Battlefield 2142

Having placed their previous online shooters in WWII, the Vietnam War, and modern day settings, Battlefield 2142 took place in a future where a new ice age had thrown the world into a panic.

Also known as: BF 2142 · BF2142 · 2142
Released: 17 October 2006
Platforms: macOS Windows
Genres: First-person shooter Post-apocalyptic Science Shooter
Developers: DICE
Publishers: Electronic Arts
Series: Battlefield
Modes: Multiplayer Single-player
Perspective: First person
Themes: Action Science fiction
Engine: Refractor 2
Country: Canada
Age ratings: PEGI 16 USK 16 ESRB T ACB M
Entry: #4 in Battlefield

About

Battlefield 2142 is a 2006 first-person shooter game developed by DICE and published by Electronic Arts. It is the fifth installment in the Battlefield series. Battlefield 2142 is set in 2142 and depicts a cold war between two military superpowers – the European Union (EU) and Pan Asian Coalition (PAC) – over the remaining unfrozen land during a new ice age.

The game was designed primarily for multiplayer gameplay and allows for a maximum of 64 players on a server or a maximum of 16 players in single player mode against bots on Conquest mode. It has its own ranking system to keep track of the user's statistics similar to the one used in its predecessor, Battlefield 2. It opens up new categories of vehicles and weapons not seen in Battlefield 2. Battlefield 2142 has an unlock system that allows the player to choose a new unlock every time they achieve a new rank instead of forcing the player to purchase items. A booster pack called Northern Strike contains new maps, unlocks, and vehicles; a deluxe edition was released that contains Battlefield 2142 and Northern Strike.

›Story

The fifth installment in the Battlefield series, Battlefield 2142 is set in the 22nd century, a period gripped by a sudden new ice age that began in 2106. As advancing ice sheets swallow arable land and displace millions across the globe, the world's remaining habitable territory becomes a coveted resource worth fighting for. Two military superpowers emerge to contest it: the European Union, which weathers the crisis with help from the ice-free Union of African States, and the Pan Asian Coalition, whose growing desperation over dwindling resources drives it toward open war. In 2139 the Pan Asian Coalition launches a full-scale invasion of Europe and North Africa, igniting a cold war of the 22nd century fought over the planet's last unfrozen land. Soldiers wage this conflict with futuristic infantry kits, hovering armored vehicles, and towering flying warships known as Titans across the battlefields of a frozen world.

Keywords

modern warfare
vehicular combat
post-apocalyptic
mech
death
military
robots
run and gun
war
online
class-based
tank

Media

The articlegameplay, story, development, reception

Gameplay

Battlefield includes two gameplay modes, Conquest and Titan, the latter of which can only be played online in multiplayer maps (without using modifications). Both modes support varying numbers of players, up to 64, depending upon the server a player chooses to join online. The single player mode consists of a maximum of 16 players, which includes 15 AI bots. Commander Mode from Battlefield 2 returns, as one player from each team can apply and either accept or turn down the role of becoming commander. The player in the commander position has vital roles in the game, such as deploying UAV's, artillery strikes, airdropping supplies or vehicles for their team.

Battlefield 2142 features four different playable kits (now known as classes). These kits can be selected at any time during gameplay. The kits are a combination of the kits in Battlefield 2, which had seven playable kits, but were less customizable and upgradeable in comparison. Each kit has different weapons and equipment that are unique.

Story

In the year 2106, a new ice age began. As the ice expanded, millions of people all over the world were displaced, particularly in Russia and Japan. Combined with their increasing inability to find sufficient natural resources, the Pan Asian Coalition grows desperate. Meanwhile, the European Union is able to withstand the displacements and find sufficient resources, mostly from North Africa due to their relationship with the Union of African States (Africa remaining mostly ice-free). Seeing this, the PAC launches a full-scale invasion of Europe and North Africa in 2139, beginning the Cold War of the 22nd century, a war for the world's last remaining land and resources.

The Final Stand multiplayer expansion pack for Battlefield 4 gives new insight about the cold war, revealing that the PAC was formed as early as 2020 (the year Battlefield 4 takes place) as early versions of the coalition's symbol can be seen. Furthermore, early prototypes of Titans and other vehicles and futuristic technology were already in development in 2020 by the PAC in remote regions of Russia.

Development

Battlefield 2142 was rumored to be in development ever since a 30-second video was leaked to the Internet in January 2006. The video described itself as an "internal test." The proof of concept depicts the game's various vehicles storming through a futuristic city. A screenshot depicting the walker was taken from this video and subsequently used in marketing for the game.

The rumors began in earnest following a February 2006 interview with Dan Blackstone, a senior producer from Electronic Arts, in which he mentioned "We're about to announce something very big, so stay tuned. One other interviewer asked this and I gave him a hint, so it's only fair that I do the same for you: 3213/3*2. R. 4588164."

Reception

Battlefield 2142 received a "Silver" sales award from the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA), indicating sales of at least 100,000 copies in the United Kingdom.

Battlefield 2142 generally received positive reviews according to review aggregator Metacritic. Hyper's Kosta Andreadis commended the game for its "Titan Mode, refined reward and promotion system [and] well designed maps". However, he criticized it for "lag issues when boarding Titans".