The men of Gear Patrol are connoisseurs of the finest things, and video games are not exception. That’s why, when Battlefield: Bad Company 2 was released, we felt it imperative to thoroughly test the newest big FPS (first person shooter) and pass along our thoughts to you.
The Battlefield franchise has long been known for epic multiplayer FPS action in a variety of historical (WWII, Vietnam, Modern, futuristic) theaters, with the welcome addition of vehicles to the combat. In past incarnations of the franchise, the game was solely multiplayer and did not contain a single player campaign. The original Bad Company debuted last year, featuring a small, squad-based single player campaign and now Bad Company 2 has really upped the ante in a field that has been utterly dominated by rival wargame, Modern Warfare 2.
In the opinion of this author, Bad Company 2 has the best sound editing of any video game I have ever played. The folks at EA have really spent some serious time going over every detail of the audio to make the war zones inhabited by the game sound as realistic as possible. When guns are fired indoors, they are louder and more muffled; voice clips sport a similarly authentic treatment. When loud expositions occur, a momentary ringing of the ears adds to the madness. Every weapon sounds extremely realistic, and never before have I as fully appreciated my surround sound system. Take our suggestion and enable the “War Tapes” setting in the options menu to access the highest level of audio realism.
The single player game play is quite impressive with a campaign that spans a serious amount of global real estate including steamy jungles and windswept deserts. The story follows a set of four rough and tough soldiers tasked with suicidal, behind-enemy-lines-style missions. Although a pinch short on length and depth, the writing for this game is engaging and lots of fun (unlike the character-changing and confusing tale of MW2). The missions follow many of the standards created for FPS games (get to a certain spot, survive attack, rescue the POWs, etc.), and, unlike Modern Warfare 2, the environments are much more open and don’t contain an endless supply of enemies that continue to respawn. Vehicles are included in the missions and range from flying a small rotary UAV to driving Jeeps and tanks. Large crates are scattered throughout the missions and serve as points at which you can swap your weapon loadout in order to tailor your kit for that specific mission. Ammo crates are also found throughout the maps to keep you well-supplied as you take out the Tangos.
Overall, Bad Company seems to minded the gaps that were left in MW2. Most noticeable is the ability to destroy buildings and cover. This was experienced firsthand when we attempted to take a few concealed shots at a tank from a building. Our RPG hit square on the side of the tank, causing the behemoth to turn its barrel toward the house with a smoking vapor trail. Two shots later, the house that once provided cover was heap of rubble and missing a few walls.
