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Perhaps, it’s uncouth to enjoy a map based on an actual wartime battleground where valiant men lost their lives, but seriously, Wake Island FTW! The crescent moon map was the first level released as a multiplayer demo for the full version of Battlefield 1942, and its popularity has shown minimal decrease even as it’s just surpassed its seventh anniversary.
Above: Wake Island, as seen through the modern equipment in Battlefield 2
Of course, part of that is due to its successful inclusion in numerous other editions of the Battlefield series, including a modernized version for Battlefield 2 and a welcome revisitation in the recently released BF 1943. But hey, how many gameplay environments see that kind of longevity and attention that aren’t populated by green pipes and koopa troopas?
Above: WAR! This is what it’s good for
Something about the desperate grasp for consistently fluctuating spawn points over the semi-circular atoll never seems to go out of style. With a bountiful selection of respawning vehicles at the players’ (quite literal!) disposal, beaches to storm, payloads to drop, as well as the occasional instance of long-swim subterfuge, Battlefield’s most iconic map is one of the most frantic and hilarious multiplayer scenarios one can have over the interwebs. It perfectly encapsulates all the best moments from every WWII movie you’ve ever seen in playable, bitesized chunklets so varied most players may never even experience them all.
