Battlefield Bad Company 2 (PS3) Review

Posted by Armando Rodriguez on 03.12.2010

Watch out Modern Warfare! Bad Company 2 improves upon the solid Battlefield formula to deliver one of this year's best games.


Game: Battlefield Bad Company 2
Developer: EA Dice
Publisher: EA Games
Players: 1 Player (24 Players Online)
Genre: Modern First-Person Shooter
Rated M for Mature



Battlefield Bad Company 2 has a big pair of shoes to fill. Several months ago during the private beta I stated in my preview that it had the potential to best Modern Warfare 2 in the online shooter department. Those were bold claims and I endured threatening emails and plenty of mockery from members of the staff and readers alike. However, I stood my ground and made a ton of positive comparisons between Bad Company 2 and the PC’s Battlefield 2, which is one of the most played and revered online games of our time. So it is with more than a passing interest that I volunteered my $60 to get this game and review it for the site and it is with more than a passing interest that I state this simple sentence: I told you so! If you loved Battlefield 2 on the PC, but felt the original Bad Company was a step backwards, then this is the game for you. They could have eliminated the whole “Bad Company” thing and simply called this Battlefield 3, because it improves on everything that was good in Battlefield 2 for the PC while incorporating everything that was good in the original Bad Company. The result is a fantastic package that is worthy of challenging Modern Warfare 2 for the crown of “King of Shooters”.



I know the great majority of people will buy this game for the online content, but the single-player mode is no slouch either. The story follows “Bad Company” yet again, four down on their luck soldiers that find themselves in the middle of catastrophic events that will force them to prove their worth and second guess their actions. This time the story is not about finding gold and becoming rich, but about saving the United States of America from a new Russian super-weapon, apparently stolen technology from the Japanese. The game begins with a little prologue that takes place during World War II and introduces this Japanese super weapon, apparently the real reason the US of A were forced to drop the nukes in Japan. Then we move to present day were Bad Company is serving the Sarge’s last tour of duty (again) when the excrement hits the fan and they find themselves in the middle of the Russian army, the US army that they serve and another nameless group with their own motives. The story is fairly linear and short (clocking in at 6-8 hours) but it is much better than the first game. Not only is the story more focused and better told, but the action is non-stop and provides more than a few thrills. As a matter of fact, the moments in which you are not shooting something or getting shot by something are a rare thing. You will travel lush jungles, torn-apart cityscapes and even snowy plains at below zero temperatures. You will endure heavy firefights, drive tanks, shoot a machine gun out of a helicopter, snipe targets while disguising your shots with thunder, travel across a desert in an ATV, escape a torn-apart city while enduring artillery fire, get lost in a snowstorm forcing you to scramble for shelter before you freeze alive, get shot down from a helicopter and find your parachute dangling of a tree and engage enemies with a shotgun while on a plane among other memorable moments. The awesome thing? Sometimes you will do more than one of the things described above in a single mission! The term rollercoaster ride fits the bill perfectly. Sure, Modern Warfare 2’s single-player story has a lot more drama and emotional moments, but Bad Company’s fits the mold of a summer blockbuster action flick.



The online mode is just as addictive (or more so) than Battlefield 2 on the PC. There are four modes of play: Conquest, Rush, Squad Rush and Squad Deathmatch. Conquest is the Battlefield staple: the objective is to conquer specific points (marked by flags) in order to lower your enemy’s tickets (or reinforcements) and win the game. Rush is similar to Conquest as you are given two points (objectives) that you need to enter and set off a bomb to blow them up. One squad attacks and the other defends. When both points are blown apart, you move up to two more points and so on. The game ends when all points are destroyed (usually 6-8 per game) or when the attackers tickets reach 0, which means that the defense won. Squad Rush works just like Rush, but with less players and a more tactical approach. Squad Deathmatch is your standard deathmatch mode, but working as part of a team. Each game has their own unique pros and cons. The Squad modes (Squad Rush and Squad Deathmatch) require more strategy and also feature less chaos. They can be compared to something like America’s Army, but less rigid. Conquest and Rush are where most players will spent the majority of the time and they are excellent indeed. While conquest is more chaotic (where one player can conquer a flag as long as the rest of the enemies are distracted), Rush is more team oriented, since everyone is focused on the same two points of the map and this leads to some epic back and forth’s and some insane firefights. Another thing that works in Rush’s favor is that every area is different enough and presents a new challenge for both, attackers and defenders. For example, the first two points can be located in a standard military base, while the next two can be in the middle of a city and the third set behind a train. Conquest is the bread and butter of the Battlefield series and it is still very good and addictive, but lacks the same focus as Rush. It seems players always tend to focus on specific flags to attack and defend while others seem to be left alone until someone from the other team gets in….then the defense seems to “remember” that point and a battle ensues, rinse and repeat. It is not a fault by any means, it’s just the way it is, the way it was and the way it always will be.



The game now features the “kill cam”, something that has made plenty of hardcore fans anxious. However, it is not as bad an offender as the one in Modern Warfare. It shows the killer only, not a replay of the kill and thus, prevents the victim from finding out exactly were that pesky sniper is hiding. Sure, sometimes you can tell, but those are the exception and not the rule. The “unlocks” system is back and works just like before. However, some “basic” items of the class, like the medic’s health kit and the engineer’s repair tool have to be unlocked, which in my opinion beats the purpose of the class. Still, unlocks occur rather fast early on and it won’t be long before you have a complete soldier in your hands. You can also unlock stuff for the vehicles, like stronger armor or a scope for aiming at distant targets (which leads to some real fun with the tank!) and there are also “perks” that allow you to pack more ammo or run faster. Some weapons, like shotguns, can be used by any class, adding to the already robust customization options. Buildings are destructible again, but this time it is possible to completely level a structure and make it fall on its inhabitants. One of the funniest and most satisfying kills comes from leveling a building with the helicopter, causing all the snipers hiding within to die via destruction! The vehicle selection is typical Battlefield: tanks, helicopters, boats and ATV’s are some of them. Unfortunately, there are no airplanes in the game (as of this writing) although I have a hunch we might see some in the upcoming DLC levels.

The graphics and sounds are high caliber. Battlefield Bad Company 2 is one of the best looking games I have seen in quite some time, with excellent special effects and shadows, reflective surfaces, well animated characters and environments so realistic you will swear you are watching the National Geographic channel. The sound is top notch as well, with solid voice acting, huge explosions, realistic weapon discharges….even the echo you hear when a gun is fired far away. The best part? If you heard it, it was someone shooting someone, not just some pre-canned sound effect.

No game is perfect however. I found some areas too dark or too bright, which really hurt my ability to see. Prepare to die online because someone was hiding inside a dark building and you went right through him without seeing him. For some reason, the interior of most buildings, even if they have 5 windows, 2 open doors and it is sunny outside, look too dark, like if it was night and there were no lights on. I tried to mess with the game’s settings and my TV’s settings and still, I could not fix the problem. Also expect jittery animations in some odd cases, like, for example, don’t be surprised if a dead body starts convulsing because he can’t fall properly due to some object being on his way. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it takes you out of the massive experience. There are some online issues as well. Disconnection problems are still a bit too frequent (one in every ten games at least) and the store is still offline, nine days after release. I still have my pre-order codes un-cashed because of that.



Still, there is no other shooter out there that can compare to Battlefield Bad Company 2. Although it has some issues I can honestly say that this is the best shooter I have played in years. Better than Modern Warfare? Well, that is a matter of taste and opinion. I like Bad Company 2 more than Modern Warfare, but I can say this, in the hopes of staying neutral: EA and Dice have closed the gap tremendously and created something truly special that in many ways equals or surpasses Modern Warfare.



Pros:

- Deep, strategic gameplay that positively reminds me of Battlefield 2 on the PC.

- Destructible environments are not only cool and visually appealing, but they add to the overall strategy of the game.

- Weapons and gadgets are satisfying to use.

- The single player mode has been improved from the original.

- Environments are beautiful and well designed.

- Online play is very addictive.

Cons:

- Single-player mode is still too short (6-8 hours).

- Some areas are too dark or too bright, preventing you from seeing hidden enemies.

- Minor disconnection issues.

- Store is still offline, 9 days after release, preventing people from cashing in their pre-release codes.

Graphics	9.0	One of the best looking games of this generation. Everything looks great, although some areas are too dark or too bright.
Gameplay	9.5	The classic Battlefield formula leaves on, now with destructible environments and a fantastic Rush mode. Single-player has also been improved.
Sound	9.5	Great voice acting and superb sound effects round out a fantastic package.
Lasting Appeal	9.0	Although the single-player mode is still a bit on the short side, the multiplayer mode is addictive and will last you months.
Fun Factor	9.5	Bad Company 2 is one of the best shooters I have played in years, with an addictive online mode and a much improved single player mode. Two thumbs up!
Overall	9.5   [  Amazing ]

Screenshots
All 6 Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Screenshots