Battlefield 2 was a wonderful thing to behold. When it was released four years ago, developer DICE had already popularized the sort of team-based action that used to be restricted to niche games like Tribes or the original Team Fortress. In their earlier games, DICE added to the formula the accessible enthusiasm and cinematic thrill of a war movie. A new genre was born. The problem, however, was the fog of war. The original games like Battlefield 1942 and Battlefield Vietnam were socked in by fog. Graphics and graphics processors being what they were at the time, viewing distances had to be reined in.
But then Battlefield 2 lifted that fog. At last, you could see those guys way down yonder over there, across the map. Snipers could snipe. You could see where the fighting was. The view from an aircraft was a more like a bird's eye view and no longer like being in the eye of a little storm.
Now Electronic Arts has finally (and very belatedly!) offered the latest patch for the game. It adds a new map, unlocks a pair of map packs that were previously for sale, removes the game's obnoxious CD check (but not the equally obnoxious mandatory log in to an online account), closes a number of multiplayer loopholes, and drags the game into an era of PCs with Windows Vista and widescreen monitors.
Battlefield 2 stirs awake, asks "Remember me?", and offers a patch | Fidgit
