The war rages on between Call of Duty fans and Battlefield fans. Judging by comments and discussions it seems that players from both sides of the “battlefield” have plenty of ammo as to why their favourite is the greatest. As mentioned in my review of Call of Duty Black Ops, I am a fan of the COD franchise and thoroughly enjoyed Modern Warfare 2 and Black Ops, but was left a bit bored with World at War. Battlefield Bad Company 2 was a game that I played purely because I wanted to play the multiplayer. I never realized that it would turn out to be as good as it is.
I had recently traded in the first Bad Company (unfinished) as I wasn’t impressed with the sandbox environment – I didn’t like the fact that there was such room for manoeuvrability in the battles, and often found myself getting lost or approaching a village from the completely wrong angle for any military advantage. Bad Company 2 still offers some sandbox moments, but this time around I always knew where I was and which way I needed to go. I also found that the first installment wasn’t very captivating and lacked any real depth in the storyline. BFBC2 brings in a great story and a massive cinematic feel which is great to play through. Your unit (Bad Company) is also better in the second game and you feel more connected and part of the company – there is also some funny and great banter between the team at checkpoints.
The graphics are great and there is some beautiful and huge scenery to take in, from snow filled mountains to muggy jungles and urban terrain. The character animations are good and I really like the gritty realism that you experience at all times. Another awesome feature which adds to the realism is the completely destructive environments. If you are being shot at from a building window you are able to blast half the building away to get at your enemy. Shooting at a concrete block to get at the sniper behind it is exhilarating and tons of fun. The destruction’s animation is really good too – it’s seriously impressive seeing individual bricks flying out of a recently blasted wall. Added to that, BFBC2 has some really good sound which once again adds to the feel of the game.
In the story mode you and your unit are assigned the role of finding a weapon of mass destruction which is in the hands of a Russian Army Colonel named Kirilenko. Although first person shooters are generally criticized for their short campaign modes I thoroughly enjoyed playing through the game and never felt that I was left wanting more out of the story. Of course, the big question is: how does BFBC2 fare on multiplayer?
I am used to the fast paced action on Call of Duty and usually only play Team Deathmatch, as that’s my favorite. Battlefield offers a slower paced multiplayer which is thoroughly enjoyable. The gameplay is more tactical and I’d imagine that it’s a more realistic feel of combat compared to the COD franchise. There are huge maps and it’s quite possible to spend an entire round camping on a lawn chair sniping enemies from great distances (okay, no lawn chair, but you can quite effectively hide behind bushes). And while some hate the concept of camping it is most certainly a strategy that works – that is until someone knifes you in the back or noob tubes you in the face. You are also able to use vehicles to your advantage, such as tanks, helicopters, quad bikes, etc. but some of these are only available in other modes. Speaking of which, I really enjoyed trying out different multiplayer modes such as Rush, Squad Rush, Conquest, Onslaught and Squad Deathmatch. All of the modes are fun to play and offer different tactics to explore. During one particular game I really enjoyed that every time I re-spawned at the starting point I spawned coming in on a parachute.
Please note that with most first person shoot-em-up’s I’d recommend at least an age restriction of 16 and up as there is tons of swearing and the violence can be quite intense.
In summary, what started out as a title I bought to have a bit of fun online with, turned out to take pride of place in my game collection alongside COD Black Ops. Having played Battlefield 3 (review to come soon) and the 1st Bad Company I’d confidently say that Bad Company 2 is most certainly the best in the franchise, and although I may not have settled the war between Battlefield and Call of Duty, I am much more neutral on the matter and truly enjoy both for different reasons.
This is definitely one to buy for your collection.
- Dubbel Gee’s Rating: 9/10
- Please note: Trailer below contains strong language
