Battlefield 2142 - Multiplayer hands-on

The Battlefield development team does know how to shake things up. After an afternoon spent at an in-person skirmish with other press and some dedicated community members, we got some depth on what we can really expect to see in the battlefields of tomorrow. Before we got to see the good stuff, we got confirmation that yes: in-game ads will be there. Billboards hawking "appropriate" products (whatever that means) for the battlefields of 2142 will also be indestructible, so learn to love them.

Modders face mixed news at best. Graphical guidelines are one example of things the mod community shouldn't have to guess at, buthard details still haven't been revealed. A warning that games that are bigger and more expensive to make (as this certainly is) will be harder to modify struck an ominous note.

Gloomy Q&A session over, we were locked in for a few hours of press, PR and community members trying to smash each other apart. In the traditional Conquest: Assault mode that the Battlefield games have always lived on, both sides start with a set number of points,which tick down the more you die and the more the other side controls the map's strategic power points. But that's not the case any more.

In the simply named Titan mode,each sidetakes control of a massive floating fortress. Initial gameplay revolved around seizing five missile silos on the mapand sending their payloadcrashing intothe enemy Titan's shields (and then hull).Time becomes crucial; actually holding the missile silos is all-important, as constantly pecking at the enemy's silos and guardsis merely irritating, and doesn't net you any damage to the enemy's Titan.

Once you've ripped down the enemy Titan's shield, yousqueeze intoman-sized pods which are then launched from your Armored Personnel Carrier. The object? Land on theenemy juggernaut's hull, enter it, and blow the beast apart from the inside. Hopefully your team can pounce while the enemy is still struggling to get your shields down. They're forced to try to mount anti-vehicle assaults to keep you from reaching their Titan; you're forced to launch APCs and aircraft at their Titan while repelling their advances on your silos.