Battlefield 2142: Northern Strike

Even Though We all know this expansion pack was probably a point on a marketing manager's graph of projections' and profit yields' before Battlefield 2142 was even released, I have to admit that the quality of the content on offer is above cynical expectation - in fact, I'll come right out and say it: Northern Strike is a good expansion pack.

It's not great (let's not get carried away), and we hate seeing an excellent online shooter receive only these meagre content boosts (whatever happened to the proper expansions of old?). However, with three new maps, two new vehicles and one new game mode, Northern Strike is recommended for anybody who plays Battlefield 2142 with some degree of regularity.

The maps are all snowbound, focusing on the frozen north of Europe. The Port Bavaria map, which features a series of Titan supply stations, and the Bridge At Remagen map, which reenacts the famous World War II battle only with futuristic tanks, are particularly excellent The new vehicles are starkly dissimilar too, one a sprightly hover-buggy and the other a mobile fortress of an APC. The new game mode, Assault Lines, is a barely notable tweak of the current Conquest mode.

Finally, Northern Strike introduces a whole new tier of unlocks which become available in the core game, which is a bit of a kick in the balls for players who don't want to buy it, and a sneaky way of squeezing another six quid out of us. But hey, what can you do?