The online combat franchise that began with Battlefield 1942 is on its way to PlayStation 2, Electronic Arts announced today. Battlefield: Modern Combat, due for release late this year, features the same large-scale online battles in a speculative near-future war scenario. Developed by Digital Illusions at its Swedish home office (as opposed to the Canadian team that produced Battlefield Vietnam), Modern Combat supports up to 24 players online in one game, all communicating with the PS2 voice chat headset. Freed from the bounds of a historical setting, Digital Illusions has designed levels set around the world in many different environments -- cities, forests, and more.
Players can choose from three sides, as opposed to the usual two -- the United States, China, or a fictitious Middle East Coalition. In another step forward for the series, Modern Combat has a touch of a persistent world to it. Fighting through successive battles with their own individual identity, players can win promotions and other accolades for their performance. Each side features its own weaponry, character classes, and vehicles. The total vehicle garage contains more than 30 tanks, aircraft, and other war machines. Between individual weapons and vehicle armament, the game includes more than 70 weapons, from small arms to heat-seeking missiles and laser-guided smart bombs.