Battlefield: Bad Company 2

If you feel like unleashing some large-scale firefights, riding in armored vehicles, and freezing in the middle of a snow-covered mission, "Battlefield: Bad Company 2" gives you exactly that. The story starts off intriguingly enough. The very first mission takes place in 1944 somewhere in the Sea of Japan, where the writers hook you with a secret "wunderwaffe." Then the game jumps to modern times, where you're tasked with investigating and searching for this mysterious weapon against the backdrop of a U. S.-Russia war. After that, the narrative follows a more predictable path: some characters wear serious faces, others have big plans, and you're off on missions to save everything possible. The variety of locations and familiar run-and-gun levels keep the pace lively, though the ending stumbles a bit, falling into clichés. The finale doesn't spark a "wow" or an "oh man," but rather a "well, time to install the next game and delete this one."

The missions themselves, however, are at times quite original. Take the snow episode, for example - a memorable challenge. The plot places you in extreme cold surrounded by deep snow. You literally have to keep warm through combat: freezing, sprinting from house to house, finding warm spots. Once you've thawed out, you mow down nearby enemies and keep moving. Frost creeps over the screen as if it's icing up your eyes, the protagonist breathes heavily as though you're out there without a hat yourself. Sometimes you need to get clever, shooting at conveniently placed barrels. They explode, set the area ablaze, and let you warm up again. It's a unique mechanic that sticks with you.

Beyond the "on-foot" action, the game lets you go wild with vehicles. Tanks, ATVs, armored carriers - no shortage of fun. You even get to play with something resembling a drone that guides missiles to targets. The missions are highly varied in terms of gameplay, and this variety feels good: guns roar loudly, vehicles move with confidence, and there's more than enough action to keep you engaged.

The graphics still hold up surprisingly well even today. The world feels alive, packed with detail, and the destruction is both large-scale and convincing. It's especially satisfying to watch an enemy hideout crumble into rubble - always a highlight. Less fun, of course, when it's your cover being blown to bits and you're suddenly exposed, scrambling to switch positions.

In the end, "Battlefield: Bad Company 2" is a solid, confident shooter with tight mechanics and lively gameplay. Not perfect, but definitely worth checking out - if only for a few standout missions and the thrill of feeling like more than just a soldier, but part of a massive, chaotic spectacle.

7 out of 10.

Firstly I would definitely say this game is better than Modern Warfare 2, simply because of almost everything, the excellent sound affects, the incredible graphics, the scale of the online maps and the satisfaction of destruction. Maybe it's true that it's story line is not quite as good as MW2's and as well as the fact that there's not a fantastic amount of variety in the missions, but it is still a lot of fun to blow a hole in a wall or bring a house down to eye level which never seems to get old! You will experience a few funny moments in the game which you wouldn't really have in MW2 which I like, but some aren't so keen on this. Now the multi-player, this is probably the best part of this game, as this game has been built on a foundation of pure online shooters. The fact that it feels like you're in an actual battlefield at times and not on you're sofa really is impressive, the settings of the maps and the sound of distant gunfire really is extraordinary. You have slightly more limited customisation options than you get on MW2 but I don't really see that as a problem, the ability to drive tanks or fly a helicopter really makes up for it. There are some issues with lag at times but this happens no more often than on COD and can normally be settled by switching your console off and on. This really is a fantastic game especially if you regularly play online, if your bored of MW2 and fancy a change then this is a very good alternative to settle your virtual warzone itch. So If you can't play this game online maybe wait until the price drops a bit, but otherwise, what are you waiting for!

The Heavy Metal mission, despite the tanks lacking FCS (Fire Control System), is a great example of using combined arms, including reconnaissance, artillery, and tanks, to secure the outskirts of a city.

Additionally, the Sangre Del Toro mission illustrates effective triangulation in communications and minefield breach opening procedure (with the game's limitation of turning back in 10 seconds or being shot due to map restrictions). This is achieved by navigating through an existing clearing that your forces are unaware of, but is restricted prior gaining the intel.

The lack of the prone stance, however, is a significant flaw in a game where we need more cover, especially considering that nearly everything is destructible.

It's worth noting that the game is more of an arcade experience than a simulation. Your companions are invulnerable, and in reality, a competent military operation would not involve inserting four individuals for these high-risk (or dare I say, crazy) missions. However, that's precisely what makes people enjoy the game and is part of its charm.

The first game is a childhood classic, but I've never played this one before so I decided to give it a playthrough. Before I played the campaign, I played a little multiplayer before it's servers were closed down, and truthfully had a horrible time playing against people who knew every corner, crack, blind spot, and exploit to basically spawn kill me. I was able to learn some of the ropes, but it just wasn't fun enough to continue.

The campaign on the other hand was awesome. The stakes are way higher than the first game, with a mission to find, locate, and destroy a terrorist weapon that uses scalar technology to cause mass destruction. Playing on the hardest mode, I had a blast, with me only taking a couple days to fully finish the campaign, as it really isn't that long. The level designs were everything you'd want from a game like this, the story was serviceable, and the ending was a blast. Definitely recommend for 1st person shooter fans.

I think the most common pick for the best Battlefield game most recently has been Battlefield 3 since many people long for a similar setting and tone in the upcoming games. However, before that, Battlefield Bad Company 2 was the almost consensus best Battlefield Game.

Pros:

• Maps look stunning
• Destruction system is absolutely incredible
• The gunplay is absolutely awesome
• Sound design is incredible
• Squad play is really well designed
• Single player campaign is actually really good which unusual for battlefield
• Awesome graphics for the time
• Vehicles handle well and feel great
• Progression is well designed

Cons:

• Weapon balance is not perfect
• Campaign is a little short

Overall, the nitpicks are so small, it can't really take away from how amazing this game is!