Thunderous explosions, death defying fire fights, and 24 person multiplayer skirmishes are all the rage in EA and DICE's Battlefield 2 Modern Combat, a game that, despite being an almost exact port of the Xbox and PS2 versions, is clearly the superior product. It's also worth buying if you spell FUN F-U-B-A-R

Battlefield 2: Modern Combat is a military-themed first person shooter that's set in modern day. In the game, you select one of three factions (Middle East Coalition, China, or the U.S.), and then hone your skills in either the game's cool but ultimately average single player campaign, or its 24 person multiplayer component.

The game's bread and butter (the sole reason why it's fantastic), is the all out insanity that occurs during each game. Not only are the maps exquisitely designed and absolutely huge, but there's also a plethora of vehicles in the game such as tanks, helicopters, jeeps, cars, and boats. Now factor in 24 people shooting at one another, and what we've got is a slick recipe for a level of intensity that is practically unmatched in console first person games. Players are sniping fools from a distance, choppers are getting ripped from the sky, and there are explosions everywhere. There are definitely times when I'm just wandering around because the maps are so enormous, but by and large, the shit almost continuously hits the fan. I'm hitching rides in helicopters with three other players, diving out of cars and watching as the burning wreck smashes into several opponents, and just going all out crazy and unloading countless rounds of machine gun fire onto my hapless victims. If you're desperately searching for carnage and want a taste of the military (without the actual violence), then Battlefield 2 is a must buy.

There are three reasons why this game is good. The first has to do with what I just described; the multiplayer anarchy that ensues with each game. The second is the hot swapping, which allows you to seamlessly transition between soldiers while ravaging the single player campaign, so one second you'll be a rifleman, and when you're sick of being that guy (or you die), you can zip into the body of a sniper, and the game has a really cool "out of body" experience effect where you're ripped from one soldier and carried to the other's location.

The third, and last important feature are the game's visuals, which have been greatly improved. The Xbox and PS2 Modern Combats look good, but the Xbox 360 game is clearly the superior version. Bodies fly all over the place, explosions rock the environments, the character models have been greatly enhanced, the guns are more detailed, and little things such as the snow-covered ground look more realistic. It may not be taxing the Xbox 360, but this game's a looker.

Unfortunately, if you've already played one of the older Modern Combats, then there's very little reason to buy this one. Aside from the improved online play that allows for less crashing and the aforementioned graphical upgrades, this is essentially the same videogame that came out last fall. You'll still traverse the same maps and achieve the same awards, and with that being said, there's just not enough new content to warrant its $59.99 MSRP. You'll just be buying the same game twice. However, if you're a Battlefield virgin, Modern Combat is highly recommended.

If you need more info about this game, please read our review of the Xbox version.