By Matthew Rorie
Design by Collin Oguro

It's hard to believe that it's been almost three years since the release of Battlefield 1942. Anyone who was playing online games in 2002 probably remembers having quite a few all-night sessions of DiCE's original battlefield simulation game, which pitted teams of players against each other for control of those precious, precious flags. With airplanes, tanks, jeeps, submarines, aircraft carriers, destroyers, and five different infantry classes, Battlefield 1942 was an astonishingly full-featured game that keeps gamers of all stripes glued to their computer screens to this day.

A warmly-received followup game, Battlefield: Vietnam, followed in 2004, but apart from a new setting and new weapons, it didn't fiddle with the series' core gameplay very much. Battlefield 2, though, the brand-new, full-fledged sequel to the original Battlefield 1942, brings a whole lot of new additions in its wake. The most notable change, and the one that's had PC gamers wagging their tongues in anticipation over the past year, are the graphics; this is one of the most graphically impressive multiplayer games ever released. In addition to the gee-whiz graphics and rag-doll physics, though, Battlefield 2 actually has a number of gameplay changes, as well, such as the elimination of health and ammo stations from the gameworld, the inclusion of a new commander mode, and an emphasis on squad-based combat and voice communications to keep each team running smoothly.

GameSpot's Game Guide to Battlefield 2 is your guide to one of the biggest PC gaming releases of the year. We've got details, facts, figures, tidbits, factoids, and even some actual information in here for your reading pleasure. What's more, we'll be updating this guide in the coming days to include new information that the multiplayer community discovers, so if you stumble across something you think is worth including, feel free to hit up the Feedback link in the table of contents and send it along. Otherwise, enjoy!

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