Battlefield: Bad Company 2

Now I know ill get criticized for this but it has to be said, mw2 simply is not as good of a gaming experience as battlefield bad company 2. on paper mw2 sounds great but when u play the game it simply is npt as fun as ive found bad company 2 to be. there is something uniquely sublime about hoppin on a 4 wheeler and racing into the enemy base with bullets flying and steal their chopper and turn it on them. or getting ur whole squad into a blackhawk and flying around dominating a landing zone, and securing it foi the ground forces, or have everyone parachute out and secure it themslves.


Not since bf2 has the possiblities for all these awesome occurances been available, attack helicopters to abraham tanks, and even a grenade launching boat, this game feeds your desire for destruction by giving you vehicles that can bring about your craziest dreams of war. the game really feels like a large scale immersive war where your effects have real outcomes and results that impact your future survival. whether you repair a tank so it continues to hold the front line and help your troops might be the difference between taking a point or losing it, and in ways like this the game encourages team play which is essentially the core of this game. every class offers abilities that improves you and allows you to better help others.

these experiences and so many others which cannot even be imagined before they occur drive you further. in no other game since bf2 has the sandbox of war seemed so open and full of opportunities and to not take advantage of it would be silly

. the graphics are pretty good when you consider the size of the area that they are using. everything flows well and movement seems natural. shooting dynamics are not as sharp as on mw2 but are still decent once you get used to it.




The story isn't special (single player), and just like MW2, you shouldn't get this game for the single player aspects. Buy or rent this for the multiplayer, because the single player is rather short (6-8 hours) from what I read and unrewarding due to no buildup. It's longer than MW2's, but still, it really will not give you a feeling you are playing a full game. I seemed to be more into the MW2 campaign though. This doesnt seem to hold you long enough throughout the missions. Although MW2 doesn't come close to BC2 in terms of destructible scenery and objects (houses, etc..).

Gameplay: In the game, it's based off of 24 players. Playing this game is different from Modern Warfare 2. For instance, you are pushed more into teamwork based online gameplay which makes this game so great. It's hard to Rambo objectives. While MW2 seems to have people running around endlessly, or hiding in a bush so they don't die. BC2 ditches that mindset with unbelievable online structure, that is easy to understand and fun to play. Their are multiple online modes, so if you like FPS games, this is for you!


PROS:
- The things that they say during the campaign will make you laugh!
- The graphics are pretty good, around a 9. Somethings good have been made better but overall very good.
- Online experience is much better than MW2.
- Wepons are great! Vehicles are fun to run people over with! And Helicopters are fun when you team is in them and you crash it!
- Really no camping spots because everything is destroyable. Houses, to walls, to brick walls, and even to trees
- Mutiplayer is more team based, your able to revive partners, repair vehicles, and even call in mortor strikes!
- Growing levels takes time but the unlocks are better than MW2
- Mutiplayer maps are HUGE!

CONS:
- When trying to load a quick match, Sometimes it will end it and take you right back to your xbox dashboard or not even connect at all.
- Loading a mutiplayer map takes way way way too long.
- No prone.
- Only can talk to people within your squad (4 people)
- Online server dont seem to be holding up so good thus far, seems more games are having these problems.

Closing Statement:
Overall this is a great game and I love it. Both MW2 and this are different in their own right and if you loved MW2 you'll love this as well. The meat of both these game are the online play and I feel BFBC2 captures this like no other game can as of now. Online matches actually feel like a war and theres never a feeling of being unfair or lopsided because there actually is a defense for every offense. Truly one of the few sequels worthy of its pedestal, this game is a definite buy and it know it will be an a keystone of my rotation for a long time to come.

My Overall Score: 9/10

Good review, I'm looking forward to my copy turning up in the post.

The squad chat seems interesting and could be a double edged sword. On one hand you don't get the communityspirit or the wider range co-ordination of talking to your whole team but on the other hand you are much less likely to get the sweary whiny teenager and if you do you can just find a different squad. Maybe a compromise could have been achieved by having squad leaders talk to each other on a different channel to better co-ordinate the whole team?

sophosuni wrote:Good review, I'm looking forward to my copy turning up in the post.

The squad chat seems interesting and could be a double edged sword. On one hand you don't get the communityspirit or the wider range co-ordination of talking to your whole team but on the other hand you are much less likely to get the sweary whiny teenager and if you do you can just find a different squad. Maybe a compromise could have been achieved by having squad leaders talk to each other on a different channel to better co-ordinate the whole team?

Thats a cool idea. It just seems alot of people dont talk in this game and that makes it difficult to plan attacks of use strategy. Hopefully once more members here pick it up we can squad up together. Most of my games are silent.

I've just finished the singleplayer campaign as well as having played online a few times with other GSA members so thought I'd put my two pence worth forward.

I loved the singleplayer campaign and while its not quite as slick or polished as MW2 it is still entertaining and has some great set pieces. The comedy element also adds to it and the scripting is sharp and funny so you are always smiling during the cut scenes. The voice work is also top notch and the ad-hoc conversations during the levels are amusing to listen to. The fact that you can collect weapons and then regularly come across supply crates so that you can choose your own load out from any weapon you have collected is also a clever mechanism as it lets you personalise the game a bit and gives you more tactical choice. Its just a shame that the campaign feels so short. While the length may be nearly as long as MW 2, BC 2 is easier to play so you get through it quicker and a couple of the missions have a vehicle bit and then only a very short walking bit. I am glad to say though that the vehicle bits and on rails bits are pretty good. The achievements on the single player side are also pretty easy so you will rack up a respectable GS fairly quickly even without venturing online.

As to online there are still some connection problems due to EA dropping the ball with their servers, though this is reducing and should be dealt with altogether within a couple of months. So far we have not had to worry about ongoing glitch problems like MW 2. Actually playing online is great fun as long as you take certain things into account. You cannot play BC 2 as a twitch game or as a lone rambo. Even if your not part of a squad or playing with friends you need to keep track of where the majority of your team is on the map as if you get left on your own you won't last long. Its a tactical game and you need to take account of which class might be best to use or switch to depending on how the match is going and what kind of vehicles or aircraft are available on the map. Playing in a squad, especially with friends is one of the best online experiences I've had and I personally enjoy it more than MW 2. The unlockables also seem to be well balanced (as Haggert says: no pussy ass heart beat monitors) and while it can seem to take a while to unlock the scopes you can get things like morter strike fairly quickly so you never really feel underpowered. The squad communication method in BC 2 has proved to be a double edged sword though, in that while you don't have to worry to much about whiny arseholes, if your playing on your own you can feel a little isolated without at least some online banter.

The fact that while graphically it doesn't quite live up to MW 2 it is still very pretty and that the sound effects are second to none also helps with the immersion and really helps with the play experience. Some examples are on the desert level while sniping you have to take account of sand clouds that temporarily impede your vision and little details such as sniper shot echo. The frostbite engine itself is very impressive with draw distance, character models and primarily with destructability. The destructability is amazing and gives you more options in play style. If your struggling to find an angle on a sniper in a house why not just level the house, trying to flank and walls are in your way? just create your own door. I found it loads of fun just blowing whole villages up to see the effects. I also found the last level quite amusing as it uses destructability to be an ironic take on mile high club from MW 1. I won't spoil it by going into detail but if youv'e played both I'm sure you will twig it. A couple of criticisms are item pop up which I came across quite often and the lack of anti-aliasing. While draw distance is pretty good you will notice small details popping up as you move closer, even the occaisional enemiy but this seems more due to trigger scripts.The lack of anti-aliasing is more of a dissapointment and at this point shouldn't really be happening anymore in games.

Overall with the stellar online modes and a singleplayer campaign that is definitely up there with genre leaders BC 2 definitely deserves its 9/10 review result. You just have to put up with occaisonal server problems for a while and the ache for a longer campaign when you finish singleplayer. Hopefully they might bring out a campaign add on as DLC.

Good review, thirtieth birthday coming soon so will have to put it on my "Wanted" list

That and Final Fantasy 13, wishful thinking

According to Gamespy, EA have finished upgrading their servers to handle the popularity of the game so connection problems should stop now.

http://uk.xbox360.gamespy.com/xbox-360/battlefield-bad-company-2/1077760p1.html

Great reviews , can't wait for it to drop through the letterbox now

Read. Liked. Ordered. Waiting on the mailman