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Post Date: 17:26 01-04-2010
Rating: 10
Author: awesomedrako
Comment: Now, I'm going to mostly reviewing the multiplayer of Bad Company 2. However, I will briefly go over the campaign, by saying that it is better than Battlefield's norm, and it's more of the usual FPS shooter action. Only it's not the best single-player in the world, it's not got the cinematic flair of the Modern Warfares or a deep, engaging story, but it's gameplay is certainly great, and the Frostbite engine certainly helps.
I mentioned the Frostbite engine above, and I think I should actually say why this thing is so great. In short, it allows for very tactical gameplay. When you can level buildings, and blow holes in walls, nowhere is really safe. For the single-player, this means that the AI was specifically built to blow up cover and sniper spots, and generally make your life much harder, so you MUST think tactically. For multiplayer, this means that even if the enemy has a group of people inside a building, which is practically impregnable with them in it, you can level the building and kill everyone inside. Nowhere is safe. While this kind of destruction has been done in other games before (such as Red Faction), DICE has made a game where destruction can be used tactically.
Now, about the multiplayer. This is a squad-based multiplayer FPS. The game is BUILT around working together. (Actually, I think the MAG team should take some notes from DICE, but that's off-topic.) The game's multiplayer uses a levelling up system, where you gain experience from doing various things inside games, and once you gain enough experience, level up. There are many weapons, gadgets, and specs to unlock for all 4 classes. The game gives out experience for many things. The most obvious is killing an enemy, and completing objectives. However, there are many team-based ways of
getting experience. For example, if you are an Assault class, and throw out an ammo box, then every time a team-mate refills ammo from your ammo box, you get experience. Similarly, if you are a Medic, then you can get a lot of experience from simply reviving and healing people. There's a 'spotting' system as well, where if you see an enemy, and press the 'spot' button, it will place a marker on them for your team to see, and you will get points if your team kill them! If you play your role in a team, the game rewards you. It's a very effective system, as it gets people to work together. Even the
game's spawning system is built around teamwork, which allows you to spawn around a teammate.
There are many weapons in the game, but one of the highlights are the vehicles. Again, they are built around teamwork; each vehicle can accommodate more than one person. One would drive and one could gun for
example. But the vehicles can really be used to tactical effect, using them to blow up enemy infantry and buildings, while acting as a good armour against enemy fire. Also, it looks quite fun to fly in a helicopter and rain down fire from the skies. However, they also have their drawbacks, as if they blow up with you inside them, then you are instantly killed. Also, if you are in the air, then you are very exposed even if you survive by jumping out with a parachute.
I have been mostly talking about the team element up to now, and for good reason. However, there are many other elements of Bad Company 2 that are of note. The graphics are on par with every other modern FPS these days. The battlefield flashes and gets scars, and starts smoking as the battle goes on. Jungles look good, buildings look good etc. More importantly though, is the sheer size of the battlefields themselves. They are MASSIVE. Somehow though, 2/3 of it is filled with stuff. It's not just empty space. There are hills, jungles, buildings, fences, roads, houses, camps. The battlefields really give an open feel, and perhaps unwittingly, give a good incentive to simply explore the battlefields. Sometimes, you might even find a tank or a helicopter if you look far enough!
The massiveness of the battlefields leads me on to my next point. This game is very tactical. You not only have to work with your team, but you have to find cover all the time, complete objectives (WITHOUT GETTING KILLED), maybe lay down suppressing fire. This isn't a completely realistic FPS, but it's certainly a very tactical one. Stand out in the open, and you will most likely get shot. Stay in one place, constantly firing at enemies? They'll find you, and kill you in some way. Again, if you play as a lone wolf, then you won't succeed as this game. However, if you play as a run-and-gun-not-thinking-at-all MW2 fan, then you will die. Many, many times.
Finally, this game's massive maps and amounts of classes and weapons gives a lot of variations. There are many ways to play this game. You could play as an assault class, running at the front of your team from building to building, clearing each one out as you go. You could play as the Medic, healing anybody that falls as you struggle to win the battle. You could jump in a helicopter with a friend, rain down fire, then jump out and parachute behind your enemies, flanking them! There are many ways to play, and this leads to many fun games.
This game's multiplayer is excellent in many, many ways, and in my opinion, one of the best if not the best multiplayer experience out there currently. Did I mention there are a ton of achievements to get?
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