You could easily argue that the Battlefield games we know and love today truly started with the Strike of Karkand in Battlefield 2. The vast, middle-eastern town, with its mix of dusty main roads, back-alleys and a military base across a bridge, was the first time that a multiplayer map really felt like it came close to capturing the chaos of real modern conflict (well, modern conflict as depicted in the movies, which is the extent of my military experience). With 64 players on the map, and an array of armoured vehicles always patrolling the streets, Karkand felt like absolute carnage at times. Yet approach it carefully, sneak around the back-alleys, and it could be surprisingly tense and tactical. The map received a well-deserved update in Battlefield 3, but in Battlefield 2 it felt truly seminal, and cleared the path for the huge-scale multiplayer maps of today.
Gamer, Researcher of strange things.
I'm a writer-editor hybrid whose writings on video games, technology and movies can be found across the internet. I've even ventured into the realm of current affairs on occasion but, unable to face reality, have retreated into expatiating on things on screens instead.
