Of course, there's nothing distinguishing classes once they've buckled into a vehicle. Battlefield Heroes couldn't bear the Battlefield name if it didn't incorporate vehicles in some form or another and we're pleasantly surprised at how they've been implemented here. On the Seaside Skirmish map, you're able to hop into a wide range of vehicles including a jeep, tank, and even an aerial fighter. The tank offers a ton of firepower, obviously, at a cost of speed. Conversely, the jeep provides no means of attack, yet zips about the map. The airplane, however, combines both speed and attack power. Flying about the battlefield is easy enough and you can even jump out of the plane, pop a parachute, and land on the ground safely to resume fighting. Mind you, you're vulnerable to enemy gunfire while floating down to safety.

Although only three characters classes are offered, there's plenty of flexibility in how you play within these classes thanks to robust customization options. Soldiers, gunners, and commandos all focus on specific styles of play, yet you're allowed to tweak their abilities and appearance to suit your individual taste. Take the soldier, for instance, which acts as the healer of the bunch. Obviously, utilizing this ability is at the core of playing as a soldier, yet you may also want to hot key other supporting skills such as defensive armor. As you spend time with the game, new abilities unlock and you're able to further customize your skill set.

Joining your character's customizable slate of abilities is a wide range of cosmetic options. Everything from clothing to accessories to make-up can be applied to your character. Boot up as a beefy commando and you can outfit him with a cigarette holder and green fatigues. On the flip side, you might go for a creepy spy look as a commando, painting his face like a skull and suiting him up with a blackened uniform. There's an enormous range of possibilities for personalization--surprising for a game that's intended as a free download. There isn't a lot of content in terms of the number of maps or character classes available, yet the ability to fully customize a character and the fact that the game will be free to play later this year definitely counters any complaints.

Questions or comments? We'd love to hear from you .