TeAM YYePG

Choppers are tough to get the hang of, but once you know how to fly, they get the job done.
Great idea, good implementation: BF2’s TiVolike
“Battlecorder” captures your finest
moments for later viewing.
> So far, Battlefield 2’s rock-paper-
sidebar for samples of effective
commanding).
The neat thing is that none of it—the chain
of command, the elitist bands of E-brothers,
the Patton-approved battle plans—needs to
matter, at least to the curious weekend commando
looking to pop into a public server and
simply shoot somebody. Sometimes even
career soldiers will want to say, “Screw it—
fuhgedabout duty and stats and seesawing
capture points,” and then kamikaze a fast-flying
MiG into his foe’s carrier. Or stick C4 on
fully crewed choppers in order to make fireworks
over the open ocean. Or sprawl out and
Patch it, please: Suicide pilots score points
for flying head-on into other planes. Why
encourage nincompoops?
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STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
Battlefield 2’s all-seeing stat tracker is
so comprehensive, it’s scary (and a godsend
for guys with an appetite for glory).
Among the figures in your service
record: cumulative combat and commander
scores; accuracy, frag count,
and total-use-time per weapon; revive,
support, and repair points; as well as
most-played classes, vehicles, and
maps. In addition, doing duty-specific deeds adds one gun to each class’
arsenal. Ideally, EA will beef up the bonuses over time, adding more
weapons and options to personalize your warrior’s appearance.
scissors science seems sound.
devote an hour to sniping passing pilots
through their canopies, if only to show what
one hell of a steady hand (and way too much
free time) can do. Authenticity isn’t beside the
point—all hardware here is Soldier of Fortune
accurate—it just doesn’t interfere with fun
and fairness.
VOLUNTEER ARMY
Small-arms fire still pings off the Abrams’
armor. The bad-guy infantry goes into a
protective crouch as they duck and dart
between buildings. I try to punch through,
until a missile alert goes off like a
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REVIEWS
ON OUR DISC
Install the demo and don’t forget to try the
following on your tour of sunny Oman.
Strap on a sniper rifle and scale the construction
crane. Set up claymores after
climbing each ladder to cover your ass,
then get cozy. Also: Spot passing aircraft
(Q, then left click) to give your pilots an
advantage, and prepare to parachute to
safety at the first sound of artillery.
Scale the same crane, this time as a special
operative, then sprinkle the capture
point with C4. Wait for the flag to go gray
(indicating enemy presence) before detonating.
Serious campers should request
supply drops to keep explosives coming.
Swoop over the USMC carrier, letting its
antiaircraft batteries launch a heat-seeking
salvo. Hit the afterburners, lead the
locked-on missiles toward a Blackhawk,
pull up at the last second, and laugh as
the friendly-fire casualties mount.
Get to the carrier’s deck and cover the
Blackhawks and Harriers with C4. Once
they lift off, light ’em up. Now you can
climb the sensor arrays and take potshots
or swipe some wings and get gone.
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