Battlefield 2 is a first-person shooter video game developed by Digital Illusions CE and published by Electronic Arts for Microsoft Windows.

[3] The single-player aspect features missions that involve clashes between U.S. Marines, China and the fictional Middle Eastern Coalition.

The multiplayer aspect of the game allows players to organize into squads that come under the leadership of a single commander to promote teamwork.

In 2017, Electronic Arts demanded the takedown of the modified versions of Battlefield 2 on alternate servers, distributed by a group known as "Revive Network", as infringement of their copyrights.

The new game engine includes improved physics, dynamic lighting, and more realistic material penetration.

Players can choose to play as the United States Marine Corps, the People's Liberation Army, or the "Middle Eastern Coalition".

Players can also change their class by picking up a "kit" from the body of an incapacitated soldier, friendly or otherwise.

The various forces still use the trademark feature of the Battlefield series – the large stable of vehicles that any player can climb into and control.

[13] For example, mobile anti-air was intended to effectively destroy helicopters, but are vulnerable against opposing tanks.

The availability and number of certain vehicles are dependent on the map and its size as well as control points captured.

Members of a squad have the ability to communicate with one another via Battlefield 2's integrated voice over IP (VoIP) system.

Badges and ribbons are the easiest to obtain, while medals are usually much harder, requiring more extensive play.

Camera angles can be changed (free roaming & selected player), as well as the speed, though there is no rewind capability.

Each map has 16, 32, and 64 player-suggested variations in which the area of battlefield or playing field is relatively small, medium, and large, respectively.

Other contrasts between these variations other than the size are the number and position of control points and availability of vehicles.

The expansion pack provides eight maps, 6 playable factions, and ten more vehicles such as the AH-64D Apache and Mi-35 Hind, though all jets have been removed.

Booster packs are additional content released for Battlefield 2 that are currently available for free download, and as with Special Forces, they were developed by DICE Canada.

[26] The booster pack allows players to play as a new European Union army, armed with new weapons and vehicles from the various countries of the EU.

It is available for purchase online at the Electronic Arts download service, or as part of the retail Booster Pack Collection.

Some of the vehicles for the EU military include the Challenger 2, Eurocopter Tiger, Leopard 2A6 and the Eurofighter.

[citation needed] It added three new maps, as well as two new vehicle classes: attack jets for close air support and reconnaissance helicopters that operate as a mobile UAV.

Operation Midnight Sun features the Chinese landing at the Alaskan port Valdez where they are trying to secure much needed fuel from the pipeline.

Operation Harvest sees the United States trying to stall the MEC en route to the capital of Washington D.C. from the northwest, being blocked in a Pennsylvania Dutch farm, while waiting for reinforcements.

New vehicles include Attack or Close Air Support aircraft such as the A-10 Thunderbolt II, Su-39 and the Nanchang Q-5 as well as new light utility helicopters such as MH-6 Little Bird, EC-635 and the Z-11.

[27] The soundtrack of Battlefield 2 consists of 18 tracks composed and created by Fredrik Englund, David Tallroth, and Jonas Östholm.

[29][30] The game received widespread critical acclaim, garnering an aggregate score of 91/100 from 55 reviews on Metacritic.

PC Gamer awarded it 94%, stating, "Its finely tuned maps and balanced gameplay prove that you can improve on perfection," and honored it as Game of the Year.

[39][40] GameSpot's review agreed with the high system requirements noting that "the load times are one of the biggest gripes that we have, as you will spend quite a bit of time waiting for a game to start up, even on high-end machines...also a bit demanding in the hardware department.

The magazine's Dan Stapleton wrote, "Few other games in the history of the medium have so effectively captured the visceral feeling of modern military combat in an urban environment".

"[47] During the 9th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards, the Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences awarded Battlefield 2 with "First-Person Action Game of the Year" and "Outstanding Achievement in Online Gameplay", along with a nomination for "Computer Game of the Year".