Battlefield 2: Modern Combat really isn’t like its PC counterpart at all. While it maybe slightly similar, you’ll realize early into the game that it’s nowhere near a port. That fact alone should already garner a round of applause from gamers because even with a console as powerful as Xbox, not too many games port that amazingly well from PC. Despite the fact that PC gaming seems to be in the downward stages of it’s spiral down the toilet, no current generation consoles have the power to match a newly equipped and configured PC. Battlefield 2 in its PC configuration probably would have been a complete mess on Xbox with so many bugs and performance issues it would have sucked like a black hole. So EA’s solution was to avoid doing a Battlefield 2 rip-off and instead take what makes the Battlefield series unique and create a separate game around those features ideally suited for the console realm. The second big surprise for PC fans is that the Xbox version actually has a fun and streamlined single player mode in it.

One of the first differences you may notice is the menu and Heads Up Display systems. The complexity and depth involved with Battlefield 2 on PC is intelligent and does an excellent job of creating tactical options, however attempting that system on an Xbox controller would have made us all cringe. It simply isn’t possible to do with a controller S what a mouse and keyboard can handle and if you don’t believe me count the buttons on both real carefully. By making the game menu simple players can hop right in to the game with self explanatory options right off the bat. What’s even more impressive is the HUD, no more spawn points or class and squad selection screens in single player games. Weapon select is a simple process and it’s easy to tell friend from foe, and more importantly what class type your nearby allies are.

This time around, instead of selecting a soldier class and playing a mission with that specific kit you can actually switch players. A simple press of a button while you have line of sight with an ally will switch to that soldier giving two hugely innovative results. For one, you can go to any class present at any time depending on what you’re trying to accomplish and who you have around you, and secondly you can literally hop from ally to ally until you’re in the thick of the action. This is serious Agent style action from The Matrix and I suspect many games will be imitating this feature in the future because it works so well. Part of why it works so well is because of the button configuration, which is very clear and concise. You get a button to swap weapons, hop in and out of allies (Agent Smith style), jump, go prone, hop in and out of vehicles, and even change positions in vehicles. All the majors are covered and to those who say this is a dumbed down version of the PC Battlefield 2; you should just stop hating. One thing that will take some getting used to is the vehicle controls but after a little practice you’ll see that it’s actually fairly simple to control the dozens of vehicles present in the game. Battlefield 2: Modern Combat captures the Battlefield feel with a slightly faster pace and much more simplicity suitable for console players. It’s heavier on the action and lighter on the tactics than its PC counterpart.

Mayhem is definitely in no short supply with Battlefield 2: Modern Combat. Truthfully this game is in my eyes what Black Hawk Down could have been. You will constantly find yourself out numbered, but never outgunned. Battlefield 2: Modern Combat does a nice job of dispatching soldiers in groups giving you not only support but also providing options for weapon kits and choices on how you want to approach problems. Another feature new to Modern Combat is the different mission types present in the single player campaign, like for instance an all out sniper battle on the rooftops of a battle torn city. Then there are the challenges which are simple tasks like transporting troops in a time limit. Battlefield 2: Modern Combat does a commendable job of breaking up the redundancy of siege missions and providing some much needed variety to the gameplay.

Things also look great with all the action going on at once. While this isn’t by any means the best looking Xbox game of all time, Battlefield 2: Modern Combat does something more important. It runs smoothly with a lot of gunfire, explosions, and general anarchy occurring on screen all at once. Yeah it takes it’s time to load but the maps and levels are quite large and most are pretty dense so this is understandable. Not many games can say this but Battlefield 2: Modern Combat will keep your attention engaged enough that if there are any graphical shortcomings they’re barely noticed, especially with the detailed sound. The game is as convincingly a war zone as any FPS I’ve ever played can claim. There’s just so much going on its amazing and not just the gunfire and the choppers flying overhead. What impressed me the most is the voice acting, from the briefings before the missions with what honestly sounded like some hard-ass veteran colonel (though the Kazakhstan forces accents sound absolutely comical at times) to the constant banter and radio chatter from your allies. You will hear constant Sit-Reps and updates to what’s happening on the battlefield just from the NPC’s constant dialogue. The sound is simply sharp and to add to that the music isn’t distractingly bad either which is one of my usual game complaints.

Battlefield 2: Modern Combat is in my opinion the best FPS to be released in months. In fact I’d say it’s leagues ahead of Rainbow Six: Lockdown and even more fun than Far Cry Instincts. This is a glowing example of how to take a successful PC title and make it work on a console instead of doing a direct translation and having the game lose any charm it may have had. With multiplayer being a focus of the Battlefield series, that area is covered in spades as well. There's enough appeal there to keep you around long after the campaign is finished. I would recommend any FPS or military game player to try this game out. It’s always nice to see developers thinking about something besides the quick money to be made off of porting a game from one system to another.