Game: Battlefield: Bad Company 2

Platform: Xbox 360, PS3, PC

Game length: The campaign is roughly 8 hours. The multiplayer is endless, really.

Completed? Charis completed campaign on normal and put about 20 hours into multiplayer. Shawn completed campaign on normal and put 30 hours into multiplayer.

Lead Reviewer: Charis for campaign, Shawn for multiplayer

DICE and EA really put themselves into headlines with their claims that they were taking on Modern Warfare 2 head-on. I mean, why would you want to claim that? Taking on one of the fastest and best-selling games ever like this was crazy. In a way, it seemed incredibly risky, if not laughable. The funny thing is, in the end, it looks like Bad Company 2 got the last laugh.

Campaign

Charis: They really did. That laughing even continues through the entire single player campaign. I won’t lie; I went into playing it with low expectations because the first Bad Company became a sleeping aid to me. Every time I turned it on, about six hours later I would wake up with my controller still in my hands. However, DICE turned all of that around to bring a game that’s worth playing to the table. Bad Company 2 is a continuation of the first, bringing Marlowe, Haggard, Sweetwater and Redford back for more action against the Russians, trying to find a weapon before it gets into the wrong hands. Players travel through Asia (done in Call of Duty: World at War) and South America (done in Modern Warfare 2), but that isn’t to say this has been done before. The game feels almost as if it is an entire parody of the Call of Duty series, but does in such a way that it keeps it own identity. The personalities of the Bad Company crew excel in keeping the two series separate, as personality isn’t something you find often in CoD. You care about Haggard’s love of his home state of Texas and you laugh when him and Sweetwater argue over semantics. Personally this is one of my favorite aspects of the game, and I would even pause all action in some levels to hear the other things they had to say. Along with that personality are the actual jibes they take at Call of Duty. They are all throughout the game, and whether it’s coincidental or not, even the order placement of some levels match up with the order they are shown in CoD games. References of snowmobiles and heart beat monitors are just a few of them, but they are so blatantly obvious you can’t help but laugh.

Shawn: Yeah, I never actually even made it past the first full level in the original Bad Company. The gameplay was so stale, and I absolutely hated the “openness” of it, because while it was nice having choice… I didn’t care because every choice was boring. Needless to say, I was extremely hesitant to even touch the single-player here. I was happily enjoying my multiplayer time, and wasn’t in the mood for a nap. Imagine my surprise when I played half the campaign in one sitting! Shocking, I know. I actually really like the campaign they’ve given here. As Charis said, the personalities really shine through and it’s more Call of Duty-like linear pace work in its favor. I’m not quite sure the campaign is better than Modern Warfare 2’s, but it definitely has better pacing. I absolutely love how they switch up the on foot and vehicle missions, blended with unique elements for a shooter. Not to spoil anything, but there is a level in the snow that uses a really neat idea and it was nice to see something new. I really have nothing bad to say about the single-player at all.

Charis: Yeah, the gameplay itself is a blast. Every level switches it up just enough to keep you from getting bored, something that the first Bad Company didn’t do. It doesn’t focus entirely on shooting or on vehicle missions, and does a great job of keeping a good pace. Levels are relatively short, and the difference between campaign difficulties is minimal. However, it can be very aggravating at some points. This is because many of the weapons you are given have terrible accuracy. Any scope with a red dot will have you sitting there confused when you still manage to miss. But overall, the campaign in this one is definitely worth your time.

Shawn: Don’t blame the game for your inability to shoot things properly! It works… most of the time. Except when I’m a foot out of cover and I still somehow hit that cover, of course.

Multiplayer

Shawn: If you played the Bad Company 1 multiplayer, then you mostly know what to expect here. Much of the game feels very similar, although the classes have been shifted around quite a bit. This time around there is only four of them: Assault, Engineer, Medic, and Sniper. Those who remember the specialist and demo classes will be happy to know they are not completely gone, but they’ve undergone some heavy changes. It now makes up the engineer class, where sub machine guns are the main weapons, and the repair tool and rocket launchers make up the secondary ones. The sniper class seems to have lucked out the most, receiving both C4 and the mortar strike abilities. Add the fact that you still have motion mines and unlock a spotting scope… well, you’ll understand why everyone is using the class. The assault class can now drop ammo for teammates, but has lost the healing ability that made it so useful before. Last, but not least, we have the medic. This is where you’ll find your light machine guns, as well as the ability to drop med-kits and revive teammates. Writing it out makes it seem a bit more unbalanced than it actually is. I think the game is much more balanced this time around, except for one glaring flaw. For some weird reason, every gun is pretty much a sniper rifle, because the accuracy and damage ratios don’t make any sense at all. You can usually aim down the regular sights of any weapon and hit someone all the way across the map with minimal effort, which isn’t exactly how it should work. Some guns really need added recoil, and others need the damage toned down depending on distance, but this is really nitpicking an otherwise incredible multiplayer experience.

Charis: The game modes are awesome too. We have Rush mode once again, where you attack or defend the MCOM stations depending on what team you’re on. Being in a squad in this mode is definitely key, so find some friends to help you out; otherwise you will spend your entire experience running across large areas from base to base. The maps are well done, although some are better than others, but that can be left up to personal preference. Some are more building focused, while I personally like ones where there is more open area and fewer buildings. If you happen to get bored of Rush, there is still the old Conquest Mode, where you capture bases. There is also Squad Rush (eight players on a shorter version of rush mode), and Squad Deathmatch, which I love. Each squad competes to be the first to fifty kills, and can get completely crazy. Either way though, there is always something to keep you playing for hours on end.

Shawn:: I have to agree on Squad Deathmatch. With up to four teams of four, it can get absolutely crazy. If you don’t work as a team, you will lose regardless of how well you may do individually. If you’ve played wingman in Gears of War 2, it’s essentially that, only for Battlefield. It may be a bit frustrating at times, but it’s an absolute blast with the right teammates. As for the other modes, rush is still great fun, and squad rush is a nice little deviation. Weirdly enough, I can’t stand conquest in the Bad Company games. I always thought they were good in the older versions (Battlefield 2 and 1943), but I don’t like how they work in Bad Company 2… maybe it’s just personal preference? I don’t know. I do know that the first Bad Company had some better maps, though. It’s probably my biggest complaint aside from the super distance shooting. All in all, the multiplayer really feels endless if you have a squad to play with. Note that it can get boring if you don’t.

Conclusion?
Bad Company 2 is giving Modern Warfare 2 a legitimate run for its money. Well, at least in that figure of speech. I doubt it will go on to make over a billion dollars, but it’s going to bring in a lot of new fans, and make plenty of old ones happy. The campaign is actually enjoyable this time around, with some great ideas and wonderful pacing. As for the multiplayer? Well, DICE has upped the ante and made a game that can be enjoyed by almost anybody. Each class has its own identity and you’ll quickly find one that works for your play style. It encourages team play, which not enough games do, and makes the hours pass by faster than you’ll want them too. I don’t know if we can say that Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is a better complete package than Modern Warfare 2… but it’s definitely ahead in some categories.

Score

9

(9’s and 10′s are highly recommended and almost flawless. Even if it has flaws, they are easily overlooked by how fun the game is to play. It’s worth playing by everyone, including those who many not like this genre.)