Battlefield 2: Euro Force Review (PC)

What happens when you have some content, but not enough to make a full expansion? The answer is to make it available as a booster pack, which DICE has made available through direct download via EA's downloader service. The Battlefield 2: Euro Force booster is among the first products to be made available through this service. In it, there is a collection of four maps which are designed for 16 or 32 player matches, but no support for the maximum 64 players. Also included in this booster are two new tanks, a French attack chopper, and a European design jet.

The booster also claims new weapons are made available for the seven different kits, and while they are modeled very nicely, they play exactly like all the other guns in the main Battlefield 2 game. In essence, there is no real reason to play Euro Force except to experience the new maps and the feel of the new vehicles. Luckily, the maps are generally well designed. The Great Wall stands out in particular because it is set up so that the Chinese faction starts off owning all the control points. The invading Euro Force must move in and wrestle control before time runs out. This, out of all four maps, provides the most fast-paced action.

The German and British battle tanks provide the gameplay that one would expect. There is plenty of bang with these tanks, and the sound (which includes grinding, squeaky gears) is amazing. The light tanks are fast moving, even though they can't take too many hits. One drawback we found is that these Euro Force maps have a ton of tanks on them. Most control points have at least one or two. So, on 16 player maps, it becomes a showdown between who can best maneuver their tanks the best before jumping into a new one. This, combined with the open areas that most of the maps have, significantly diminishes the value of the sniper class. Even with all the available anti-tank weaponry placed around the maps, it doesn't really pay to be infantry unless your tank happens to get blown up.

Operation Smoke Screen plays out in pretty much the standard fashion, creating a tug-of-war between the opposing forces, where the balance of power shifts quickly. The Taraba Quarry map provides a unique challenge I that it is divided down the middle by a chasm and has only one crossing point between the two main bases. Aircraft are made available to circumvent the obstacle, which is both a good and bad thing. On the 32-player map (where jets are made available) is set up so that the active area is shaped like an upside-down heart. Unfortunately, the jets move so fast that they cover the entire map in short time, and before you know that it's happening, you're flying out of the border limits and getting chalked up as a self-kill. It also doesn't help that the runways lead straight off the map.

For ten bucks and a short download, Euro Force definitely provides some nice and varied gameplay. When you get right down to it, it's not all that different from the core BF2 game except there are more European accents involved. However, there is just enough content and variety to justify the ten dollar download.

Our Final ScoreOK

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