For
fans of large-scale team-based first-person shooters, Battlefield
1942 scratches precisely where we itch. The game
comes with sprawling maps, massive teams, and a huge
assortment of player-controllable vehicles up to and
including battleships, tanks, and fighter planes--all
wrapped up in a World War II setting with authentic
voices, phrases, and uniforms. To be honest, I didn't
think that Battlefield 1942 could get much
better. Being wrong has never felt so good.The Road To Rome is virtually a
Platonic example of what an expansion pack should be.
The six new maps are set in Italy, and include the
Battle of Anzio, Operation Husky (in Sicily), as well as
conflicts at Monte Cassino and Monte Santa Croce. Most
of the maps tend to be hilly, which makes for exciting
play and presents great opportunities for surprise
attacks. There are eight new vehicles, including a tank
with two turrets, a large bomber, and a new APC with a
heavy gun turret. The expansion pack includes a
single-player mode with nonscripted AI, which is useful
to practice against when you're learning the new maps
and vehicles before heading online--but there's no
question that multiplayer is where Road To Rome
shines.
It's hard to identify any weak points
in this expansion pack. If I had to nitpick though, the
multiplayer network code, though improved, still remains
a little flakier than it should be. And there are one or
two maps that have capture points that one side or the
other will be mysteriously unable to recapture once
they've been lost. It would help if there was some word
from EA on whether those points are set to remain
uncapturable by design or are the result of a bug.
There's no excuse for any
self-respecting Battlefield 1942 owner to not
pick up The Road To Rome. It has more of the
elements you enjoyed in the original, conveniently
condensed into solid, CD-shaped form. RTR is a
shining example of what an expansion pack should be!!