Battlefield 2: Armored Fury – PC – Review

EA’s Battlefield 2 has been an online
tour-de-force since it was first released last year, providing gamers with huge
and intense multiplayer battles and a wide array of modern weapons. Also, aside
from the Special Forces expansion pack, the game’s creators have taken a rather
unorthodox method of creating new content for the game in that they have
released booster packs for it that are available for purchase online through EA’s download service. Battlefield 2: Armored Fury is the most recent of such
booster packs. While not a full-fledged expansion pack of the game, Armored Fury
offers up a few new maps and vehicles. At only $9.99 through the download
service, Armored Fury is a great value for fans of the game.

Whereas the original Battlefield 2 game and its
previous installations have managed to keep the fight on foreign soil, the
battle hits home in Armored Fury, as it brings the MEC (Middle Eastern
Coalition) and Chinese forces onto American shores. The new maps (there are
three) take place along the east coast and in Alaska, as the Chinese are
attempting to take control of the oil fields along the Alaskan coast.

The new maps are nicely blended, featuring a good
amount of vehicular combat and on-foot fighting. Tank battles grow to prominence
in Armored Fury, making for a lot of explosions and intense action. Not to say
that those who fight on foot are necessarily up a creek, as there are plenty of
opportune positions that will give them the upper hand.

The booster pack features some new vehicles as
well. The main new vehicles come in the form of new aircraft, like the A10
Warthog for the US forces, Q-5 Fantan for the Chinese and the SU-39 Frogfoot for
the MEC. These aircraft fly slower than the other jets in the game and carry
heavier weaponry, but the downside of that is that they are easier to pick off
in the sky by ground troops.

The other new vehicle set in Armored Fury is a
scout helicopter for each faction. These move a lot faster than standard
helicopters and are good for taking down light-armor ground units. Also, they
have a special radar sweep ability that allows you to identify all enemies
within a certain radius and will reveal them not only to you, but also to all
the players on your team, which is a nice teamwork element.

With some nice added content and balanced
gameplay, Armored Fury is a nice booster pack for an already terrific game.
Plus, at just 10 bucks, the price is certainly right for fans looking to add
more substance.

Review Scoring Details for Battlefield 2: Armored Fury

Gameplay: 8.5
Armored Fury adds some cool new maps and vehicles to the Battlefield 2 mix.
The new vehicles are evened out to keep things from being too cheap, and the
levels allow for on-foot fighters to have some control. The only real problem
with the additions to Armored Fury is that there aren’t more of them.

Graphics: 8.5
The graphics have been left unchanged from the original game, which is fine
as the game looked pretty good.

Sound: 9.0
Another category that was left largely untouched, Battlefield 2 still has a
stellar sound production.

Difficulty: Medium

Multiplayer: 8.5
The epic-scale firefights present in Battlefield 2 are still intact, and the
new vehicles are well balanced, making it an even experience however you choose
to play.

Concept: 8.0
While it isn’t quite as fleshed out as a full-fledged expansion pack, the
booster pack still offers some quality upgrades at a nice price.

Overall: 8.5
Fans of Battlefield 2 would do well to check this one out, since it’s a
great deal for the price.