenades akin to those in Counter-Strike, which temporarily blind any enemies unfortunate enough to get caught in their blast. I'm not sure it was wise to put 4 of these in a players inventory, as they are already well on their way to being overused.
The Support kit in Special Forces gives you tear gas canisters to foist on unsuspecting foes. The blurring effect of getting caught in the stuff is quite debilitating, and your new gas mask is the only defense you have against it. The gas mask limits your peripheral vision and reduces your stamina, but it will definitely save your life in certain situations.
