Battlefield: Bad Company 2 review

Posted by Kevin in Featured, Microsoft, Reviews, Sony, Windows | 8 comments

Bad Company is back. They’ve returned with a better single-player campaign, better jokes and bigger action.

The game returns with an upgraded destruct-everything-around-you Frostbyte engine that made Bad Company such a compelling game. So compelling, even PC gamers wanted it.

The story revolves around Sarges “last” tour with the military. And what an end to his career it ends up. Moving from the snow to the sun and sand of Bolivia makes for a lush environment to shoot in. Not to say we don’t see snow in this game – it does show up. Add amazing graphics, sound design and the ability to tear down tree’s, towers and buildings and you have a series of epic battles. Each single player level is as open ended as you could possible make a single player campaign. Not ultra linear, but not so open that you get lost and confused.

Your AI team-mates are mostly good, though it would be nice to have the option of playing co-operatively. Having said that, the exchanges between your AI buddies is funny enough to keep you entertained with them alone. The engine is also so well designed that they never seem to get confused themselves, or manage to hurt your gameplay – like Modern Warfare 2 or Killzone 2 did on occasion.

This game is great on it’s own, but it really comes alive in the multiplayer arena. Vehicles, guns and obliterated buildings are the name of the game, all without compromising the amazing graphics or even more amazing sound design. As per usual for BF titles, this is a team-based warfare title based in a series of sandbox areas.

Some new weapons are introduced, but veterans get a chance to import the M1 Garrand and machine gun from Battlefield: 1943. A novel new idea is to include a controllable UAV, which is available on maps as a little control-point you stand at, before taking control of a remote controlled helicopter which can call in air strikes on targets. Incredibly effective… until you’re seen and shot out of the sky.

The usual array of upgrades and special abilities are available here, as is the ability to pick up the kit of fallen team-mates, allowing the play style to change from round-to-round.

If all of this sounds like an exciting array of online action that has been done before, keep in mind this game does what Bad Company 1 didn’t do, and any other console shooter hasn’t achieved yet. PC levels of skill. This game rewards you for being good. DICE themselves said they were surprised at the level of skill console players had on the first iteration of this game, and so upped the “hardcore” for the sequel to craft a game that not only rivals, but beats the hell out of Call of Duty or similar titles in the online warfare stakes.

You see, what this game has that no other game manages to achieve is what has been known since my first introduction to the series, as “Battlefield moments”. Moments that make you laugh, cry and wince all at the same time. Moments created only by a hugely open environment within an engine that actually works properly.

Exhibit A: A squad enters a room in a fairly destroyed building to plant charges on the objective. The timer counts down to the charges exploding, and thus winning the round for the team. Everyone clears the area and stands away from the building, allowing the enemies to enter. However, the four corners of the building are rigged with more C4 then American troops can shake a WMD at. As soon as the enemy troops, 9 of them, enter the room the C4 is triggered, killing most of them in the blast, but taking out the rest (and the objective) by collapsing the building in on itself.

Exhibit B (from singleplayer – not a spoiler but you may not want to watch it yet):

Yes, that was a dig at Modern Warfare 2.

Exhibit C (warning, foul language):

Even friendly fire is funny…

Exhibit D (from single player, slight spoiler):

The greatest thing he’s ever seen…

And a final, BF Moment:

So as you can see, this game is epic. Very epic. Far more depth lies here then in its closest rivals, and it’s not afraid to have a dig at the rivals, either. Which is refreshing. A fun, excellent experience every single time you boot it up. Undoubtedly, this title will suck the life out of you and tear you from loved ones. For MW2 to keep up pace with this, it’ll require a new piece of DLC every single week. Which just won’t happen. By comparison, MW2 feels pedestrian, MAG feels buggy and Killzone/Halo lack the epic feeling.

Buy this game. And buy it new. Second hand purchases miss out on a “VIP” code which entitles you to extra goodies, free.