I think I have been in shock the past week over the close of the beta. It has taken me some time to get over. I really liked this game, and I am truly drooling for its release. So enough about my loss, let's talk about the gains. First and foremost, let's quickly mention the premise.
Battlefield 2142 takes place in the future (duh!) during a near apocalyptic new ice age. Countries fight over the remaining parcels of land to scratch out their existence. Of course, battle ensues.
When it comes to the discussion of new vehicles and toys in the game, sit back and grab a Coke and some popcorn, because we are gonna be here a while. I love my tanks and this 2142 has thrown in an interesting vehicle, the hover tank, which is exactly what it sounds like. You hover over the rough terrain for a nice, smooth ride. Instead of turning your turret, you actually turn your tank into position to fire. The trade off for an inability to turn your turret is the ability to strafe. Someone firing a rocket at you may watch disappointed as you sidestep the projectile and then introduce them to the business end of a tank barrel. There are, of course, the common treaded variety of tanks for you to enjoy as well. You can now zoom down the barrel, creating a more "ranged combat" use to the tanks.