Battlefield 2: Graphics and Gameplay

Benchmarks

We ran a section of the game repeatedly in single-player to work out the best possible resolutions and settings for different hardware - we aimed at a 30fps minimum and an average framerate of 60fps.


Having established a sweet spot at 1280x960 with 2xAA / 8xAF Medium Detail, we ran a custom run-through across the various cards so you would have an Apples vs Apples performance comparison:

These figures are just a guide to the possible performance you might get your own system - there are many variables, so your mileage may vary. It is important to note that this does not represent real-world game play.

Conclusion

Whilst the engine sports some great features, it's fair to say that we are a little bit disappointed with the visual quality overall. Whilst characters and vehicles look great, there's a distinct lack of quality in the terrain. Trees look pretty horrendous even at high quality, and we're disappointed that the grass doesn't look a bit better, considering there's so much of it used. We're also disappointed not to see HDR support in the game - it would really benefit the aesthetics, considering the entire game is set outside in exotic locations. Water is definitely lacking in fidelity, and overall, we don't feel that the graphical quality really justifies the high system requirements.

However, with that said, the graphical power needed has clearly gone into making sure that the card can handle crowded times on a 64-player map. Whilst individual screenshots might not be absolutely fantastic, the fact that the system is rendering these huge maps is definitely some compensation. A 6800GT will keep almost all gamers happy with the quality and performance, and the game does look pretty good on this card - but much less, and you'll start to bemoan the texture quality. Start saving!

However, the game itself is worth spending hundreds of pounds / dollars for. The refined gameplay takes what was great about BF1942 and builds on it, bringing in some great new concepts and a fantastic new scoring system. Many gamers, like me, are fed up of Counter-Strike being played as team deathmatch on public servers. For all those gamers that crave real team-based action, this is mana from God herself. Forget the woeful single-player; hop online and have yourself the best multiplayer blast since, well, CS 0.7.