Xbox 360 Factor—A Facelift for Battlefield 2

Beauty may be in the eye of the beholder, but the polish and shine Battlefield 2™: Modern Combat for Xbox 360™ boasts over its current-gen predecessor can hardly be denied. Each texture, particle and lighting effect, the subtleties of the animations, the new and distinctive look of each kit, the tangible benefits of a more refined physics engine; they've all been given a loving makeover by the folks at DICE, as they prettied up their masterpiece for a next-gen romp on Xbox 360. Words are cheap however, so let us dive right into the screenshots and take a look at just what they've accomplished.

Upping the ante in detail.

Here we see a prime but simple example of the aesthetic leap that Battlefield 2 on Xbox 360 offers. The upgrade over the original Xbox® version is written in every pixel, but of particular note is the definition in the musculature of the soldier's face, the weight and shape of the uniform (it appears appropriately baggy, not painted on), and clarity of the sign behind him. The sign is clear and in focus and in sharp contrast to the years and years of blurry textures on signs, paintings, and billboards in games.

A distinctive look.

This gives us a clue as to how far the developers have gone to offer a distinctive look for each kit. It's impressive enough to note the individual blades of desert-foliage jutting out from the sniper's uniform, but it takes on greater meaning when you realize that as an ally, you could look out over a field and recognize not only a comrade, but also just what sort of class they are.

The sheer volume of individual strands of grass surrounding the sniper, as well as the detail on the weapon is striking too. You can almost feel the oily slickness of the rifle's barrel, the grain and texture of the wooden stock, and the weight of the gun.

Better police that brass!

Though not the focal point of this image, the soft-focus on the soldiers and tank in the background are worthy of notice, as it maintains a natural look (not everything should be caught in sharp-relief). Of more importance though are the shell-casings on the ground.

Not only will these casings remain scattered here throughout the battle in, but you can be assured that they followed their own weight and trajectory, realistically using the games physics engine before settling finally in the snow. It's a small example of how the environments change based solely on what players do and where they do it.

Hovering dangerously close.

This is just a great action shot, and gives an excellent view of how much the game can handle on screen at once while maintaining a rock-solid frame-rate. It's not that there's significantly more happening than in the original Xbox version, but more that all the fire, smoke, instant scorch marks, bullet pock-marks on the environment, the movement of the vehicles (and that unfortunate soldiers body flying) can all happen smoothly with this level of detail.

Like other EA offerings, the Xbox 360 version of Battlefield 2: Modern Combat isn't just a high-definition port of the original. Each visual element has been upgraded and evolved to offer a true next-generation experience. Enjoy.

Article by Alex McLain