Electronic Arts and Digital Illusions announced that development is underway on the sequel to the award-winning Battlefield 1942 PC game. Battlefield 2, scheduled for release in spring 2005, moves the franchise forward in time to invade the high tech frontlines of modern warfare.
The next installment of the coveted Battlefield series, if the official announcement is any indication, is an extremely ambitious project which will not rely on the original title too much. EA promise over 100 simultaneous online players and a better balanced player to vehicle ratio. Details of the vehicles are not yet fully available but the modern setting is bound to get gamers excited. EA, tearing a page off their NFS experience, also promise unlockable decals for the vehicles.
Battlefield 2 will be powered by a completely new engine which will attempt to modernize the gameplay as well as the Battlefield itself which will feature the most technologically advanced vehicles and weapons systems available to man.
In Battlefield 2, players will choose to fight for one of three military superpowers: the United States, China, or the newly formed Middle East Coalition, the same ones as those in the PS2 version. Armed with the latest modern weaponry, players can take control of any of the game's 30+ vehicles to engage in major conflicts with over 100 players in some of the largest online battles on the PC.
Battlefield 2 features immense, richly detailed, destructible environments, from city streets to remote forests, in some of the most notorious hot spots around the world. Each map in Battlefield 2 adjusts in scale to support the number of players in the world, providing the ideal vehicle-to-player ratio and an optimized game play experience. Enhanced team play features allow players to enter the action on the front lines as part of a formal squad, or work behind the scenes in Commander Mode to direct the strategic assaults of their teammates. With in-game success, players increase their rank from recruit all the way to General and unlock awards, including new weapons, vehicle decals, medals, and more.
Additionally, Battlefield 2 showcases an all-new game engine and physics system to bring the modern battlefield to life like never before. The new material penetration feature measures weapons' ability to fire through barriers based on their composition and players will need to know the difference between concealment and cover in order to survive.
Battlefield 2 is being developed by the original Battlefield 1942 Sweden based developer, Digital Illusions. Electronic Arts will publish and distribute the game for the PC under the EA GAMES brand worldwide.
For the first images of Battlefield 2 follow the Screens tab above.
