Inside the Battlefield 2 Bunker
By Hardcore
You all know me. Know what I do for a livin'. You know what we're about here on the Hardcorner. What you might not know is that your humble correspondent was not the most hardcore gamer to show up at the recent Battlefield 2: Modern Combat™ event that rocked Xbox® headquarters on September 20, 2005. Indeed, Hardcore found himself in awe of the folks that showed up to get a first hands-on look at the Electronic Arts game that's going to shake Xbox Live® to the bone. Hardcore was there as a super-secret guest.
The BF2 bunker, deep inside Xbox HQ.
Situation Room
The day began with the arrival of more than a dozen hardcore Battlefield 2 fans. Some, like yours truly, were members of the gaming press. But even more were gamers that had won contests and challenges to earn the right to visit Xbox HQ for some sneak peeking. Once everyone got clearance to enter the fortress, it was time to head into the game room—a special dedicated conference room outfitted with almost a dozen HDTV monitors and the same number of Xbox debug kits ready to roll.
On hand were Xbox bigwigs Eric Huckabay and Nathan Stewart (who acted as co-MCs for the event) and EA's Mike Murphy, who was on hand for some trivia contests and to provide the star of the show: Battlefield 2. What followed went something like this…
It Rocked Our World
The full build of BF2 did not disappoint either the press or the game's devoted fans, many of whom were not (as you might expect) PC gamers—for example, my new pals Dwight Criswell and his son David (hailing from Carthage, Missouri) were hardcore devotees of the Battlefield 2 single-map demo that came with a recent issue of Official Xbox Magazine. So here's a word of warning—if you run into Dwight or David online, and they want to challenge you to the Backstab map, get some practice first.
Gamers Need to Eat
After a couple of hours of non-stop BF2 action that saw the gathered group take on new maps like Dammage and Honor (the latter is set outside Hanoi and includes wicked-fast little swift boats among the many vehicles) in Conquest mode, it was time for nourishment.
Stewart and Huckabay led the visitors (and undercover Hardcore) to the Xbox cafeteria, where all of the most famous Xbox characters serve delicious food to the hardworking Xbox employees. Okay, not really, but if I want to imagine Cortana is serving up my chicken-fried steak, that's my business, okay?
A Big Surprise
After lunch, Murphy and the MCs had a surprise for the assembled gamers—an exclusive look at the upcoming Need for Speed™ Most Wanted. In short, we wanted it. The game looks fantastic running on the original Xbox, and then the biggest surprise of all: they unveiled the Xbox 360™ version too! It was a simple yet brilliant way to show off the real potential and power of Xbox 360, and definitely won the system a few converts in the room.
The Control Center
After the gaming was all said and done (including a few rounds of single-player BF2, with its amazing "hot swap" gameplay, to finish out the afternoon) it was time for the tour of Xbox HQ. The centerpiece of the tour? A look inside the room housing the massive back-up servers of Xbox Live, and a visit with the people that make Xbox Live happen 24/7.
It was an exciting and unexpected look behind the curtain and reminded this gamer, at least, of the bridge of a very big submarine. Or maybe that new-school Battlestar Galactica.
"It's the most intense first-person shooter."
—Dwight Criswell of Clan SiC
Fun with C-4
Call this "what I learned on my BF2 mini-vacation." The Special Ops character class comes complete with C-4 explosive that you can plant and then detonate whenever you want—even when you're far, far away and long after you actually put it down. The only drawback is that you can't fire a normal weapon (because the C-4 detonator is in your hand). You can still drive most any vehicle you want, however. Two tricks I picked up right away:
- First, turn any vehicle into a rolling missile by planting the C-4 on the truck (or tank or boat or chopper) and then hopping in to the driver's seat. Aim the vehicle at an enemy base (or an enemy strike team), and leap out just before you get there. As soon as the vehicle rolls, skids, or crashes into the enemy, pull the trigger on the explosive. It's a dirty, unconventional trick that you can expect to see used a lot on Xbox Live.
- Second, leave a chunk of C-4 on a flag you've just captured, and then abandon it secure in the knowledge that you can take out anyone who gets too close. Just keep an eye on your mini-map. As soon as you see the flag icon turn from blue ("friendly") to white ("neutral") you know that the enemy is standing there trying to take your flag. Even if you're all the way on the other side of the map, you can still hit the detonator and take them out.
Dwight "The Amazing" Criswell.
The Gamers
The coolest part of the Battlefield 2 event was getting the chance to hang out with gamers from all over the country, gamers like the Criswells (who, incidentally, gave me that trick about planting C-4 on the flag).
"I think it's the most intense first-person shooter," dad Dwight told me. "The different choices of vehicles to be used, the different classes, the huge maps—there's something for everyone. And all the maps I've played today really had a lot of variety." Dwight and son David have even helped organize a BF2 clan already—based solely on upwards of 370 hours of gameplay they've individually clocked on the Xbox Live demo. (You can visit the clan, Soldiers in Combat, at http://www.fragism.com ).
David "Son of the Amazing" Criswell.
David told me that he plays almost nothing but military shooters, and BF2 is definitely his favorite. "I stopped playing the demo for a little while when Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Lockdown™ came out, but now this is pretty much all I play." What is it about Battlefield 2 in particular that captured this Xbox gamer? "Everything—the gameplay, the sound, the graphics. It's got a really good framerate and big maps."
About Clan SiC, David said that it grew out of what his group was already doing. "We have very dedicated players, and skirmishes every week or so—eleven versus eleven or twelve on twelve." As for the Xbox 360 sneak peek, David said that it looks "really sweet" and he won the special Hardcore award for best interview answer when he said the game he was most looking forward to on the new system is The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion™. Smart young man.
So long, and tanks for all the hits.
Thoroughly Modern Combat
The Battlefield 2 event was a spectacular look at one of the greatest games to hit Xbox Live yet, and gave me the opportunity to meet some of the most savvy gamers out there. Here's hoping the pile of empty soda cans and candy wrappers Hardcore left under his chair doesn't keep him from getting invited to the next one!
