There have been countless World War Two shooters over the years. One that stands out the most, even still today, is the revolutionary Battlefield 1942. It was what spawned the whole Battlefield franchise. Forgotten Hope 2 rekindles what we loved about the original BF42. FH2 does away with some of the distractions many games have today and brings back solid game play, amazing map design - especially for the new Normandy Theater, and is an overall joy to play. Plus, best of all, it’s a Mod for Battlefield 2 meaning its free! (If you already have BF2 that is.)
Forgotten Hope 2 WebsiteSince FH2 is based on the BF2 game the graphics are pretty comparable. But even so, this Mod takes graphics a step above the standard issue game. Since BF2 came out in 2005 two big things have happened for Forgotten Hope to have better graphics than the game it is based on. First, computer systems have become more powerful allowing the engine to be pushed further than the original game did. Not to mention, since BF2 was almost entirely desert anyway it’s not hard to do better than brown on brow colors. Secondly, the Moding community has found ways of improving graphical looks without impacting performance too much. Overall, for a game engine that’s almost 5 years old, this Mod looks better than many games of today.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4edDgFglSusBut is this eye candy even worth playing? Pretty much a no-brainer; BF42 was fun, BF2 was good, the very fact that Forgotten Hope 2 is based on the same game play mechanics means that that it has to start out at least “playable”. But it is far more than just “playable”. The way damage has been calculated and how weapons fire has been tweaked quite a bit. Since the primary weapons of WW2 were still bolt action rifles the Mod if far less centered around “Spray and Pray” idea and far more about taking calculated shots. Of course there will be times when you just let loose but they are not very common.
Something very obvious on most maps is that FH2 has implemented a game feature originally planned for BF2: the so called push mode. This means not all flags can be caped right away and some can’t be recaptured by the defenders if they are lost. This serves to keep the action on the front lines and makes sneaking around behind pretty useless. Along with this, the area around main bases (ones you can never capture) is now out of bounds for the opposing team, no more main base camping.
Now, WW2 was the first time semi-automatic and automatic weapons really became a force visible on the battlefield. And there are plenty of weapons to choose from. But the way weapons are used is far more realistic. To use Heavy MG weapons like the MG 42 you need to go prone. To really fire any weapon accurately you need to use your iron sights. And some weapons, need to be fired while standing or crouching, like the Panzerschreck or the PIAT.
OK,
BIG DISCLAIMER, I said the game was
MORE realistic,
NOT, COMPLETELY REALISTIC. The way health is handle is also far different from the original BF series of games. Most weapons will kill in one shot, especially the rifles and MGs. SMGs and pistols will take a few more. Now, the Standard BF games use a health bar. FH2 does not. If you get shot and don’t die right away, say by getting shot in the arm with an SMG, you will start to bleed and if you do not take care of the wound you will bleed out. The way to “heal” yourself is by applying a bandage. Problem is, you only get one per kit, and there are no medics to pass out more. And even then the healing process is not instantaneous; it takes a while to be fully recovered. While you are bleeding out though there are certain things that happen to you. First, blurred vision and you can’t run anymore. Secondly, you lose function of your map.
And then there is the one thing everybody loves about Battlefield: Vehicles! There are TANKS, all the ones we know and many that are more obscure. Of course there is the Sherman and the Crommwell. The Churchill and the Achillies (better known as the M10 to COH players). And the Axis get the Tiger, Panzer 4, King Tiger, Panther, Wirblewind, Mader and a whole host more. And of course both sides get a slew of support vehicles like trucks and jeeps. Planes too, but don’t expect to bail out right before you get shot down, no parachutes unless you pick up one up. One thing about tanks: if you’re in a Sherman don’t expect to go after a Tiger without some support. In BF even a frontal hit will do some damage, not so in FH2. The shot will just glance off. And that Tiger will get you in one shot even if it’s right through the front. AT guns, Flak 88’s, infantry AT and a whole slew of other weapons mean armor are no longer the “charge in without thinking weapon” it used to be.
Sure, some of these new game play aspects can take some getting used to, and some are a tiny bit bugged still, but overall these problems are not really anything to worry about.
So we have the visuals and the game play of an amazing game in our hands, how does it all sound? Sound is one of the things that can make an amazing game just mediocre. I guess it’s good for FH2 that the team has really focused on sound as an extension of the game play. One of the biggest gripes with all BF games has been the total lack of realistic sound. Guns would sound like peashooters. Even the .50cal in BF2 sounded like a BB air rifle. But not so with FH2, the sound work is very good. I do have some complaints but those will come later. The guns finally sound like they should. Now, when there are 30 guys on a team and 10 tanks around it sounds like a real warzone. You run down a path and on the other side of a hedge you all of a sudden hear the distinctive sound of 1,200 rounds a minute from an MG 42. Duck and Cover!
In the distance you can hear the rumbling of a tank, some German voices (this is by far biggest complaint I will go over in a bit) and you know you’re in trouble with only you and the 4 other guys in your squad behind you.
The cracks of rifles and MG’s sound so much fuller and with a nice surround sound system for your PC this game sounds amazing… mostly.
The biggest problem I have with the game is the German voice acting, or lack thereof. The forgotten hope guys just pulled the sound from BF42 for the Germans. They did new voice acting for the British, Americans, Australians, and Italians, but none for the Germans. Ok, as a Moder myself I understand the problems with voice acting. But even so, if you put so much effort into all those other sides, some of which like the Australians, are only on one map, at least give the Germans some love.
Oh, and one more thing, this is not a bad thing, it is actually something I find very nice, the FH2 team does not shy away from those nice words that would mean an M rating from the ESRB if this were a full game and not a Mod. Just FYI if you plan on playing it in a room with small children: Headphones!
Summery: For a quick summery for all of you how don’t like to read I will try and keep this short. Forgotten Hope 2 is a mod for Battlefield 2. So if you have BF2 its free. If you don’t have BF2, I say its worth picking it up for the $9.99 it is now just to play FH2. Don’t even worry about getting “Battlefield 2: Complete Collection”, the latest BF2 patch has all the booster packs included for free. The graphics are a step above those of BF2, especially on a newer system that can easily run the relatively low specs needed to run BF2 on high nowadays. The game play is refreshing but takes a bit to get used to for those hard core BF2 players. The sound is extremely well done except for a few problems with voice acting. As a Moder myself, and knowing how difficult it is to create a Mod, let alone a good Mod, I have to say this is one of the best Mods I have seen in a long, long time. This could very easily be a stand along game.
Final Verdict: 9.3/10
