This week is going to be kind of like a GameOn event in that I'm going to be doing game reviews all week. I finished through three games last week and wanted to review two others I finished a short while ago. They are somewhat old, but still relevant now (meaning it's still worth picking up these games and playing them). I have three First-Person Shooters (FPS) and two Action Role-Playing Games (ARPG) lined up for this week's game reviews. Today, I'll be reviewing Battlefield: Bad Company 2 for PC.
Official Site: http://www.battlefieldbadcompany2.com/
Source: Youtube Channel Games
Developer: DICE
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Platforms: Playstation 3, Xbox 360 & PC
Release Date: March 2, 2010.
Genre: First-Person Shooter
Pros:
-Interesting Storyline with an entertaining Single-player Campaign
-Squad-based multiplayer distinguishes itself from other First-Person Shooters
-Class-based loadouts adds a special dynamic in team-play
-The game offers a lot in content, gameplay, and replay value
Cons:
-The experience in multiplayer relies heavily on the team you're on and playing against
-Lots of off-putting moments such as object contact lag, spawn killed, and dumb team mates
-The many things that you can't kill but can kill you (vehicles, rockets, grenadiers, snipers, etc.)
This review is long overdue with it being out for over a year and two months exactly now; however, it doesn't change the fact that Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is still an exciting game for anyone who like team-based action games to enjoy now with the Vietnam expansion and weapons DLC still offering gamers something new. The first Bad Company may have gone under my radar when it was released, but I'm glad I had the chance to get the sequel during the Christmas holidays when I did. With a full fledged Single-player campaign, an extensive multiplayer mode with four classes to choose from, various maps, and tons of unlockable items, the game is still worth picking up as we wait for the release of Battlefield 3.
Graphics
First and foremost, I have to say that the developers did an incredible job optimizing the graphics for the PC. I have to put the graphics down in order to have a smooth gameplay experience, but not so much that it hindered on the beautiful landscapes and effects of the game's graphics. The environment within the game is simply breath taking from the large background terrain to the tiny debris that flies off a door when breaking it down. Though the developers go for a more realistic look to the art style, they kept the design for the game in mind and worked around the colors of the units, objects, and terrain. The dynamics in color, lighting, and contrast worked really well and was comfortable to the eyes as well as distinguishing objects around the player from melding in together too much into a messy amalgamation. The animation is nice for the most part, and the destructible environments worked really well with the graphics for the debris. Smoke and debris does slow the game down for me once in a while, but I'm hoping to still be playing the game when I get a nicer computer (I play on a laptop currently). My main complaint on the graphics would be more due to the network in how there is quite a bit of lag in bullet contact, distance, and hit-box sync with the models in multiplayer. Graphics: 10/10
Audio
I found the music to be unfitting and awkward in many parts of the singleplayer as well as loading screens for multiplayer. They're distinct, but not incredibly memorable. For the most part, it was okay and kept scenes from being silent. The sound effects were decent, but nothing that stood-out and blew me away. I do have to make an exception to the reverb sound from an explosion. It causes your character to go deaf for a few seconds before sound normalizes. The programming is pretty good and very important when you're trying to flank on an opponent who's firing at your team mates. The most satisfying sound to hear is the beeping of points whenever my med packs heal a group of my team mates. Audio: 8/10
Gameplay
I didn't know that the game had a Single player mode. Perhaps the first one had it, but I never heard of Bad Company in the Battlefield series until the sequel came out. The single-player campaign feels very different from Call of Duty's gritty environment of war and chaos and takes the story a bit more lightly with humor, movie-like action scenes, and a cast of eccentric characters you team up with. The single-player is pretty action packed, bringing the player from one spot to the next with fire fights, tank battles, and vehicle raids. The single-player last much longer than I expected and delivered an entertaining experience, but there were a few missions that felt more like a chore when traversing from one place to another in long distances. Multiplayer is a bit harder to describe as the experience can differ from time to time. My first experience with multiplayer was really good. I teamed up with a friend and worked as a small squad in capturing objective points. I've mainly played medic and have unlocked all there is for that class. I noticed that there's a great deal of lag in processing bullet contact, kills and such. I've knifed players and had them stand there frozen for 3-5 seconds before showing that they have been killed. I would shoot a whole clip of bullets into an opponent and they would sometimes survive with not a single hit landed on them. Aside from that bit of annoyance (which doesn't happen all the time) is the team you play with. Since I played with a friend, we were able to carry out objectives a lot more effectively and watch out for each other; however, I have play many times on my own with random players and they would kill the experience for me. Medics run past my dead body while trying to kill someone with their Machine guns, assaults run off on their own to kill enemies while the team's bases gets armed and blown up, snipers just sit there waiting for an opponent to come by instead of throwing radar to keep an eye out for enemies, etc. This video would be very useful to watch before playing for anyone on Battlefield: Bad Company 2
Souce: Youtube Channel GamerSpawn
It also explains a lot of the game mechanics in those short 9 minutes. There can also be the infuriating events of constantly getting killed the second you spawn ANYwhere on the map, but I believe a lot of the problems I've mentioned is applicable to many other FPS games. So there are, of course, good points about the game. The squad-based gameplay forces players to cooperate with their team mates as trying to go at it on your own will likely result in a failure or excessive deaths. The problem is that many players go into Bad Company 2 thinking that it's similar to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. By having players die a lot, it encourages them to stick with the squad. The distinct classes adds a nice dynamic to the game since it does something similar with the squad-based teamwork by having players focus on what their classes excel at to fulfill the mission rather than rushing up the front lines to try to get some kills. There is a lot to unlock for each class and thus a lot of items to mix and match which changes the type of position your character plays for the team. I personally loved playing the medic, mainly due to the blaring fact that most people don't do their jobs as medics in most games let alone this one. Being able to tag enemies was also a welcome function since maps were huge and players looked small from afar. I'm constantly mashing on the "Q" key when I'm up against a huge group. Put everything together, and the game can get pretty exciting when both teams work really well pushing the lines and working together. The feeling of "belonging in a team" is similar to MAG on the PS3 in how it creates a special atmosphere for working with your team rather than running off on your own like in Call of Duty. The game can be just as bad though when you have bad team mates and you're up against a solid team who are working cohesively together to get the job done. I really like playing Battlefield: Bad Company 2, but sometimes I get turned off by uncooperative mates and bad matches. Gameplay: 8/10
Replay Value
This is subjective since people all treat multiplayer differently in this game. My friend started to play the game a lot less after unlocking most all of the items in the game. I offered the idea of getting the expansion for extra unlockables and content, but even I questioned whether I wanted it or not at the moment. I'm not quite sure how strong the replay value is, but I still have the urge to play more since I've unlocked all of the items for medic, but haven't touched the other three much yet. I'm up to 22 hours of gameplay so far, and I think I might play later today since I haven't touched it in a while (been playing a lot of offline games). While the maps do sort of get too familiar after a while, I feel there is a lot to offer players with the dynamics of the classes, items, people you get matched up with, etc. After a while though, I do take a break from it as I can't stand the reliance on team work when I've lost 7 matches in a row due to team mates who don't want to stick together. But for the price the game is selling for now (generally $20, I got it for $7), it's well worth the purchase and will last long enough for those waiting for Battlefield 3. Replay Value: 9/10
Overall
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is a unique experience that most FPS games don't offer and is well worth the purchase for those who are looking for a more team-based experience in their FPS games. The game offers hours of gameplay experience with lot of items to work with, large maps with vehicles at your disposal, and a class-based system that is sure to change the way you play each time you log on. Though the set-backs from lag, random explosion deaths, and infuriating team mates who don't know what they're doing can be frustrating, the addition of single-player mode, the joy of getting multiple kills in one spawn, and the major victory from a team effort of well coordinated players can be a satisfaction that no other FPS game can offer. Overall: 8.75
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