Battlefield 2: Modern Combat [X360]

After revolutionizing the PC online shooter world, the Battlefield series turned its attention to consoles with the release of Modern Combat in fall 2005. Set in a vaguely present-day, it combines conventional first-person shooter action with a wide range of land, sea, and air vehicles. The 360 version soups up the graphics to next-gen levels, but leaves the online and single-player components much the same; we ran an almost-finished version through the Yahoo! Games boot camp obstacle course to see how it kept up.

Unlike the recent -- and thematically similar -- Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter, Modern Combat has more than a little of the arcade sensibilities in it. You earn points as you shoot enemies, and accumulate combos if you can keep dropping them without missing. On the 360, this is tied into the Live Achievement point system too, so you'll earn awards for particularly good streaks.

On the PC, the Battlefield series was never noted for its single-player game. Playing the multiplayer maps with moronic bots for teammates and opposition was about as good as it got. So thankfully Modern Combat comes with a full suite of structured single-player missions, and a plot with cutscenes and everything! It's not exactly Nabokov -- this is, after all, a military shooter -- but it's better than nothing.

In a nutshell, Kazakhstan is descending into civil war, and both NATO and China move in troops to maintain order. The campaign switches perspectives between the two major players every few missions, so you'll get to check out each side's armaments, from both the right and wrong ends.

The opening levels take place in a Kazakh village during an atmospheric snowstorm, and are absolutely packed with action. You'll be tearing from place to place in jeeps, constantly under fire and facing continuous waves of enemy troops, vehicles and helicopters. The pace is more in the Quake vein than most other military shooters, thanks to the generous health you're given, and the game's somewhat laissez-faire attitude to realism.

For example, get shot, and it's no big deal -- after a short pause to reflect on your errors, you're dropped unceremoniously into the head of one of your comrades and it's on with the fight. On some levels, you'll even be joined by reinforcements, parachuting in as your teammates are cut down. Of course, those levels generally feature enemies that respawn too, so it's hardly the ticket to instant success.