Electronic Arts is finishing its first quarter publishing barrage with the Xbox 360 version of Battlefield 2: Modern Combat, a nearly identical port from last fall's PS2 and Xbox versions. A ground-breaking title on PC in 2002, EA's Battlefield has been copied, improved upon, or dumbed down by competitors, depending on which imitation game you've bought, with many long-in-the-tooth diehard gamers still maintaining that the first PC original was the best.

Hard to argue with that, given the seemingly endless love-fest that IGN experienced while playing the PC version in 2002. But, we wonder, have EA and developer DICE re-captured the incredible feeling from the original, or is this a dumbed down console edition, spruced up with Xbox 360 visuals? The answer isn't complex; it's a little of each. B2: MC delivers a new coat of paint (even a waxing, ooh la la!), a better online experience (better than the current-gen versions), and some subtle enhancements. If you're looking to buy it, the choices are easy. If you own B2: MC on the current-gen consoles, there is very little reason to purchase it -- unless you LOVE achievements and are obsessed with this game beyond normal sanity. If you're looking for something totally new, forget this: it's 98% the same as the current gen version. Finally, if you're looking to get into Battlefield and you've never played before, this is your game.

Using the same content from the original current-gen versions, DICE has focused on improving four major areas: graphics, the immersive experience, cohesiveness, and the single-player game, and the results are mixed. For fans of the Xbox and PS2 versions, the subtle game alterations will be apparent. For casual observers, they're almost non-existent. Visually, you should notice the enhancements over its current-gen brethren. Textures are sharp and crisp, even if the object wasn't all that detailed in the beginning. Vehicle explosions prompt a physical dropping of the jaw, especially the booming destruction of the helicopter and tanks, each of which shower the landscape with burning shards of metal. Rag-doll physics are improved and little things such as dozens of arching bullet casings, or bullet-hole decals, will catch your eye. The framerate is relatively steady in both the offline and online experiences. And you may not know it, but all of the objects -- from bridges, roads, radio towers, and buildings -- received polygonal enhancements, along with remapped textures. You'll notice the effects best on vehicles and buildings and less on the dull landscapes.

Character classes follow a distinct archetype style, so snipers will look distinctly different than say, engineers or riflemen. You'll also see heat blurs, excellent long-range sniper views, good-looking smoke, mathematically proficient looking waves and water behavior, and a range of animations. The animations for all characters look distinctly better when up close than from a medium range. You'll clearly see in both the single-player and online modes than once you're about 40 feet away, character animations often drag or skate. Admittedly, this doesn't ruin the game's believability much, but it's noticeable. The helicopter and tank animations, however, have improved. In short, M2: MC looks like an enhanced Xbox 360 game. It's good looking, but clearly not designed as an Xbox 360 game.

Before we jump into the single-player campaign, one of the major improvements is the quality of the online play. EA's servers have generally provided the biggest problems for gamers, despite the company's best efforts. But the Xbox 360 game is a superior experience over the current-gen one, and the servers, thus far, have provided a smoother, more consistent feel. From a technical standpoint, in the games I played, I was never dropped from a match nor booted from a lobby. I can't say it's perfect, but during the time I played, there were no significant technical issues worth noting. This could change when the servers are packed with madmen jonesing to gun each other down.

Just like last year's Xbox game, players can connect for Quick Matches, Custom Matches and Clan Matches. The game supports up to 24, though in the four days I've played it, I haven't played with more than 12 or 16, simply because not enough people were around to play. Online games consist of Capture the Flag and Conquest. The game supports clans, enabling players to recruit, advance members, send news, and challenge other clans, so a decent skeleton is there for support. Custom games include options for player numbers (low, medium, high), game modes (CTF, Conquest, any), maps (16, broken into warsome, domination, incursion, and assault maps), ranked or non-ranked matches, and auto-connect options. The three downloadable maps are included in this version. I didn't see any options for friend slots, though this highly desirable option might be solved by creating clans, which can't just allow anybody to join.

The game's heart and soul is online. Once you experience it with a good team, you're not likely to stop any time soon. It's true, the console experience isn't the same as the PC version, but Battlefield 2: Modern Combat is addictive. The arcade feel is consistent throughout -- this first-person shooter is easy to pick up and play, the controls are better than decent, and the vehicles are also simple and quick to master -- with the exception of the helicopter. I prefer the vehicle controls (over, say, those in The Outfit), and I like that you can ditch a car in mid-motion, creating an offensive tactic in the process. Also, there are usually a healthy load of trucks, tanks, jeeps, and copters to pick from right away. The helicopters are tough to learn and master, but they should be: they're helicopters, dag nabbit. DICE's maps are expertly designed and there are lots of them. There are better spawn points than before, lots of places to snipe, hiding spots to crouch in, bushes to blend into, and buildings to explore. As online maps go on the consoles, these are excellent, smartly constructed landscapes.

ust like in the single-player game, you'll independently build your character's military online ranking. So, even if you rocked the single-player game, you'll have to get online and prove yourself all over against real people to earn those medals.

Unlike the PC version, which featured an effectively worthless single-player game, DICE churned out a solid single-player game for Battlefield 2: Modern Combat. It comes replete with the company's vaunted hot-swapping ability, plus character advancement, achievements tied to medals, and unlockable mini-games. You'll start as a lowly private and progress all the way to the top, measured by kills, time spent before completion, weapon expertise, and loss of team mates. You'll receive multiple rewards after each mission in the form of gun enhancements, additional weapons, or, if you're good, medals and ribbons. Medals are rewards for weapon expertise, such as killing five guys in a row, self-healing yourself, or successfully sniping enemies with multiple headshots in a row. These are also tied to Achievements, which are evenly distributed between the single-player and multi-player modes.

The hot-swapping ability is a neat feature serving three purposes: one, to quickly and supernaturally zip across the map; and two, to strategically access the right class of soldier to defeat an enemy. Lastly, it enables players to switch from their newly dead body to another soldier in realtime, thus eliminating health pick-ups and allowing players to use all of the classes in a single mission. DICE now permits players to hot-swap regardless of their line of site, as an icon appears above ally heads.

Visually, hot-swapping is wild little ride. From a gameplay standpoint, it's functional, with few repercussions. The biggest dilemmas are that you might not always be facing the way you want to when you land, and the ally AI doesn't stay put. If you strategically place an ally in a safe spot so he won't get hit when you leave, he won't stay. Instead, aggravatingly, even if he's on his last millimeter of health, he'll still walk out and take fire. That's pretty bunk. In fact, you'll experience said bunkness in the last section of the first mission, just to put a point on it. This feature doesn't appear online, which is a good thing, though there are clear extensions to hot-swapping that could prove useful for the future. Speaking of AI, the enemy AI has been tuned up. It's slightly more aggressive than before. The downside is that you're unlikely to sneak up on it -- ever. Also, your own guys can't be commanded and, as aforementioned, they don't stay put. Needless to say, there is work to be done on the AI.

The story is totally forgettable, unless you're into generic missions such as those found in most Tom Clancy games. However, DICE enables players to switch between the Chinese and the NATO sides, each with their own weapon types and stories to tell. You'll find that the Chinese voice acting is either laughably offensive or so poorly done that it angers you, though that wouldn't be a first for videogames. Also, the presentation, while rather generic, is slick. So although nothing much is delivered during the pretty cutscenes, you're made to feel like a whole lot is happening.

Still, DICE has done a good job of exploring a range of different missions, 20 in all. You'll experience sniper, helicopter attack and helicopter recon missions, defend missions, and a slew of vehicular-based missions. A few notable ones were the defend the oil rig, the helicopter recon, and the fuel depot attack mission, with its multiple waves of enemies.

Closing Comments
For diehard folks who loved the first console version, this Xbox 360 version is an interesting conundrum. It's better, but not by much. The 360 version of Burnout Revenge offered more advancements than Battlefield. So, it's hard to recommend this, if you've already played the hell out of the last fall's game. The other side of the coin is this: It's still a hell of a fun game with a great online mode that functions better now that it did before. Plus, you'll get achievements. Such a difficult choice to make!

Like I said earlier, if you own this game already and you want something totally different, skip it. This is really a good port of an already existing game. If you love Battlefield and can't get enough, go for it. And if you're totally new to the genre, get going. This is a hell of a fun game, even if it's not the best Battlefield around.