Battlefield 2: Modern Combat

Graphics: 9/10
Replay Value: 8/10
Sound: 10/10
Performance: 9/10
Features: 7/10
Overall: 8.5/10

ESRB Rating: Teen
Players: 1-24 Online; 1 Local

Overview:
Battlefield 2: Modern Combat is a semi-tactical FPS (first-person shooter) with two major modes of play: solo campaign and online multiplayer. In each, you can unlock 15 medals and 8 ribbons, and combined, they give you 1000 Gamerscore Points. A ranking system is also present- after beating each campaign mission, one is scored on the number of kills, accuracy, speed, efficiency, and number of losses. Each mission adds "stars" to your rank, and one ranks up after having a certain number of stars. Each new rank adds multiplier bonuses (killing sprees) and weapon upgrades. In general, the ranks and medals keep you playing this game, but the graphics and storyline are also appealing. There are also mini-games called challenges in single-player mode that you can test your skills with; these challenges also add stars. Online (with Xbox Live), you can engage in 20-minute battles with up to 23 other players spread out on two teams. The team with the greatest amount of "tickets" (spawns remaining) wins!

Story:
The campaign storyline features NATO and China fighting against one another. Throughout the missions, you switch between the sides, and ultimately, both side are shown winning (because there are victory-missions for both). In each mission briefing, it is shown that NATO's objectives are viewed as evil by China, and vice-versa. It is very nice to be able to see the fight from both sides.
     
Features:
As I mentioned above, there are two main modes of play. There are 20 campaign missions and 15 challenges, as well as many online multiplayer maps. Each of the five soldier kits contains another five weapons; they are detailed below:

Although this great game engine could have some more modes of play (co-op would be nice), there are several awesome features already present. For one, in campaign mode, you can just switch between any soldier on the field! This adds a lot of strategy to the game, so that you don't win based on how good you are at plain old FPS's (although it really helps). This is officially called "hotswapping."

The game's challenges are nice- some are harder than others, and some are more fun than others. If the challenges weren't present, this game's ratings would tumble because of lacking modes of play. Despite these challenges, I can only images how extremely fun deathmatches with bots would be in this game!

However, please know that Battlefield 2 is not like all other FPS's. Your character can easily die, so don't expect to go on a single spree throughout an entire game or mission. However, because you can just swap to another soldier after you die, this doesn't really matter. There is a lot of mastering to do in this game, and if you learn how to hotswap effectively, you'll get very good. Please note, however, that you cannot hotswap in Xbox Live games. You can also parachute out of helicopters or off of buildings, and you can even swim in this game!

There are two types of online matches: Capture the Flag (CTF) and Conquest. Conquest is more popular, by far. In Conquest, one fights to capture all of the flagged bases in the game and to kill the enemies in large maps. In CTF mode, each team rushes for the enemy flag and tried to return it to its base. CTF maps have the same names as Conquest maps, but they are significantly smaller and only offer about 10% of the normal area. In Conquest, once one captures any flagged base, any other teammates can respawn there. A integral strategic skill is also to be able to choose the best spawn point for oneself.

A highlight feature of this game, however, is the ability to drive vehicles. The 35 vehicles include regular cars and trucks as well as Humvee's; APC's; tanks, amphibious tanks, and light tanks; helicopters; and boats. You can also control mounted turrets such as the 30cal gun or the GTAM anti-air system, both on the ground and a vehicle. Also, each vehicle can carry more than one person, so friends can easily team up against the enemy and chat/collaborate which piloting the vehicle.

Although additional modes of play would have been nice, this game is very fun: a must-have for many.

Downloadable Content:
Currently, EA only offers Gamer Pictures and Themes related to this game, but more maps may come eventually.

Sound:
This is what the Xbox 360 version of Battlefield 2 is probably most known for! This game has in-game Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, which, sadly, can only be appreciated with a full-scale sound system with a subwoofer. If you have surround sound, then you can clearly hear where explosions or shots come from. All sounds in this game are realistic, so you will surely enjoy them.
     
Performance:
Naturally, with all of the Xbox 360's processing power, this game runs flawlessly. The only thing that can get annoying is the relatively long time it takes to sign into the EA Servers as well as the 15-second respawn time in Conquest mode.
   
Graphics:
Battlefield 2 features full 1080i resolution, so it looks great on any widescreen HDTV. If you have a CRT, I strongly suggest you upgrade to an LCD HDTV as soon as possible. The graphics I first saw in the demo really blew me away. Guns, vehicles, buildings, water- pretty much everything- is in full-resolution for you to enjoy. Explosions and derelict vehicles are also very realistic- helicopters break up into pieces when they are shot down! You can even pilot vehicles from two viewpoints- external and cockpit/driver's seat. The only negative thing with graphics is that sometimes, a car can get stuck on debris and never be able to drive out again. Things can also slightly glitch up if they fall from high altitudes.
   
Replay Value:
If you know a friend with this game, you'll definitely be playing it for hours online. The single player mode is very fun until the last mission (which is extremely difficult), and the challenges are also fun. On Xbox Live, however, it takes lots of time to rank up past Master Sergeant, so the game gets somewhat boring and monotonous, but in itself, it is still fun.
    
Overall:
Although it costs $59.99, this game is a great buy for any shooter fan. The graphics, sounds, and vehicles really make this game amazing, so go out and buy it now if you haven't already! If you need help with the Campaign mode, remember that I have a Battlefield 2: Modern Combat Guide available. Enjoy, and thanks for reading!

Product Reviewed by Adam Melis Oest

Need for Speed: Most Wanted

Graphics: 9.5/10
Replay Value: 10/10
Sound: 9/10
Performance: 9/10
Features: 8.5/10
Overall: 9/10

ESRB Rating: Teen
Players: 2-4 Online; 1-2 Local

Overview:
Need for Speed: Most Wanted is a yet career-oriented street racing game in its series, but this version indroduced a completely new and unique feature: full-scale police pursuits. These pursuits completely redefined the point of the free-roam mode, and actually made it an integral part of the game. In addition to escaping pursuits, you must defeat several blacklist rivals and race in multiple races against multiple opponents throughout the game.

Story:
Instead of starting in the garage, your career in NFS: MW starts with a race in which you get to drive your BMW M3 GTR. After a few minutes of the race, you are set up my your rival and run into a police trap- your car gets stolen, and you get arrested. Once you are released, you must buy a new car and work your way up a ladder of 15 rivals until you can challenge Razor, the last rival, and get the BMW back. Before facing each rival, you will have to win a certain amount of races and get a certain amount of police bounty. You'll also have to complete pursuit milestones.
     
Features:
This racer primarily focuses on its career mode, but there are also challenge races, quick races, and local/online multiplayer competitions. I'll cover all of the race specifics from the career point of view.

There are six different types of racing events in the game: Circuit, Sprint, Lap Knockout, Tollbooth, Speed Trap, and Drag.

>Circuit: Circuit races require you to complete 2-4 laps against 3 other opponents- you only win by attaining first place.

>Sprint: This is the same as Circuit, but there are no laps.

>Lap Knockout: This is a Circuit race with 3 laps. After completing a lap, the player that's in last place gets eliminated, so you should always stay in the lead.

>Tollbooth: Tollbooth races feature a single track with checkpoints (tollbooths) that you must pass in a given amount of time- you get a time extension after passing each booth. You win if you manage to cross the last tollbooth without running out of time.

>Speedtrap: This is a very unique type of race. You're up against four opponents on a single track, but the objective is not to cross the finish line first. Instead, you have to drive (as fast as you can) past several police-photo radars. Each radar will record your speed, and the player that crosses the finish line with the largest sum wins. If an opponent crosses the finish line before you, your sum will decrease every second- so it's still best to finish first.

>Drag: Drag races have been carried over from previous NFS titles- in these, you can't fully steer your car (except when using the speedbreaker), and you have to complete a very short run without crashing, and using manual transmission. Of course, you also have to end up ahead of your opponents.

The pursuits in NFS: MW are pretty simple- one or more police cars chases you, trying to get you to stop. If you can't get moving again in a few seconds, you get busted and go to jail. However, if you get out of the sight of a police car, you'll enter the cooldown phase, and if you don't get spotted in that time, or if you drive back to your safehouse, the pursuit will win, and you'll be awarded bounty.

To help you disable police vehicles, structures called "pursuit breakers" are scattered throughout the city. If you drive through one of these, it will collapse onto police behind you, and they won't be able to continue chasing you. If you're in the cooldown phase, you can also find hiding spots (on the map) that will shorten the time you have to wait to end the pursuit. Also remember that if you don't enter the cooldown phase by the time 2 police cruisers are left, reinforcements will be on their way (and will come in about 2 minutes), so be sure to take care of the remaining cruisers and get away!

Also, you'll be faced with 6 pursuit difficulties (a.k.a heat levels), so there are a few more pursuit modifiers to take into consideration. Note that you earn more bounty on higher heat levels.

>Heat Level 1: Up to 5 cruisers can chase you- they are slow, standard police cars.

>Heat Level 2: Up to 10 cruisers can be deployed to chase you- they're undercover cars, but are still relatively slow. The police can also set up roadblocks now (but they rarely do).

>Heat Level 3: Up to 15 cruisers can be deployed. They're faster this time, and police frequently sets up roadblocks. SUV's can also be deployed to ram you head-on.

>Heat Level 4: Up to 20 cruisers will be chasing you. The cars are even faster, but most roadblock will now contain spike strips. Some roadblocks will also consist of SUV's (tip: hit them in the trunk to successfully break through the block). Also, the police can now deploy a helicopter, which will prevent you from escaping the police unless you're in a tunnel. Up to 4 SUV's at a time can now come at you for a ram, too.

>Heat Level 5: Up to 25 cruisers can be after you now. They're upgraded to Corvettes, and are considerably "heavier" and harder to force over than the other cruisers. They also have nitrous and can match your car's speed with no trouble. The police will also try to surround you from all sides with 6 or 7 vehicles now- and the frequency of their ramming you increases. Sergeant Cross will also be after you, but you'll get a huge bounty bonus if you disable his car.

>Heat Level 6: Only the final pursuit (after you've beaten Razor and gotten the BMW back) is set to this difficulty. Basically, all available police is after you- up to 30 vehicles at a time. All of the police tricks from heat Level 5 are still present- but they come up even more frequently. To escape this pursuit, you will have to not get captured for at least 5 minutes. Then, you'll have to head over toward the old bridge (in the upper right-hard corner of the map) to get away out of Rockport and become the most wanted street racer...

32 different cars can be purchased in the garage (they are unlocked as you work your way up the Blacklist), and you'll also be able to find 15 rival-cars. All rival cars can be purchased at the garage (without the customizations, of course), except for the BMW. You can also win a rival's car by getting the "Pink Slip" marker after defeating the rival. So, overall, you're able to drive 33 different cars in the game- each car can also be customized with performance parts or body elements (except for the BMW), and each car has access nitrous and the speedbreaker feature, which let's you slow down time and fine-adjust your car's movements for a few seconds.

Sound:
In addition to having realistic sound effects for each car, the game also features a large list of songs that play throughout the career. You can also manually set volume priorities in the menu.
     
Performance:
Because of the Xbox 360's immense processing power, driving is smooth, no matter now fast you're going! The only downside to this game would have to be lack of realism with respect to car physics. Yes, your car does appear scratched and damaged when you run into something, but it can't ever get totaled, no matter how hard you hit something.
   
Graphics:
This game can run in full 1080i resolution, and pretty much everything in the game renders at full-resolution. Overall, the graphics in the Xbox 360 version of NFS: MW are significantly better than those on other consoles. Although there are fewer customizations available for your can than in NFS: Underground 2, you can still fully customize your care and make it look unique. Car shadows, rain, and reflections are also mastered in this game.
   
Replay Value:
If you love racing, you'll be playing this game even after you've beaten Razor. Because of the pursuits and milestones in this game, however, climbing up to the top of the Blacklist may take a while- but it sure is a fun experience! You can also always set up online races against others, and play the challenge series against the AI. There are 15 achievements in this game- one for beating each Blacklist rival- but the last 2 alone are worth 550 gamerscore points!

Overall:
This is probably the best Need for Speed title to date, so it's a must for any racing fan! Although realism is a bit low in some areas, the game lacks nothing else. The car selection is also excellent, so you're guaranteed never to get bored while playing this game!

Product Reviewed by Adam Melis Oest

Coming Soon: Call of Duty 2

Graphics: 9.5/10
Replay Value: 10/10
Sound: 10/10
Performance: 10/10
Features: 10/10
Overall: 9.75/10

ESRB Rating: Teen
Players: 2-8 Online; 1 Local; 2-16 System Link

Coming Soon: Over G Fighters

Graphics: 8/10
Replay Value: 7/10
Sound: 8/10
Performance: 8/10
Features: 6/10
Overall: 7.5/10

ESRB Rating: Teen
Players: 2-8 Online; 1 Local