I just purchased and began playing the Special Forces expansion pack for Battlefield 2. For the uninitiated, BF2 is the best FPS wargame simulator in the history of video games. No offense to console kids, but this game is too complex for y'all.
Special Forces adds new maps, including some night fights. Cool new toys include: Flash bang grenades, tear gas and gas masks, grappling hooks and zip lines. There are several new weapons, like the British F2000 assault gun/grenade launcher.
Killing has never been more enjoyable -- except for one thing. Running BF2 is a trial in itself due to a syrupy online lobby and load times that allow you to go play 18 holes before the game is finally ready. It's infuriating. Special Forces did nothing to make this better. Even worse, when I'm running Special Forces and decide to join a server running BF2 maps, the game mysteriously crashes to the desktop! After several tries, I realized SF shuts down and BF2 loads. The developers couldn't put a message on screen: "Please wait while SF shuts down and BF2 loads"? WTF? EA/Dice must fix this glitchy thing or people will be driven away.
Three others problems encountered when installing SF: The online installation instructions clearly stated that my CD key was on the back of my CD case. It wasn't! I had to call the vendor to ask them where it might be. It was an hour wasted. Plus, my online password disappeared and I couldn't remember it. It wasn't difficult to find, but why did I need to do this? Third, my video settings reverted to minimums. I'm running a modified, 3-year-old PC, and it takes about two hours to maximize performance while allowing smooth gameplay. Upon installing SF, I had to do this again. Fucking intolerable.
That said, the game is the best I've ever played, and I go back to Pong in the 1970s. And, like I said, console kids need not apply. Anyone who chooses a console over a PC has neither the intelligence nor patience to enjoy something as exquisite as BF2:SF.
This online review of BF2:SF matches my sentiments fairly well.
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