Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I bought BC2 off Steam after hearing all the hoopla about Modern Warfare 2, and after trying the BC2 Beta. I made the purchase for the multi-player only; I hear the single player campaign is pretty short. As a newcomer to the Battlefield series, I am quite impressed with Bad Company 2.
PROS:
- Fully destructible environments; it's amazing to stand inside a house while it's getting shelled by a tank, only to have the walls, roof, and windows get blown to bits around you. Nearly everything on the map can be destroyed (with the exception of some boulders). For instance, when shooting at an enemy who is hiding behind a concrete wall, the concrete first starts to get chipped, then gradually larger pock-marks form, then re-bar is exposed, then the concrete is reduced to dust. It's pretty incredible.
- Gravitational effects; yes, gravity plays a big part in this game. Shoot a tank shell half a mile, and the shell doesn't fly straight to the target. Rather, it assumes a parabolic arc. The same is true for sniper rifles, so one needs to make suitable adjustments.
- Achievements; I enjoy the multi-player method of unlocking weapons and gadgets. Many modern-day weapons are modeled, and various gadgets include new scopes, holographic sights, extended magazines, etc..
- Sound; fully immersive, adds to the authenticity.
- 32 Player multi-player servers; brilliant online madness.
- Huge maps; the urban combat maps are tricky, snipers hiding around every nook and cranny. The island warfare map is lush with waterfalls and plant life. Great map design.
- Weapons balancing; the vehicles/weapons feel more balanced in the full game, than they did in the beta. Helicopters no longer reign the skies with impunity, and can be taken down more easily. The same goes for vehicles.
- Graphics; weapons, vehicles, everything modeled with great detail. Love the Russian/American uniforms.
- Snipers not being allowed to go prone; there are already too many users who jump for the sniper class in every multi-player match, and allowing players to go prone would make them nigh impossible to spot. Being allowed to crouch is more than sufficient; the maps are huge, and there's enough rubble around to generate many good hiding spots that already make a ghillie suited sniper hard to see. If you play on a hardcore server with no killcam, you won't miss the lack of prone at all- snipers are all but invisible.
- Performance; the game runs pretty well despite my not having a top of the line gaming rig. With a Core i7 920, 4 GB RAM, and Nvidia GTX 260 with Core 216, I can run all settings at maximum and still get 70-90 fps.
- **UPDATE**; I did finally get around to trying the single player campaign, and like others have said, it is pretty weak. However, think of the SP as an extended tutorial for the multi-player, where you can try out different weapons and get used to the recoil and handling.
CONS:
- Server browser interface; it's slow and could be optimized better. Adding favorite servers takes a few seconds to do, when it ought to be near instantaneous. Also, I get kicked randomly from certain servers and EA Online occasionally disconnects for no apparent reason. **UPDATE** The connection issues were primarily in the first week of gameplay, when EA's servers were overwhelmed by players. Since then, connection has been rock-solid. Love the dedicated servers.
- Headwave; in an effort to implement more realistic effects, DICE went overboard on the headbobbing that the player experiences when walking around. It was initially rather extreme, causing motion sickness and nausea. Eventually, I acclimated to the bobbing, but it wouldn't hurt the realism if they turned it down a notch.
- Too many persons using sniper online; but you have that problem with any online FPS game.
In conclusion, I'd say the pros far outweigh the cons to make BFBC2 a great and enjoyable multiplayer first person shooter.
**Note: To unlock the M1 Garand, you need to be a Battlefield Veteran (e.g. own at least 2 games of the BF series, including BFBC2). If BFBC2 is your first purchase, you can still qualify by downloading and playing the FREE game, Battlefield Heroes. Then visit [...], to register and view your account (same login/pw as your EA Account).

Click Here to see more reviews about: Battlefield: Bad Company 2

Story and Gameplay Like the original Battlefield: Bad Company game, Bad Company 2 is a first-person shooter following the exploits of Company "B" of the US Army's 222nd Battalion. In this new adventure, the more mature yet still infamous company of misfits are tasked with interceding in a series of conflicts that have the potential to ignite of a new World War. Game environments cover snowy mountains, all the way to jungles and deserts.

As the action begins players have their pick of four distinct character classes, and weapons, gadgets and specializations. Within these, players have over 15,000 kit variations to discover, and will be able to fine-tune their preferred fighting style to give them the edge in combat that they will need to survive and prevail. In addition, new vehicles like the all terrain vehicle (ATV) and the UH-60 transport helicopter allow for new tactics, which players are free to choose from. As players fight through mission play they will level up their playable character through the ranks as they accumulate experience points in combat for enemies eliminated and objectives completed. Excellence in the battlefield is rewarded with an extensive range of pins, insignias and stars to unlock along with 50 dedicated ranks to achieve. Battlefield 2 also features a major multiplayer component. Along with standard 24-player online multiplayer options across eight maps, players can also compete in 4-player teams in 2 exclusive squad-only game modes, fighting together to unlock exclusive team awards and achievements. During these online battles players can spawn on your squad to get straight into the action, and use gadgets such as the tracer dart in-conjunction with the RPG to devastating effect. Taken together these features make for one of the most realistic ground/vehicle combat experiences ever.

The New Frostbite Engine Tactical destruction in Bad Company 2 is taken to new heights with the updated DICE 'Frostbite' engine. Unlike in the first game in the series, which featured considerable, but limited destructible game environments, in Battlefield Bad Company 2 players can now take down entire buildings or create their own vantage points by blasting holes through cover, thereby delivering a unique dynamic experience in every match.

Key Features

8 huge multiplayer maps. Each with a different tactical and gameplay focus and set across a variety of environments.
Ultimate online vehicle warfare. 15 land, sea and air vehicles, each with a tactical advantage during play. Race into action with the ATV or rain death from above in the UH-60 transport helicopter with its 2 side-mounted rail guns.
Intense single player action in dense jungles to snow-torn mountains, following the mature "B" Company on a daring new mission.
All-new squad gameplay. Team up with 3 other players and fight together to unlock special awards and achievements in 2 squad-specific game modes.
Destruction 2.0. Take down entire buildings, create firepoints or blow it up entirely. In Battlefield Bad Company 2 there is be no place to hide.
'Play It Your Way' experiment and refine your ideal combat style with 4 character classes (medic, assault, recon and engineer), 15,000+ kit variations, 46 weapons (200 different customization opportunities), 15 gadgets and 13 character specializations.
Combat efficiency and performance is rewarded with special awards such pins, stars and insignias which contribute to unlocking 50 ranks.

System Requirements:

Click here for more information about Battlefield: Bad Company 2