Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Review

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 for Xbox 360 Battlefield: Bad Company 2 aims to set a new standard for action games with the quality of its highly detailed, war-torn landscapes and massive, destructible environments. The game’s tactical destruction shakes up the first-person shooter gameplay delivering epic battles never before seen in a modern warfare game.

System: PS3, Xbox 360, PC
Genre: Shooter, Action
Release dates: March 5th 2010 (EU), March 4th 2010 (AUS), March 2nd 2010 (USA/CAN)
Players: 1-24
Developer: EA Digital Illusions CE
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Origin: Sweden
Rating: M for Mature with Blood, Strong Language, Violence
Save requirement: 1MB

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 snowy screenshot

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is a first-person shooter, and sequel to Electronic Arts’ 2008 release, Battlefield: Bad Company. Following the continuing combat adventures of misfits of the US Army’s Company “B,” Bad Company 2 features the characteristic humor and grit of the Bad Company series, as well as a variety of gameplay improvements and additions, including 2-24 player online support; all-new four man squad gameplay; and more. Couple this with the variety of vehicle related items and classic Battlefield weapons included with the Limited Edition (free for those who pre-ordered), and you have the Ultimate Battlefield Bad Company experience to date.

Story and Gameplay:

Like the original Battlefield: Bad Company game, Bad Company 2 is a first-person shooter following the exploits of Company “B” of the US Army’s 222nd Battalion. In this new adventure, the more mature yet still infamous company of misfits are tasked with interceding in a series of conflicts that have the potential to ignite of a new World War. Game environments cover snowy mountains, all the way to jungles and deserts.

As the action begins players have their pick of four distinct character classes, and weapons, gadgets and specializations. Within these, players have over 15,000 kit variations to discover, and will be able to fine-tune their preferred fighting style to give them the edge in combat that they will need to survive and prevail. In addition, new vehicles like the all terrain vehicle (ATV) and the UH-60 transport helicopter allow for new tactics, which players are free to choose from. As players fight through mission play they will level up their playable character through the ranks as they accumulate experience points in combat for enemies eliminated and objectives completed. Excellence in the battlefield is rewarded with an extensive range of pins, insignias and stars to unlock along with 50 dedicated ranks to achieve.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 also features a major multiplayer component. Along with standard 24-player online multiplayer options across eight maps, players can also compete in 4-player teams in 2 exclusive squad-only game modes, fighting together to unlock exclusive team awards and achievements. During these online battles players can spawn on your squad to get straight into the action, and use gadgets such as the tracer dart in-conjunction with the RPG to devastating effect. Taken together these features make for one of the most realistic ground/vehicle combat experiences ever.

Watch the Battlefield: Bad Company 2 launch trailer to get the full effect.

Key Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Features:

  • 8 huge multiplayer maps. Each with a different tactical and gameplay focus and set across a variety of environments.
  • Ultimate online vehicle warfare. 15 land, sea and air vehicles, each with a tactical advantage during play. Race into action with the ATV or rain death from above in the UH-60 transport helicopter with its 2 side-mounted rail guns.
  • Intense single player action in dense jungles to snow-torn mountains, following the mature “B” Company on a daring new mission.
  • All-new squad gameplay. Team up with 3 other players and fight together to unlock special awards and achievements in 2 squad-specific game modes.
  • Destruction 2.0. Take down entire buildings, create firepoints or blow it up entirely. In Battlefield Bad Company 2 there is be no place to hide.
  • ‘Play It Your Way’ experiment and refine your ideal combat style with 4 character classes (medic, assault, recon and engineer), 15,000+ kit variations, 46 weapons (200 different customization opportunities), 15 gadgets and 13 character specializations.
  • Combat efficiency and performance is rewarded with special awards such pins, stars and insignias which contribute to unlocking 50 ranks.
  • Extensive online achievements support.
  • Battlefield: Bad Company 2 quick review showing new single- and multiplayer gameplay, with commentary by the Jester.

    As a conclusion let’s see how much fun Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is on a scale from 1 to 10?

    FUN FACTOR – 9.5
    If you own one of the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare games, then Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is a must-play! The Bad Company team once again find themselves in the middle of the action. They have to use every weapon and vehicle they can get their hands on to survive. As a result the action unfolds with the high intensity of a blockbuster title. The B-Company fight their way through snowy mountaintops, dense jungles, and dusty villages. With a heavy arsenal of deadly weapons and a slew of vehicles to aid them, the crew set off on their mission and they are ready to blow up, shoot down, blast through, wipe out and utterly destroy anything that gets in their way. The total destruction during combat really is the name of the game, either online or offline, which is a heck of a lot of fun.

    Graphics – 9.5
    The game’s environments are very diverse as they run you through locales from snowy peaks to dry deserts. The graphics in each level are sharp and pretty to the point of being photo-realistic thanks to the beautiful lighting. And let’s not forget about the amount of destruction you can execute in each level. One of the best-looking games so far this generation, no matter what system you play it on.

    Audio – 8.0
    The score was composed by Mikael Karlsson. While the voice acting, like the rest of the game, sets a more serious tone, it’s still got that Bad Company humor (prepare to be mocked CoD fans). The game uses Dolby Digital to good effect if you have a surround sound set at home.

    Ingenuity – 8.5
    The tactical destruction in Bad Company 2 is taken to new heights with the updated Frostbite engine. Unlike in the first game in the series, which featured considerable, but limited destructible game environments, in Battlefield: Bad Company 2 you can now take down entire buildings or create your own vantage points by blasting holes through cover, causing the game to give you a dynamic experience in every match.

    Replay Value – 9.0
    The video below shows 10 easy (but coarse) tips to transition from Modern Warfare 2 to Battlefield: Bad Company 2. These really help extend the gameplay, from the about 8-hour single player campaign, by making the multiplayer modes loads more fun.

    Considering the game’s popularity, expect to be playing this for months to come. It’s THAT intense!