“Battlefield 2: Modern Combat” for the Xbox and PlayStation 2 is not a port of the much lauded “Battlefield 2.” Instead, “Modern Combat” is a simplified, arcade shooter that sacrifices complexity for fun.
The game’s plot is about as standard and vestigial as shooters get. UN peacekeeping forces move into the politically unstable Kazakhstan, the Chinese get nervous and move their forces in as well, and they fight. In the single player game, players alternate between playing as both the Chinese and the UN forces.
Even though “Modern Combat” is clearly slanted toward multiplayer, its single player campaign is actually quite a bit of fun.
Arguably, the game’s best mechanic is HotSwapping. At the press of a button players can instantaneously take control of any AI squad mates. If players run out of ammo they can jump into a soldier who has a full clip. If players don’t like their weapons they can take control of the sniper lording over the battlefield, or better yet take control of a helicopter circling above.
To fuel the fast-paced arcade shooter feel, the single player game grants rewards for all sorts of activities. Players will get medals for everything from HotSwapping a hundred times to killing three enemies with the same clip. The game also rewards players with damage boosts, armor and other power-ups for killing multiple enemies in a row. HotSwapping and power-ups aren’t available in the multiplayer mode.
The game boasts more than 30 drivable vehicles and five different soldier classes. Players can play all five, and each unit type has a unique weapon and set inventory. The Assault class is the basic infantry. Snipers are – uh, snipers. Special Ops are stealth units that get C-4. Engineers can heal vehicles and Support units can heal people. Each class has its own strengths and weaknesses, and all are fun to play.
“Modern Combat” supports up to 24 players online. There are only two game modes: Capture the Flag and Conquest. In Conquest, two teams try to capture and hold control points on the map. The maps are small when compared to maps in the PC titles, but their size better suits the game’s fast-paced play. The games are fun and frantic, but in an average game, players might team up with other players like “2Stoned4u420” and “The Kyleinator” on Xbox Live, so don’t expect too much teamwork.
It is debatable whether “Battlefield 2: Modern Combat” is worth its $50 price tag, but for players into shooters with an arcade feel it’s worth checking out. Rent it.

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