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| Patrolling the wheat fields, or what's left of them | Operation Road Rage and the cloverleaf junction |
The three missions you’ll encounter in Armored Fury definitely emphasize the benefits of being behind the wheel of a heavily armored vehicle, ground or air, though the infantry is far from useless, mostly through clever use of terrain which is a very nice addition. These missions bring the warring efforts from the original Battlefield 2 to American soil in three distinct areas. Unexpectedly, none of the maps are in major US cities, but work through a variety of terrain around major objectives instead. This is an interesting choice but one that keeps the maps from being stereotypical and give plenty of range for experimentation.
Operation Midnight Sun takes place in nighttime Alaska focusing on the critical port and crude oil lines of Valdez. The forces of the Chinese are on the move having established contact at Valdez and begin an inland offensive. Your job is to press the assault to push them out of Alaska while defending the oil lines and refineries. One objective can't be ignored in favor of the other if you want to succeed. This level takes place on the roadways around and over a river for an additional challenge when it comes to successful tactics.
Operation Harvest represents an attack by the Middle Eastern Coalition against the fields of Pennsylvania Dutch country. The weather seems to echo the tensions of the combat stormy and threatening which was a nice touch to the level, even though it doesn't change anything to the actual playability. The terrain is undeniably American in feel, consisting of wheat fields, farmhouses, silos and a grain loading operation.
Operation Road Rage is another combat scenario against the MEC, this time over a freeway junction on the East Coast, representing access to a number of American cities and resources. The main feature of this level is a cloverleaf intersection that gives a lot of opportunity to play with the flexibility of the armored vehicles. Attached to this area are other unique opportunities in American suburbia and business areas.
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| Run for it! | New toy! |
When it comes to graphics and sound quality Armored Fury delivers much as it's predecessor and founding game. Both are impressive, though do require that your system be beefy enough to handle everything going on at any given moment. The sound effects and musical score help to create tension without being distracting or overly used to the point of annoyance. The new levels presented in Armored Fury are visually engaging and a nice change from the deserts of the first two offerings.
The gameplay of Armored Fury uses the same engine as you've seen before, which is generally a good thing. There is plenty to do whether you're in a vehicle or on foot, though the emphasis is definitely on the former. Infantry will find most of their strength is being hidden behind road barriers or nearby foliage, while tanks and APCs are used to flush the enemy out and keep them on the move. If there are any real complaints about the gameplay of Amored Fury it'd be the hit and miss nature of some of the barriers in the game. It's a bit frustrating when your tank can easily knock over a street sign, but has major trouble with something as simple as a fence.
In Euro Force a new army was introduced, this doesn't happen in Armored Fury, instead the expansion focusing on armies already present, but Armored Fury does introduce two new vehicle classes: light helicopters and ground-attack aircraft. Both of these vehicles are fun to pilot, but were considered with an eye to balance. The light helicopter good for scouting and easily maneuverable, but rather fragile once it falls under attack. The ground-attack aircraft moves slower than the other jets, making it possible to bring down a little more easily, though it's attack is much more devastating. In the hands of a good pilot both of these additions are both interesting and deadly.
Like Battlefield itself, one of the biggest strengths of Armored Fury is the multiplayer game. The maps are very well balanced for multiplayer and create a good challenge for both newer arrivals and veterans. Like the previous expansion, multiplayer play requires that the server be running Armored Fury, which may be a limiting factor to its popularity despite the ten dollar price tag as many servers have not yet picked it up.
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| Using the terrain to keep the infantry useful! | Some of us just have a cooler way of getting to work |
Overall I had a good time with Armored Fury and look forward to putting in more hours of the multiplayer game, which is the chief value for game replayability. The AI for all of the Battlefield suite is well written, but there's nothing like a human opponent or partner to add spice to the experience. One of these days I might even start gaining rank.
Top Gaming Moment:
TOP GAME MOMENT
I’m most fond of the Operation Harvest. I was able to use the silos and other buildings to my advantage to ambush the enemy and pull off victory with a minimal casualty rating, which was a blast.
