Battlefield: Bad Company 2 - Review

People playing Modern Warfare 2 and becoming disappointed with some its flaws would turn around to their "salvation": Bad Company 2. Being hyped from December, Bad Company 2 had to live some expectations Modern Warfare 2 didn't for these people and now that it's out, did it actually succeed?

Bad Company 2's story starts out with a bang. A World War II level with you and your squad wanting to capture this scientist for this "secret project". After the prologue, it brings us back to the present time where the same Bad Company from the first game are still here, but they aren't so same. The story takes a much more cinematic and militaristic approach rather than the humorous and comical one which made the first Bad Company's campaign so great. The modern squad's main objective is to also find this "secret project" and the plot twist can be predicted from miles away. Cutscenes are sometimes impressive, for example showcasing the outstanding explosions and destruction physics in the game, but I can't help myself to say I still prefer Bad Company 1's campaign. This game was humorous but not so much. Two Call of duty references and a one-liner from Haggard just made me giggle and any other attempts they had just failed. The story picks up pace in the last two missions but that's too late to save the 6-hour campaign DICE provided. I guess MP is "where it is".

Battlefield in the game's name really proves it justice. The game's vivid sounds in general make this section in the game superior to any other shooter. The detail in sound is everywhere. Tanks blasting you from a mile away, boots in the snow, helicopter beeping sounds when getting targeted and squad commands heard while in the brutal battlefield. If DICE did something right, is capturing the realism of a war and .... War has never been so fun. Voice acting in the game is nothing extraordinary. The Bad Company's voice acting is still top notch with Sweetwater's accent still a charm to hear. It really adds on to their different personalities since none of the squad has their own unique voice for you to distinguish. The soundtrack is also here with rarely music in the campaign but the classic Battlefield tune still exists. There really is no voice acting in the online Battlefield but some squad commands are rarely heard with the explosions and the chaos. Maybe adding some subtitles for the commands would be more effective but it's nothing big.

If you want to live a war in your TV, I'd definitely pick Battlefield for your choice but also graphic wise. The game's visuals are outstanding, simply to say. The campaign's levels always change and the locations rarely disappointed. From a jungle, to the desert. From a level of snow freezing you, to an airplane. The environments are detailed and the sound guides it to be so amazing. For example in a jungle you can hear a mosquito buzzing around you or in snow the wind is heard being strong. The game simply delivers in graphics, online and offline. Character animations in the game are great. You will sprint like a normal soldier would sprint and reloading while sprinting is one thing I loved. Character models are a mixed bag. In some cutscenes, character models are great with the shadowing effects giving faces detail but in some ingame ones, they seem to be blurry and inferior. I also don't like how some texture popping doesn't allow you to see where enemies are from far away while they can perfectly see you. It makes you rely on the heavily generous aim assist. Multiplayer is the same involving graphics. There is a variety of tanks, boats, helicopters and jeeps. Guns look great but some aren't detailed but the gadgets you unlock for some of your guns make you feel badass which gives you the satisfaction some online games rarely do: that you actually unlocked that and you feel good about yourself. The MP maps are almost flawless. All of them are unique and have their own little twist to make them so unique. One of the maps for Rush is an island surrounded by water, where attackers have to swim, fly or use a boat to go there to plant charges. Menus are also a joy to navigate with the smooth "swooshing" when changing modes making them charming and different from some other dull menus.

I covered sound, graphics and story. Battlefield's gameplay. It is inevitable that I have to choose which game is better. Call of Duty or Battlefield. I will break it down first. The gameplay in the campaign is your same type of shooter, running to your next objective with waves of enemies to be expected but these scenes are sometimes cut off by not so outstanding, brief vehicle sequences. It just seems obvious for me they tried to get Modern Warfare 2 elements for the campaign, some people would swear at me for this but its true. Not necessarily the story but some ingame cutscenes and set pieces are slightly influenced by Call of Duty's latest outing. They aren't bad, but just not amazing. There is a variety of weapons in the campaign you can pick up from enemies and later in the game use supply crates to re equip guns you previously picked up and had to replace. This is neat but sometimes you might pass by an enemy with an SMG you would find awesome for the situation and may not be able to get it for the whole campaign. The campaign is 6 hours on Normal difficulty and if I had to choose a campaign from Modern Warfare 2 and Bad Company 2, it'll probably be Modern Warfare 2. Even though it has more plotholes, it was more exciting for me to play and the characters exerted more emotionality and had a better ending. If Battlefield is an ugly duckling for its campaign wait to hear about its ultimate transformation online.

Online, Bad Company 2 is close to perfection. You have 4 classes to choose from, Engineer, Medic, Assault and Recon. Each have their own specialties. Engineer is the close range soldier that will sneak around enemies and vehicles and give them a taste of SMG or RPG. Medics I prefer using in defense with their strong but inaccurate LMGs using defibrillators and med kits to aid teammates and giving you extra points. Assault is the standard class that will go face to face with the enemy in a classic shoot out and with their extra attachment of a grenade launcher, smoke grenade launcher or shotgun packing them extra punch. They also assist the team by dropping ammo boxes. The Recon class is the supportive sniper that will do work silently and rush in only if they are willing to light up tanks or place anti tank mines. Now getting in deeper. Bad Company 2 is nothing like Call of Duty's online. The game relies heavily on teamwork. You even get awarded for teamwork. An Assault class with 20 kills and 5 deaths may be below in the leaderboard from a Medic with 5 squad Defibs and healing teammates with med kits. My favorite game modes are Rush and Conquest. Conquest is Domination in a way and enemies will respawn in their dominated flags. Rush is Demolition where there are defenders and attackers and you have to plant charges for 2 sites in 4 bases. You can approach each objective in the game in any way you want. The freedom in the game giving you a big chunk of land and providing vehicles, different classes and UAVs is superb. While you progress you will rank up and unlock a "Spec" which is like a perk but nothing that will heavily affect the gameplay. No Stopping Power here. You will also unlock gadgets if you devote your gameplay to one weapon, like scopes, smoke grenade launchers etc. The flaws online are minor and barely noticeable. Campaign heavily relies on an aim assist which disappears online making the whole "boot camp" feel of the campaign non existent. Some significant gadgets are lastly unlocked in some classes giving you some inferiority to other players with the gadgets. Shotguns also still feel overpowered. Lastly my important flaw is the hit detection. It is sometimes inconsistent and running over someone with an ATV may end up you passing through them, but these are gripes I can get over. But that's it. Those are the flaws online. Spawn camping has been improved from the first game, regenerating health has been added rather the annoying health bar and now you can spawn with specific squad mates making this game an improved sequel online and the ultimate Battlefield game.

Charging in with an ATV, piloting an Helicopter and letting teammates parachute down to site A to plant charges and defending bases with an engineer by sneaking up on your enemies and backstab them successfully are some of the epic moments Battlefield delivers. Besides the "good" story the online totally makes up for it, making Bad Company 2 an amazing game if you're looking for online to be your main purpose to play but a good game if it's just for campaign and comparing it to Modern Warfare 2, the campaign might be inferior but comparing the two different online gameplay sections is hard. But Battlefield is definitely more rewarding, satisfying and realistic than its rival and any other shooter in the market. I will now go play some Bad Company 2.

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