When Fifty Players Just Isn't Enough
Ever since the beginning of Xbox LIVE, most subscribers have dreamed of having an FPS with as many players as a PC game. Over the years, games have tried going above and beyond the usual 16. The previous record was 32, set by an update of Star Wars: Battlefront, but to get so many in a room, everyone needed an uber-connection or it would become quite laggy. Then, the hype began. Novalogic announced that a port of it's PC classic, Delta Force: Black Hawk Down, would feature 50 players over Xbox LIVE. Needless to say, gamers were thrilled. Never before had a number so high been attempted in online console gaming. How would it fair for them?
Prospective release dates kept coming, and changing, until finally on July 27th the game saw release. Was it all it was hyped to be? Well, let's see. Are there 50 player games online? Yes. That's pretty much where the hype ends, and the disappointment begins. After playing the Battlefield 2: Modern Combat online demo, this game pales in comparison. The vehicles are on rails, which wouldn't be such a bad thing if they were a bit more interesting and faster. Basically, getting into a vehicle on this game almost ensures your death, as you are a slow-moving target in a huge shooting gallery. The aiming on the game is a joke; the guns just don't feel correct and never seem to hit what has been targeted. Also, if you're expecting high-resolution graphics, you don't realize you are playing a three-year-old PC game. Character models are choppy while online, which looks like lag even in small games. This, again, doesn't help aiming. The controls are far different than other games in the FPS genre on the Xbox, and will take some getting-used-to before you master them.
Needless to say, I'm quite pleased that I only rented this game, as I'd hate to be stuck with it for too long and be out of so much money. If you want a first-person Socom-esque game, perhaps this is for you. If you want some innovative game types, again, this may be the game for you. If you want to try 50 people on Xbox LIVE, this may be the game for you (of course, finding a 50-man server is far from easy). If you want an FPS with a lot of players, fun gameplay, driveable vehicles, comfortable controls, the ability to switch teams, proper voice chat, my how the list goes on, then stick to Battlefield 2: MC. This game doesn't contain any of those features.
The verdict: D+
Much could have been done better, this game just fails to cash the check it's hype wrote.
Ever since the beginning of Xbox LIVE, most subscribers have dreamed of having an FPS with as many players as a PC game. Over the years, games have tried going above and beyond the usual 16. The previous record was 32, set by an update of Star Wars: Battlefront, but to get so many in a room, everyone needed an uber-connection or it would become quite laggy. Then, the hype began. Novalogic announced that a port of it's PC classic, Delta Force: Black Hawk Down, would feature 50 players over Xbox LIVE. Needless to say, gamers were thrilled. Never before had a number so high been attempted in online console gaming. How would it fair for them?
Prospective release dates kept coming, and changing, until finally on July 27th the game saw release. Was it all it was hyped to be? Well, let's see. Are there 50 player games online? Yes. That's pretty much where the hype ends, and the disappointment begins. After playing the Battlefield 2: Modern Combat online demo, this game pales in comparison. The vehicles are on rails, which wouldn't be such a bad thing if they were a bit more interesting and faster. Basically, getting into a vehicle on this game almost ensures your death, as you are a slow-moving target in a huge shooting gallery. The aiming on the game is a joke; the guns just don't feel correct and never seem to hit what has been targeted. Also, if you're expecting high-resolution graphics, you don't realize you are playing a three-year-old PC game. Character models are choppy while online, which looks like lag even in small games. This, again, doesn't help aiming. The controls are far different than other games in the FPS genre on the Xbox, and will take some getting-used-to before you master them.
Needless to say, I'm quite pleased that I only rented this game, as I'd hate to be stuck with it for too long and be out of so much money. If you want a first-person Socom-esque game, perhaps this is for you. If you want some innovative game types, again, this may be the game for you. If you want to try 50 people on Xbox LIVE, this may be the game for you (of course, finding a 50-man server is far from easy). If you want an FPS with a lot of players, fun gameplay, driveable vehicles, comfortable controls, the ability to switch teams, proper voice chat, my how the list goes on, then stick to Battlefield 2: MC. This game doesn't contain any of those features.
The verdict: D+
Much could have been done better, this game just fails to cash the check it's hype wrote.
posted by Gnome at 7:53 PM
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