Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Review

EA may have a lot of ground to cover before they take the FPS action crown away from Activision’s Call of Duty franchise, but their well-known and critically acclaimed Battlefield series has built a fan base that rivals the best Activision has to offer. And with the recent upheaval at Infinity Ward, resulting in a lawsuit, could Call of Duty’s reign be threatened? The answer is a resounding “yes”, especially when one considers the latest entry in the Battlefield franchise: Bad Company 2, the follow-up to the slightly lackluster Bad Company.

PRESENTATION

DICE, the EA subsidiary developer based in Stockholm, Sweden, struck gold with their proprietary game engine known as the “Frostbite” engine. The unique aspect of this particular engine is the destructible environments. If you’ve been living under the proverbial rock as a gamer, the Frostbite engine doesn’t simply limit players to destroying select parts of an environment – you can literally destroy everything you see. Towers, walls, buildings, trees, vehicles, fences, crates…everything. Even the ground can be chewed up with mortar strikes and other heavy shelling, such as grenades or tank rounds. It’s a technical marvel and the engine really pushes the limit of the hardware it runs on.

Battlefield: Bad Company utilized Frostbite 1.0; Battlefield: 1943 bumped that up to Frostbite 1.5; and Battlefield: Bad Company 2 saw a hybrid of Frostbite 1.5 combined with something DICE calls “Destruction 2.0″. In the first BC game, everything could be destroyed except for the frame of structures, such as the skeleton of a house. You couldn’t knock everything down. With Destruction 2.0, everything can come down, straight to the foundation. One lone exception was in the “Heavy Metal” mission in BC2 – I couldn’t seem to knock down the wind turbines. Call me an planet hater, but seeing those things just made me want to lash out. Ironic that the only environmentally-friendly aspect of the game couldn’t be taken down, but I digress.

Spinning yarns about the Frostbite engine’s technical prowess would take me all day, but specific to this title, the engine sparkles. It’s not just about Destruction 2.0, it’s everything from the lighting to animations to environmental and particle effects. There is noticeable screen-tearing in spots and the shadows on steering wheels and some other objects are low-res and grainy, but I rarely felt the sluggishness of bad frame-rate or texture pop-in, which is a spectacular feat on DICE’s part. The environments themselves are gorgeous. The snow-capped mountains, lush jungles, and open deserts really make the world look immense in the game. In a word: beautiful.

DICE attempted a more cinematic angle in BC2, much like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. After all, competition is what we’re all about in this country, no? And DICE succeeded, for the most part. There are some rough edges, such as transition scenes that fade to black and stop the action a bit frequently in the opening missions. Ultimately, the cinematic presentation in BC2 doesn’t quite live up to the shocking sequences present in competing titles…sorry all, it just doesn’t. I didn’t find myself gasping in shock or horror at any point in the game. The cinematic stuff was all well-done, but nothing stuck out as mind-bending. This is due, in part, to the fact that the storyline is far more believable and coherent, a fact I don’t mention lightly. CoD:MW2′s story was silly, and traded a comprehensive and engaging plot for shocking elements of grandeur. In the end, I’m much more partial to BC2′s style of story-telling and it worked very well in the context of the package.

Not to be undone by Frostbite, the sound of BC2 is probably the star of the show. I mean, how many times have I praised the sound department in my reviews? Rarely. I marveled at Dead Space’s use of sound, but I wasn’t reviewing titles for BSCreview back then. Most of the time, unless the sound engineers really messed things up, I tip my hat to sound and move on. In rare instances where voice-acting shines, I will mention something more. But in BC2′s case, the sound is, without a doubt, the best I’ve ever experienced in a FPS game, period. There, I said it, it’s done. I’m sticking to this. From the crunching sounds your boots make in the snow, to the rustle of the wind as it passes through the trees, to ambient environmental sounds (which includes insects), the elements suck you in. If that weren’t enough, the stellar waves of war assault your ears with reckless abandon. Explosives that rock your world a bit too close for comfort dull your senses with a screen shake, blurred vision, and ear-ringing deafness for a spell. It’s awesome, purely awesome, and while it’s commonplace in many FPS games these days, BC2 does it best. Every weapon has a perfect audio signature and the set piece events throughout the campaign are rife with detail.

Through and through, BC2′s campaign presentation is second-to-none and sets the bar high. Frostbite 1.5, Destruction 2.0, and Auditory Stimulation 1000.5 (that last one is my own designation, not DICE’s, FYI) combine for a delightful journey with Bad Company’s characters. It’s not perfect, as no game is, but it’s damn close and much better than the competition.

SCORE: 9.5/10

Gorgeous back drops and in-game set pieces, courtesy of Frostbite

STORY and CHARACTERS

FPS war games are getting a notorious reputation for delivering sub-par characters and storytelling. If you read my Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 review, you know that I’m a huge critic of the game’s three-hour, slap-together, patchwork storyline that puts the player in the role of Private First Class Nobody from several different factions. No immersion. But I’m not here to talk about the problems with the competition, I’m here to talk about how BC2 annihilates it.

In BC2, the player assumes the role of Preston Marlowe, who is accompanied by Sarge, Haggard, and Sweetwater – the same crew from the first game. The presentation in BC2 wouldn’t be nearly as potent without these four slapstick, but loyal sidekicks. The true appeal of the game’s single player campaign can be found within the game’s title group – Bad Company. I had to laugh out loud several times at the engaging and witty banter the characters toss out to each other during extreme firefights and rare moments of levity.

In Bolivia, a lush jungle area in the game, the players make several references to the first Predator movie. Being an ardent fan and supporter of all things Predator (except for the video games), I was able to pick up on these instantly. If you’re not from my generation or have no love for Predator, you probably missed them.

Son of a bitch is dug in like an Alabama tick!

Somebody sent them.

The latter quote is the more obscure of the two, but I’ll leave you to ponder what section of the movie it’s from. Hint: Dutch says it. Again, I digress…love Predator…*fist bump*

Some other funny moments come at the expense of the competition. Even DICE smells blood in the water, like a shark. Try this on for size and tell me it doesn’t make you laugh, especially if you’ve played MW2 like I have.

Snowmobiles are for pussies!

There was another one that I can’t, for the life of me, remember right now. I should have written it down. Either way, you get the point. DICE is fanning the flames and it’s hilarious!

Where the characters shine, though, the story doesn’t. Now, the story is better-than-average when considering the typical tale these types of games weave. It’s a cliche story that pits Bad Company against an evil Russian guy who’s trying to get his greedy and psychotic hands on a “scalar” weapon, which generates an electromagnetic pulse that wipes out electronics for miles and miles. And, of course, this weapon is going to be detonated on U.S. soil. Yes, it really is quite straight-forward, but again the characters more than make up for the low points. I don’t like spoilers, so I’ll stop there. Honestly, there’s so little in the story that for me to keep talking about it would eventually spoil stuff. Globe-trotting military guys follow evil guys until said evil guys are taken out. Meh, but it’s better than most and is cohesive, makes sense, and delivers some meat coupled with the action.

SCORE: 8.5/10

GAMEPLAY and CONTROLS

Gameplay is just like every other FPS you’ve played. Run, aim, shoot, find stuff. Not to be a Debbie-Downer, but this is the FPS war genre. Oh, and guess what? You get to jump in vehicles and snipe! OK, OK, relax, I’ll elaborate.

Battlefield games are all about gameplay modes. The multiplayer mode – reviewed below – has set a standard with respect to vehicular combat. Tanks, boats, ATVs, UAVs, jeeps, Hummers, airplanes, helicopters, anti-aircraft guns – all of these and more litter the playing field in multiplayer, but it’s the promiscuous nature of the campaigns that permit this in the first place.

BC2 doesn’t depart from this formula, and gives the player moment after moment in the game to cause mass destruction with a wide variety of vehicles. These gameplay elements add weight to the style and set the game apart from the competition.

I’ve seen some criticisms pointing at the rapid fire pace that these modes are handed to the player in BC2, but I can’t fathom what problem that poses. Perhaps it’s an incessant need to be a critic even in the face of the most dominating feature of a title? I didn’t find the transition of game modes jarring in the slightest. I did find the Rambo-esque-ness of Marlowe a bit unrealistic, but come on, this is a video game. Whether you’re sniping, blowing up a chopper that flew into the tunnel behind your truck, or using the mini-gun from a chopper to shoot down other choppers and a ground convoy, the gameplay keeps you on the edge of your seat and fully engaged. The bump-and-shoot aspects of ground cover combat are equally fulfilling and didn’t bug me in the slightest. Level designs are superb and never lend a thought of “wow, this is too convenient”. Cover and items litter the areas realistically, and the linear style of the level design aren’t at all out of place. But if you’re expecting something totally unique and innovative, you won’t find it here.

The controls of BC2 are, of course, precise and tight. Sniping doesn’t require you to hold your breath – a detail I wish they’d implemented – and you still can’t go prone. DICE, seriously, what gives? If it’s something to balance the destructive cover thing, spare me. Denying prone makes little sense and gives the haters a lot of ammunition during arguments. That’s silly and unnecessary. Allow prone, PLEASE!

SCORE: 8.9/10

MULTIPLAYER MODE

Wow…just, wow. No surprise here, though it was a surprise to me at first. I don’t want to put my baggage in here, but I think it’s a good point in the review to mention that I was a huge skeptic of BC2…before I played the demo. I got sick of BF:1943 rather quick, which I found disconcerting, and assumed BC2 would be much the same. Boy was I wrong!!!

MP modes in FPS games are really in the throes of violent competition, and the players are benefiting from it. Forget power-augmenting perks – the kits (classes) in BC2′s MP mode are realistic and balancing in a way that makes MW2 look like a science fiction game. Besides, who can really say that Lightweight, Marathon, and Commando make a realistic perk package? Knife kill from 15 feet away? Nay. Again, it’s a video game…can’t have true realism, but the style differences are rampant when both titles are compared. If you are a die-hard MW fan, you may not like BF games; if you love BF games, you may not like MW games – I’m speaking of MP modes only here, of course. They play extremely different.

BC2′s MP mode is squad-based, meaning the mode will be much more fun with friends, and it’s best to balance each squad with the different kits. You can’t go running-and-gunning like you can in MW/MW2, you just can’t. You’ll get mauled, and frequently do. It takes teamwork and strategy, which gives BC2 a more lethargic feel to the gameplay. I think that’s why DICE implemented unlimited sprint – adds some quicker pacing to the lengthy map runs if you can’t find a vehicle.

Upgrading each kit takes time, but each has a progression and unlock path that keep you wanting for more. Additionally, each kit has different weapon and gadgets to unlock. Play as a Medic, Engineer, Assault, or Recon, but during gameplay you can pick up the kits of dead enemies or friends, turning your Recon kit into an Assault kit with all the unlocks the dead enemy/friend had. Think of this as a much better version of MW2′s Copy Cat perk, but much more challenging.

Engineers repair vehicles and have anti-vehicle ordinance (RPG, anti-tank mines, etc.); Medics heal and revive your squad; Assaults drop ammo caches and have very powerful weapons; and Recons are your snipers, spotters, and C4 planters. All kits have access to all vehicle types, and you earn different upgrades for vehicular combat awards. Add to all this an Insignia and “Pin” reward system, and BC2′s MP mode is a force to be reckoned with. In short, it’s amazing, and much richer and grandiose than any other FPS out there. I enjoyed MW2, but BC2′s community is far less insulting – you can only hear voice com chatter from your squad mates, no one else – and far more experienced because of the inherent challenges in the formula, in addition to the overwhelming element of “There’s no ‘I’ in team”.

But it’s not perfect. You were ready for it, weren’t you? You can’t go prone in MP  mode either, which is a downer. And one scathing criticism I have is the general similarity of all the weapons, while at the same time having the overpowered X8 class. The X8 Compact is a silenced assault rifle that apparently doubles as a sniper rifle and RPG. Two bullets, dead, from ANY distance. It’s just stupid. Silenced weapons are, in real life, less damaging, even if it’s marginal. That doesn’t seem to have been programmed into this game. Going one step further, you can snipe anyone from across the map with any weapon other than, maybe, a pistol (unless you slap a scope on some of the models). There’s a lack of depth in the weapon variations and it seems that no matter what you carry, you don’t know exactly how well you’ll do. I have literally thumped people five times in the chest with my Medic M60 LMG, but I die with two shots from a silenced weapon or pistol (not a headshot, either). The damage bar doesn’t seem to play out the way it’s displayed. I’ve been testing this out more and more, and my friends all seem to concur. Could be some more unlocks, like body armor, but again there seems to be a loose way that the game handles all the weapons. Except for some exceptions, noted above, most of the weapons behave the same way.

SCORE: 9.8/10

SUMMARY and OVERALL SCORE

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is in a league of its own. The online community and formula work like no other FPS game in the same genre, and it shows. Will it topple MW2 for the crown? Only time will tell. Those who pre-ordered the Limited Edition of the game are getting some free multiplayer maps this Spring, a huge offer. The squad-based tactics are a gem and really make for a true online experience where players care about the objectives more than they do kill count.

Single player may have some rough spots, but is by and large well above average for the standard set by other games in the genre. An unlikely cast of heroes combine with a graphical and auditory tour-de-force game engine that delivers a compelling, if somewhat familiar story.

OVERALL SCORE: 9.2/10