Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Review

By Dan Whitehead Published 2 March, 2010

Post-modern warfare.

Version tested: Xbox 360

Everyone loves a fat, juicy rivalry. Pepsi or Coke? Beatles or Stones? SEGA or Nintendo? These simple, binary pop-culture choices prompt endless arguments about which is best, but also help us define who we are and who we stand with. Now here comes EA's Swedish studio, DICE, making no secret of the fact that it wants to add another choice to that list: Bad Company 2 or Modern Warfare 2?

The first Battlefield: Bad Company game was an entertaining blast, with its crudely destructible environments and snot-nosed cast of irascible characters blagging dodgy gold in the middle of a war-zone. Boisterous and exciting, like an affectionate pit-bull, it still felt tentative, timid even at times. This was DICE feeling its way back into a console shooter market that had changed beyond all recognition since they last ventured into the land of the joypad with 2005's Battlefield: Modern Combat.

Bad Company 2, however, is an open challenge to the market leader, Activision's blockbuster behemoth. So let me pin my flag to the mast right from the start. This is the superior game.

It's not just the occasional overt jibe at the competition's expense - though one cut-scene pokes fun at elite special forces who use "pussy-ass heartbeat detectors", while another vocal aside insists "snowmobiles are for sissies" as quad bikes roar along a narrow jungle path. The overall structure of the game echoes that of Infinity Ward's cash-cow while being smarter and deeper in almost every aspect. This is a game that nicks Call of Duty's party dress, and looks better in it.

'Battlefield: Bad Company 2' Screenshot 1

One of the most stunning locations in the game. The reveal of this valley in the story mode is a jaw-dropper.

This is evident from the start of the single-player campaign, which opens proceedings with a tense and lengthy prologue mission set in 1944. This establishes the over-arching threat of the game - a secret and devastating Japanese weapon - and also acts as a nice bridge between the original Battlefield games and this brasher, hi-tech version. The pace is immediate and intense, packing in short bursts of exposition and in-game cut-scene material with frantic running gun battles. It ends ominously, and establishes the saurian foghorn sound of the scalar weapon as something to make your blood run cold. As an opening salvo, it's memorable and effective.

We then cut to Bravo Company in the present day, and the game hits the ground running. While on a routine mission, our quartet of salty, cynical soldiers stumble across something connected to the doomsday device. Clearly, it's about to fall into the wrong hands and Bad Company is swiftly drafted into the world of black ops to track down and retrieve the device before it can be used to aid Russia in invading US soil.

The improvements over the previous game are immediately evident. For one, the story and dialogue are nigh-on perfect. Not only does writer David Goldfarb manage to spin a yarn that hops all over the planet while remaining coherent, he also peppers every dialogue scene with the sort of quotable banter that will thrill any fan of vintage action movies. Unlike Modern Warfare 2's disjointed compilation of set-pieces, Bad Company 2 plays like a whip-smart Shane Black script from the late eighties. The razor-sharp quips are delivered with some superb voice acting and subtle deadpan animation, and the result is a game that will have you laughing out loud even as you're gripping the joypad for dear life.

'Battlefield: Bad Company 2' Screenshot 2

The lack of a prone posture is the only enduring control complaint, making life a little frustrating for both snipers and their hapless victims.

The 13 levels (if you include the prologue) are nicely varied, dropping you into situations that tweak the expected shooter framework in refreshing ways. One particularly memorable section finds you in the Andes, forced to make your way down a mountain in a blizzard. As well as contending with enemy guards, you have to keep finding cover or creating fires with explosives to keep from freezing to death, ice crystals encroaching on your view, your gun rattling in frost-bitten fingers.

There's also an epic mission that sends you to a South American desert on a multi-pronged quest to triangulate the position of a beached freighter containing vital info. The game goes a little bit open-world for this section, offering up three objectives that can be reached by Jeep or quad-bike. You'll battle through canyons in a sandstorm, storm a castle and pick your way through a derelict town populated by snipers before engaging in a tastefully small amount of Gordon Freeman-style first-person platforming to navigate the rusted hulk of the freighter. There are numerous vehicle sections, some of which feel superfluous and little more than excuse for some turret-based catharsis, but they do break up the on-foot action.

It's the firefights that form the meat of the game, however, and they play to the strengths of the enhanced demolition engine without ever making the mayhem feel gimmicky or forced. It's just what happens when you let rip with bullets and grenades in built-up areas.

The vast array of weaponry available to you means that there's always a different way of approaching any given encounter. As in the previous game, collectable weapons can be picked up from dead enemies, or taken from weapon crates, and these can then be swapped out at supply points in each level. This immediately frees the game from the restrictions of a genre that likes to dictate what firepower you can use to tackle each level, allowing the player to find their own style of combat and finesse it throughout the game.

Bad Company 2 is, arguably, still a game on rails, but the track is long and broad rather than a narrow corridor. Between the size of the stages, the weapon flexibility and the scope offered by the collapsing scenery, no two fights play out the same - even though they're every bit as reliant on invisible triggers as anything in Call of Duty.

The enemies don't quite match up to the breadth of gameplay approaches on offer, however. They're not the dimmest bunch in shooter history, but they're unlikely to trouble anyone expecting a tactical shooter. Even on the hardest difficulty setting, their tactics generally boil down to darting in and out of safety, firing wildly. The same isn't true of your AI companions, who walk a fine line between admirable efficiency and deliberately not killing everyone so you've still got something to do. They're also invincible, which looks a little strange as they stroll unharmed through a mortar strike while you cling to life by a thread.

The destruction compensates for these minor wobbles. Even at the end of my second playthrough, I was still being caught off guard by the temporary nature of cover in Bad Company 2. The instinct to crouch by some wall which magically repels all rocket attacks is so ingrained that having that wall showered all over me after one hit takes some getting used to.

'Battlefield: Bad Company 2' Screenshot 3

Ground vehicles are immediately gratifying, with the more sophisticated controls for helicopters justifying the practice they take to master.

The physics is noticeably more sophisticated than the previous game; it's no Red Faction Guerrilla in the demolition stakes, but it's enough to wriggle another limb free from the straitjacket of traditional FPS design. The ability to shoot through wooden barriers, topple brick walls and eventually demolish entire buildings utterly changes the way you play. Both defense and attack become far more complex problems in a constantly changing battleground.

Control is crisp, with the heavy stiffness evident in the beta test replaced with a responsive scheme that adds heft to your movements while retaining the agility required to keep pace with the blistering action. It's a lovely-looking game as well, despite some obvious pop-in and repetitive character models. DICE has eschewed the glossy, bloom-heavy look of most of its rivals, preferring instead to craft a world rich in detail and texture, with impressive vistas that wallow in their generous draw distance. Explosions are predictably impressive, but it's their aftermath that brings the world to life. Smoke, dust, sand and water spray all linger in the air.

Bad Company 2's single-player campaign would be a genre standout in any year, but it's online that the game comes into its own. It's no wonder that the box bears the tagline "Defining Online Warfare", since the multiplayer component here is a confident, muscular distillation of everything DICE has been building up to over the past decade. This is the online shooter at its most streamlined, most thoughtful, most exhilarating.

Quite simply, DICE understands that you don't necessarily need martyrdom perks, killer dogs or even hundreds of simultaneous players to make an excellent multiplayer game. You just need two very simple, yet often overlooked, factors: maps and balance.

The eight maps available (10, if you use your VIP code to get the two bonus DLC maps for free) are a masterclass in how to gently guide and funnel the player experience without intrusion. In other shooters you can tell which maps have been designed for which modes or with certain class abilities in mind, but Bad Company 2's skirmishes take place in large, roomy environments that feel effortlessly organic.

Drawn from the same broad locations as the single-player without lifting the layouts wholesale, there are no choke points because there are dozens of ways up and down, to and fro, across the map. They feel like real places where war has made its home, rather than artificial arenas designed for videogaming. And if it can all be brought down with the right barrage of explosives or a cunning flanking route, no single player can have an unfair upper hand, no matter how skilled.

For example, I was dropped into one Conquest game already in progress, on the losing side. At this late stage, all our base were belong to them and a particularly skilled enemy had taken to the skies in an Apache helicopter, performing an elaborate aerial ballet and bombarding our last refuge with rockets whenever anybody tried to make a break for safety. By taking advantage of the open environment, however, I was able to lurk out of sight in the scrub, make my way down the coastline to a shipwreck with an AA gun mounted on the deck and bring him down with no small amount of vengeful vindication. Almost immediately, the tide turned; my squad mates were able to commandeer tanks and APCs and start taking back the bases that had been complacently left unguarded, so sure were our foes of air superiority. Back and forth, the glorious flow of Battlefield is still a joy to behold.

'Battlefield: Bad Company 2' Screenshot 4

You can never be too careful. That tree might be a communist.

The game is full of fantastic little stories like that, and the maps do a great job of letting such things happen, providing the playground but leaving the game up to the players. Scamper up to an attic, use C4 to blow out one of the walls, and create a sniper spot that nobody will think to look for. Lose yourself in the rusty snarl of a beached freighter and wait, shotgun ready, for someone to dash past on their way to an objective. It's endlessly, brilliantly immersive stuff, fully deserving of the Battlefield legacy.

There are just four game modes, but sometimes less is more. Between Conquest (the de facto Battlefield base capture mode) and the objective-driven Rush, the game finds room for every style of online play other than the mania of a free-for-all deathmatch. Squad Deathmatch tickles that itch, setting four teams of four against each other, while Squad Rush caters for the gamer in a hurry, trimming the ebb and flow of the long-form Rush mode down to a deliciously simple "two objectives and you're out" morsel.

'Battlefield: Bad Company 2' Screenshot 5

This is one of those games where you're perpetually convinced someone is right behind you. Sometimes, they are.

Career progression is similarly well handled. Experience is earned for the usual things - kills, objectives attempted and completed - and there are several ways to tweak your score higher, either by getting headshots or designating targets for your squad to attack or defend. There are over 90 pins and insignia to earn, ranging from simple killing sprees to long-term awards for supplying hundreds of allies with ammo. Each offers yet more XP which accumulates and unlocks a range of benefits, some specific to class, others applicable across the board. It's a balanced system, as befits a developer that has honed PC multiplayer to a fine art; it ensures that there's momentum to your progress up the ranks while preventing any single player from becoming a super-charged killing machine.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is quite simply a superb package, with neither single-player nor online feeling like it's been given short shrift. They come together in the most robust, nuanced and carefully crafted game of its type this hardware generation. Modern Warfare is the obvious benchmark, and Bad Company 2 meets and even passes it with ease. But it's the high bar it sets for a genre mired in complacency that makes it so invigorating.

9 / 10

Read the Eurogamer.net scoring policy
Picture of Dan.

About Dan Whitehead

Dan has been writing for Eurogamer since 2006 and specialises in RPGs, shooters and games for children. His bestest game ever is Julian Gollop's Chaos.

Read more articles from Dan by visiting the Dan Whitehead archive page.

You may also like...

Comments (148) 2 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • khaz #1 2 years ago

    Holy shit.

    /instabuy

    I was looking forward to this anyway but when I found out it was coming to the PC as well my anticipation went up. Now this review just increased it even more! :D

    Edited by 1 at 02/03/10 @ 14:08

  • butler` #2 2 years ago

    Riticello will be pleased. He's been talking this up for yonks.

  • breedob #3 2 years ago

    Too many good games in march! Dammit!

  • DerFlange #4 2 years ago

    Must ...stop...buying...games from SSSteam... Help me..

    Time to retire.
    Edited by 1 at 02/03/10 @ 14:09

  • Zomoniac #5 2 years ago

    Here's hoping (in vain, no doubt) that this can unseat Modern Warfare.

  • Metalfish #6 2 years ago

    Look, I'll read the review in a sec, but about this "rivalry" thing: we don't care. Asshats have been polluting the BC:2 thread with their needless comparisons for weeks now, please don't encourage them.

    Which are better; apples or oranges? One MUST be better than the other. Which is it?!

  • Fixxxer #7 2 years ago

    There's only one way to find out...

  • Kikizosan #8 2 years ago

    All sounds good, but no co-op? Shame if not, but still looks worth a punt.

  • GamesConnoisseur #9 2 years ago

    Apples

    er ... wait no I think oranges?

    Damn it all to hell, I ll just get both!

    But what about the poor peaches?

  • Matfink #10 2 years ago

    How could it not have a prone position?!

  • Thedni #11 2 years ago

    I can't wait to plow a Blackhawk through/into various obsticles with a full squad in the back! Just like the old days of BF2 :D

  • KayJay #12 2 years ago

    Great Stuff. This gives my pre order the seal of approval.
    Good read to Dan.

  • Stupid_Fat_Hobbit #13 2 years ago

    God damnit, I was hoping I wouldn't have to buy this.

  • Metalfish #14 2 years ago

    Oh, and about the prone thing, it was taken out after testing by DICE, who found it to promote excessive camping by snipers in bushes who become next to impossible to see. I think it's the lesser of two evils: get sniped a lot more or be less able to keep your head down. Anything that discourages the plethora of selfish players who contribute nothing but their own KD ratio (a completely irrelevant statistic) is a positive thing, I feel.

  • sneetch #15 2 years ago

    YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

    Quite please with this review. :)

  • Bealsy #16 2 years ago

    Wowpants. And there was me reading through that thinking "in a second I'll get to the chokestick" and an 8/10 to appear.

    Nice. I still love MW2 though, despite its faults. Although this is really starting to get difficult not to purchase

  • Haloboy #17 2 years ago

    Woohoo! I knew it would be awesome. Goooooooooo team DICE! It's numero uno on Steam already.

  • WJF #18 2 years ago

    Instabuy!

    The demo was the best multiplayer game I've played since BF2, so if the SP game is good too (and it sounds that way) this will be worthy of a rare first-day purchase from me.

  • JahB #19 2 years ago

    oh ffs, dice. every time i'm thinking about not getting a battlefield game, you do something like this.

    Will somebody please think of my wallet?

  • CaptainQuint #20 2 years ago

    I've always thought MW online was overrated anyway. I'll be getting this.

  • sweatshop78 #21 2 years ago

    Hurrah! Well done DICE:)

  • butler` #22 2 years ago

    still wondering what exactly is so special about BC2 (multiplayer) compared to the original

  • zuljin #23 2 years ago

    Wow!

    Some of the review seems to contradict other reviews regarding the story and action/pace... I'm not going to modify my preorder in any case. The two betas have given me far more fun than MW2 gave me!

  • jmcflash #24 2 years ago

    Read like a 10 ;P

  • space_ace #25 2 years ago

    must buy...

  • Markitron #26 2 years ago

    Had my head in the sand a little about this, now im really lookin forward to it

  • mcwildcard #27 2 years ago

    Never doubted it for a second, the BF pedigree is long and illustrious, can't wait for this to arrive!!

  • frankfurter209 #28 2 years ago

    Sounds utterly lovely

  • IronGiant #29 2 years ago

    Brilliant game as proven by the beta and demo.. So I'm intruiged to know
    why didn't you score this a 10?

  • HarryPalmer #30 2 years ago

    I was blown away by the MP demo. Day 1 Purchase for sure.

  • Murbal #31 2 years ago

    Apples. I'm lazy and can't be doing with all this 'peeling' business.

  • Haloboy #32 2 years ago

    And yet we still have BF3 to come. Hallelujah brothers!

  • patchbox360 #33 2 years ago

    who do reviewers play online with before the game is released?

  • tossetaz #34 2 years ago

    Great review - was looking forward to seeing how it was received. I don't remember Mr. Whitehead writing much about the sound which I find strange considering how incredible it is, it really has the greatest and most immersive sound-effects to date.

    My preorder on Steam is ready to be unlocked, go ahead and open up that preload.
    Edited by 1 at 02/03/10 @ 14:35

  • Goodfella #35 2 years ago

    Oh well, I guess yet another shooter will claim the top spot next week instead of Heavy Rain. Zzzzzz.

  • costa_k #36 2 years ago

    Review says:
    ''...blow out one of the walls,and create a sniper spot that nobody will think to look for''.

    So,has DICE listened to the hardcore fanbase and removed the kill cam?Though I haven't played the game yet,I bet that this is not the case,and this is a bolox,biased review.
    All we BF veterans know that BC2 (unlike the previous one) will be a sub par multiplayer affair.The good old open and tactical gameplay is long gone in favour of some bottleneck design narrow maps (all 10 of them).
    I don't care if the single player is good,in fact I couldn't care less if there wasn't any.

  • binky #37 2 years ago

    Fantastic review.

  • HarryPalmer #38 2 years ago

    @ Goodfella: Horses for courses innit. Heavy Rain is great, but doesn't exactly fill the twitch shooter multiplayer/campaign niche does it? Personally, based on the demo this is the best on-line shooter I've played. And once I've completed Heavy Rain, I'm all over this.

  • thedaveeyres #39 2 years ago

    Looking forward to this. Nice review. \o/

  • Metalfish #40 2 years ago

    There's a mode without Killcams. On PC the server operator can decide whether to have it on or not.

    Or, you know OMG BIAS! Obvious really.

  • fknetwork #41 2 years ago

    Superb review EG but why didn't you give it a 10? the online demo was fantastic, I must have played it a few hundred times so cannot wait for this one!!!

    One question though, I am getting mine on Sunday as it's my birthday, will I be able to buy the LTD edition somewhere? I really want the extra unlocks etc, anyone know? thanks!

  • Geordiemp #42 2 years ago

    No mention of any coop modes at all in the review, and it was the big ommission in BF1 given you have 4 colleagues around you at all times yet a mate could not join.

    It has to have coop to drag me away from Borderlands...

  • karooo #43 2 years ago

    :o great score btw how much did MW2 get?

  • ignatiusjreilly #44 2 years ago

    I know it's an old game, but can some one with PC experience offer an opinion - which is better, this or BF2?

  • bratmandu #45 2 years ago

    I would point out that there are not really killcams - in that it never shows you being killed - the camera simply focusses on your killer after your death, you don't gotta see yourself die. Also the maps are so big that you couldn't really tell where the other player is from the 'killcam'.

    Also: holy fucking shit! Dan Whitehead gave this 9??!!

    Never had any doubt that this would be miles better than MW2 (which I've already finished on vet, prestiged twice and traded in due to multiplayer being ruined with children/idiots/glitches). Bad Company 1 was awesome despite a few technical and gameplay niggles, BC2 is true forward thinking in the fps genre.
    Edited by 1 at 02/03/10 @ 14:54

  • SFG_Clan #46 2 years ago

    I loved the first game and I knew from the moment I saw the new one I would buy it. I liked the first ones charm in single player, not perfect but fun and don't even get me started on the multiplayer as DICE's BF team are gods of multiplayer creation! This sounds great, good to know that the story is stronger now.

    Also Modern Warfare 2 is no comparison to this, its just not fair on MW2 how can you compete with sheer orgasmic game goodness? :p

  • paketep #47 2 years ago

    If they patch LAN in and release the dedicated code, perhaps. Until then, no thanks.

  • brazzauk #48 2 years ago

    Should have mine tomorrow or thursday and for the first time in a long time with shooters I am buzzing for this one. CODMW2 for me was a disappointment as it seemed like a lazy rehash to me.

    The genre needed something to come along and kick its arse and I was hopeful it would be battlefield! So far judging by my time on the beta and the demo its looking good. Glad it got such a good review here!

  • lordofthedunce #49 2 years ago

    I was going to give this a miss but I'm not sure I can now.

  • Derblington #50 2 years ago

    For such an avid fan, Dan makes a few minor mistakes - the prologue is set in 1943, the quote is "pussy-ass heartbeat sensors", and the game doesn't hop around the globe, it all takes place in the US. Apart from that, it's cool though :p
    Edited by 1 at 02/03/10 @ 15:10

  • Gunzberg #51 2 years ago

    BC 1 was the first game I pre-ordered the gold edition for on PS 3 and actually even paid full price. So good was the demo and the fun I was having. Can't wait for my PC copy to arrive. Though I enjoyed MW 2's single-player, the multiplayer never delivered the same levels of fun and co-operation that I had with BC1.

    Looking forward to finding a nice EG squad :)

  • dirtschmooz #52 2 years ago

    Great review and dealt with the obvious MW2 comparisons well. Can't wait to start playing.

  • Vortex808 #53 2 years ago

    Hurrah! Roll on delivery in a few days. Hurry up postie!

  • andijames #54 2 years ago

    Good stuff from a extremely competent and talented studio. Remember playing Battlefield 1942 and the further iterations and spending endless hours in the game and this just looks to improve more on what they've achieved in the past.

    Now... i think i'll have to trade some old game in at this rate as my wallets getting lighter by the week at the bloody moment!

  • Rens11 #55 2 years ago

    all our base belong to them instabuy!

  • TheJuriel #56 2 years ago

    Nice start to review. "This is the superior game."

    But, yeah, I've played a hundred games with just the demo, I've really been looking forward to this.

  • Quint2020 #57 2 years ago

    Good read that, well done Mr. Whitehead!

  • markypants #58 2 years ago

    Oh sh**t balls. Now I'm going to have to buy this as well.

  • TheJuriel #59 2 years ago

    Will be curious to see how many people use the XBLA BF1943 weapons online. At least their in-game news said you could use some of those old WW2 weapons in BC2. Now that'd be a good way to show off your leet skills / tone yourself down. :p

  • AliRay #60 2 years ago

    I'm a bit late to the party.

    must.finish.Bad.Company.1.before.friday!

  • Zerobob #61 2 years ago

    Hmmm, I wonder if the reference to MW2 in the last paragraph of the review was MW1 (ie Cod 4) or MW2, both of which gained exactly the same score as Bad Company 2, 9/10. If this game is better and sets a new benchmark why not give it a 10/10?

    The thing that makes MW1 and 2 so addictive for me is short blast each game feels like, all running at 60fps, never allowing you to get bored, and always letting you think "just enough time for one more game".

    I can't help but think this 'short blast' will be lost in the multiplayer making it quite a dull chore after a while. I also wasn't impressed by the demo. Still, the proof is in the pudding I guess.

  • President_Weasel #62 2 years ago

    All righty, Dan Whitehead, I shall buy this.

  • NunianVonFuch #63 2 years ago

    "Bad Company 2 plays like a whip-smart Shane Black script from the late eighties"

    :-O DO WANT!!! :-D

  • gav_and_the_gavster #64 2 years ago

    Wow, great score and praise, will be getting this for sure. Makes you wonder if EA really need that new Medal of Honour game?

  • Douche #65 2 years ago

    Hmmmm, doesn't sound like there has been much of an improvement to the AI (the biggest issue with the single player imo). Can the bad guys still shoot you in the face from 8 million miles away? Wasn't impressed with the multiplayer demo and was expecting the engine to be as good as Red Faction for destruction. Think i'll wait until it drops in price.

    Admittedly Modern Warfare 2 is getting all of my multiplayer time because it is excellent and addictive. I can't really understand the MW2 hate.

  • TruWari3r #66 2 years ago

    I wish they would bring "strike at karkand"to this in the future, really loved that map on bf2.

  • Cadence #67 2 years ago

    Great review. The Zerowing reference did make me chuckle.

  • Krusty #68 2 years ago

    Blimey, not been keeping up with FPSes and now this... wow!
    The amount of time I used to play BF2, I just gotta get this.

    /pre-orders on Steam

  • Diogo_Ribeiro #69 2 years ago

    Wait, Battlefield: Bad Company 2's single-player wasn't given short shrift?

    Is this the same BC2 which has the first level end as if it were the helicopter chase sequence of MW, to the point where you expect the game suddenly goes off all meta commentary on you and the camera moves back, showing a kid playing MW on X360 before his father waves him goodbye and says "I'm off to fight a real war", then the screen goes black and [BATTLEFIELD: BAD COMPANY 2] blows up on the screen?

    I guess between that and the average voice acting, coupled with team mates guarding walls while I'm mowing down enemies spawning in front of me, I must've played a different game.

  • Stegofreak #70 2 years ago

    On the one hand I know I'm going to be buying this on Friday but on the other I know that I won't be able to give up on MAG so easily. It's my fave series vs. the FPS that ticks all the right boxes for me. Had no doubt that DICE were going to produce the goods again.

  • M4RKYB #71 2 years ago

    Coke, Stones, Nintendo, Battlefield (by a country mile).
    Just received a dispatch notification email from Game for my preorder. Tomorrow please!!!!

  • agparrot #72 2 years ago

    /o\ non-game-buying mulligan.

  • mungolikebeans #73 2 years ago

    Will buy this.

    So can we have more content for Battlefield 1943 please, still my most played game ever.....?

  • AphoticCosmos #74 2 years ago

    Bwaaaaaahahahahaha! Fuck you very much Activision!

    Think I'm going to have to indulge in a bit of Battlefield awesomeness again.

    Now if only I could get my gaming PC to halls . . . gonna have to wait until April to play it! :(
    Edited by 1 at 02/03/10 @ 15:57

  • TitusCrow #75 2 years ago

    *wonders when it unlocks on steam* *taps foot* grr! I'm looking forward to playing all the other maps now rather that the one that we all know like the back of our hand :)

  • GitSomE_UK #76 2 years ago

    GOTY this by a country mile.

    The demo had to be the best demo I've ever played on the 360.

    As a BF2 Vet for many years this is as close as it gets to the legendary BF2 on console.... as for BF3... well that's the time to get a new PC me thinks :-)

    BTW +1 to Strike at Karkand map

  • dsmx #77 2 years ago

    Strike at karkland magnified everything that did and didn't work about bf2. It forced better teamwork but it also showed up the crappy hit detection. It was good fun attacking as a team until a commander drops artillery on your arse and wipes out half your team.

  • mcmonkeyplc #78 2 years ago

    FUCK! God damnit multiplatform gaming is going to make me bankrupt!

    Stop making games sony!

  • Bloobat #79 2 years ago

    Do i get this on pc or ps3???????
    can i get limited edition from the game store after release? (i have vouchers)

    looking insane, loved the first one on ps3

  • dsmx #80 2 years ago

    If you have a PC capable of running it get it on the PC. PC users get higher player counts and better graphics also they get access to something console users can only dream of, mouse control.

  • Bloobat #81 2 years ago

    yeah my pc can max it out, only i have m8's on ps3.....
    what do i do??

    sooo annoying, also pc version is soo much cheaper...

    thanks for reply
    Edited by 1 at 02/03/10 @ 16:44

  • darleysam #82 2 years ago

    .... wow.

    Okay, I had a list of games I wanted to get this year. I need to knock a wall through now to make room for this.

  • dsmx #83 2 years ago

    Then ask yourself is it worth being able to play with your mates over better controls, higher players counts and better graphics.

  • zuljin #84 2 years ago

    @Bloobat
    "yeah my pc can max it out, only i have m8's on ps3....."

    Sounds like you answered your own question there. How important is it to play with friends? If you're only getting it for singleplayer, then get the pc version, but if (all?) your friends are playing it on ps3, then get the ps3 version!

    Battlefield has always been so much more fun when you're playing in a squad of mates...

  • Bloobat #85 2 years ago

    I could meet ppl on pc, but i don't have a mic (im getting one, either razer or turtlebeach)
    i have 2 m8's on pc, about 9 on ps3, but i dought they will all be getting bfbc2

    thanks for the reply's
    Edited by 1 at 02/03/10 @ 16:56

  • Jesus: Action Figure #86 2 years ago

    Wasn't bothered by this, but I've just pre-ordered it. Looks ace!

    Wait! There's a 360 demo???

    /waits for hometime

  • Bloobat #87 2 years ago

    and why have ppl thumbed down dsmx for replying to my question???

  • zuljin #88 2 years ago

    @Jesus: Action Figure
    Sorry to dissapoint, demo is finished... Servers went offline 25th of February! T'was good - although very frustrating you could only unluck about one weapon per class. Well, it got me hyped up in any case!

  • dsmx #89 2 years ago

    It because I had the cheek to suggest that it's better to get the PC version in most cases.

  • Korpers #90 2 years ago

    MW2 = Trade for BFBC2.

  • DanWhitehead #91 2 years ago

    @patchbox360

    "who do reviewers play online with before the game is released?"

    EA opened up some PS3 test servers last week so press could play against the QA team, but since boxed promotional copies have been in the wild for about a week there were plenty of games using the retail code and servers over the weekend. I played against gamers from China, America, Europe.

  • dbranchevans #92 2 years ago

    Nailed it, I loved MW1 but the second left me cold, anyone no matter how rubbish can enjoy BC2 and its the most fun I've had in a shooter for a long long time. What other game lets you run someone over with a quad bike for a start?!

  • RedSparrows #93 2 years ago

    I still can't get very excited about it. Curse my sensibilities. The MP demo was more fun than CoD, for sure, but it still didn't scratch the itch enough. I think it's to do with the feeling that winning and losing don't really matter: it all just merges into one long, loud, XP grind. That, and the combat isn't fluid enough for my tastes. Still, the demo showed it's a great game. Oh well, I expect it to sell very well without me ^^
    Edited by 2 at 02/03/10 @ 17:51

  • Shrike #94 2 years ago

    Wow. Well, then. That read like a 10.

    I suppose that's my March purchase decided then.

  • cyber_nicco #95 2 years ago

    104th

  • theiceman #96 2 years ago

    I've noticed for a while here is that those who choose to disagree with the majority's thinking gets a negative mark,which i think stinks due to the fact everyone here has a right to voice an opinion. i really think they should remove it asap.
    Oh by the way i didn't like the demo but still loving MW2

  • Lunatic4ever #97 2 years ago

    wow,finally a reasonable review ...ign fucked it up but EUROGAMER got it right.

    Its THE game we all were longing for !

  • Jonny5Alive7 #98 2 years ago

    I've never really considered this and MW2 to be direct rivals. BF has always been about the bigger maps and capture the points style of play. Whilst COD has always been more fast paced arcadey style of play. I'm a big fan of both tbh.

  • des #99 2 years ago

    Meh...

  • Skurmedel #100 2 years ago

    @theiceman: I agree (not about MW2 though ;)), it promotes group think.

    Anyhow, if one is lucky this might be in the mailbox when I get home, the place I'm buying it from tend to be one day early with preorders. Or I could just take the bus to DICEs office and rob them of a copy.
    Edited by 1 at 02/03/10 @ 18:57

  • evilrobot #101 2 years ago

    I'll give this a miss thanks. Treacle running isn't my thing.

  • zisssou #102 2 years ago

    I really loved the first BC because of the multiplayer however the single player just felt really flat and dull... I really forced myself to complete it. Hopefully this single player will be up there with the fantastic multiplayer.

  • coolbritannia #103 2 years ago

    Tactical. Destructive. Immersive. I am a very happy bunny. Oh and Goodfella, you should be pleased heavy rain got to #1 at all, historically games like that don't share critical AND commercial success. How small your world must be.

  • Jimster71 #104 2 years ago

    Pre-ordered this as soon as the demo finished. I enjoyed it more than MW2 because, even if you can't hit a cow's arse with a banjo, you can still score well from support roles.

  • Spekingur #105 2 years ago

    The lack of prone kind of keeps me from wanting this. I feel it is a neccessity in shooter games nowadays.

    I didn't see any mention of how "well" it runs on low spec machines (or what the game would consider a low spec machine).

  • lockload #106 2 years ago

    Day 1 purchase

  • Roarrr #107 2 years ago

    Downloading on steam now. It's the first time I can recall, where I am unsure if to just skip the SP in favour of the MP. That's how good the demos were. I played ps3 beta, ps3 demo and 360 demo.

  • Nighthaunter #108 2 years ago

    Roll on Friday!

  • TheRankinator #109 2 years ago

    F'in amazing, this will be my game of 2010. I still remember the first time I was shown battlefield 1942 (back in schooldays) and thinking 'this is the future of online fps.' sadly it wasn't the case, but I'm glad battlefield is still doing it. I think
    more should perhaps be explained about the multiplayer aspect, I know the majority of us will know the game, but we're gonna have an increased amount of the 'cod generation' players so;

    Use your back button! it allows you to gain easy points by pointing out enemy troops/vehicles aswell as objectives.

    Revive! I personally play medic and I'm shit hot. However I've met a vast number of teammates (some squadmates!) that just walk right on by without picking me up. You get a huge score bonus, and we get a ticket back, so it's almost like my high-scoring, noob kickin' ass didn't die at all. I'm invincible!

    Attn. Snipers! You might think you're cool sitting on the rock right at the back of the map popping off maybe 4-5 guys a match, but you look like a douche. Hit that back button on any enemy or vehicle you come across, that shits tight! You know, I've played this demo on the 360 for over 24 hours, I got a motherfucking pin for that! That's special to me. But in all that time spent having nerdy fun, I've not
    seen one person playing recon throw one of those sparkly grenade type things, these things are motion sensors, making nearby enemies visible to teammates, hotdamn!

    Tracer dart! You don't have to equip this shit, but I do. And when I do, I need you fellas with the rpg's to lock onto them. Combined with a good medic you're an unstoppable force!

    Health/Ammo! This should become pretty obvious to any monkey who picked the controller up to play and smashed all the buttons to figure out what they do. Right on the d-pad either drops health if you're a medic and ammo if your assault. These rack up some mad points aswell as keeping you're buddies rifles loaded and boners
    popping, awesome!

    Have you practises flying a chopper before? No? Then don't fly one. Haha just kidding, but If your going to, don't take your teammates with you when you hold back on the right analogue stick and crash straight into any poor motherfucker behind you as you scrape it along the ground into epic fail!

    I hope DICE include a tutorial :)
    Edited by 1 at 02/03/10 @ 22:43

  • KayTannee #110 2 years ago

    Will wait. I'm dubious about the MP and how it'll compare to BF2 and BF2142. Lack of prone worries me abit.

  • dsmx #111 2 years ago

    Apparently prone was removed to cut down on sniper camping.

  • Dizz #112 2 years ago

    YES! I can't wait, the BF series stomps all over CoD.

  • Lee_Morris #113 2 years ago

    Should be shipped by shopto this moring and in my hands tomorrow. I can't wait as the demo got me so excited for the game. I hope it's a big seller.

  • symmetry #114 2 years ago

    Played just about every BF game from 1942 onwards, so there's no way I'm not getting this.

  • OllyJ #115 2 years ago

    Did I just get through that whole review and they don't mention the fucking amazing audio ONCE!! Does Eurogamer have ears or what???

    It's ear sex.

  • swissorc #116 2 years ago

    Guess this is the answer to the question I posted a couple of day's ago about whether Heavy Rain could make it two weeks at the top and the amount of one week number one's currently.

    P.S well done dice good work. But I have no money and time for this. Still playing Mass Effect two and Wii is where my money is going in the next few months Red Steel Two + Monster Hunter 3 = No 360 time sadly.

  • tenma #117 2 years ago

    I got this last night (I'm in the US) and I definitely agree with the rating so far. The game (only touched single player so far) is a blast to play through. The pacing is great, the vehicular sections never wear out their welcome, the writing is on point and the weapons are fun to use. It's basically the single player experience I was hoping Modern Warfare 2 would be.

  • metalangel #118 2 years ago

    Reports coming in of the servers not coping with demand. Just like with BF1943. Glad I didn't preorder, then.

  • spiny #119 2 years ago

    Anyone know if they removed the spawnrape by teens in heilos? I loved bf2 apart from that.

  • KeirGT #120 2 years ago

    You've got me incredibly excited for this.

  • Shikasama #121 2 years ago

    ALl FPS games don't need to have a prone position by default, they only need it if it is in the context of the game.

    Those who have played it should agree that if prone was available in BFBC2, you would NEVER EVER see the enemy. It is tricky enough as it is and it takes practise to distinguish the shapes in the distance. If the 10 sniping mongs on your attacking team could lay down they'd be there for the entire game, unspotted and unabashed.

  • lmephisto #122 2 years ago

    Damn it!! To many games!!!!!!!!!!!! I spend allready 1/8 of my sallary on games this month and its still only the begining!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • metalangel #123 2 years ago

    @Shikasama: That's odd, previous Battlefield games were just fine with going prone. I think it was something to do with the fact that tank and helicopter > sniper...

  • bratmandu #124 2 years ago

    @ spiny

    From the demo (Still gotta wait till friday for full game). Defenders were not able to enter the attackers spawn point, the attackers base was out of bounds for defenders.

    Also, when a base is taken, and the defenders have to fall back, they can go straight back to the new base, but attackers can't enter the new area for a minute or so (till those planes fly overhead), allowing defenders to get settled into the new base.

    Interesting way of combatting rushing/spawn camping, how it will work in the main game - well someone that has it can tell ya!

  • chessboxer #125 2 years ago

    My PC and PS3 LE copies have just arrived. Playing the PS3 version first.

    @ bratmandu

    It will work exactly like it did in the first game. It's a shame MAG didn't do something similar as it's a good idea.

  • marcgiu #126 2 years ago

    chessboxer - why ps3 and pc copies. You have 2 much moola

  • TheGuvernor #127 2 years ago

    My 2 cents worth.
    Sell the dog, the cat, your Mum's china & go & buy it!!
    Rock solid awesome - the destructible environments & sound are mind blowing.
    This takes shooters to another level.
    GOTY!
    I hope IW & Actiwank are sh!$@ing bricks!!!!!!
    MW2 is DEAD!

  • chessboxer #128 2 years ago

    PS3 is now my main gaming platform and I wanted a decent MP on the PC to replace Counter-Strike: Source. I was never impressed by any of the COD MP games and UT3 wasn't as good as UT2004 but Battlefield has always been a good online series. Dedicated servers ftw!

  • chessboxer #129 2 years ago

    @ marcgiu

    PS3 is now my main gaming platform but I wanted a decent MP on the PC to replace Counter-Strike: Source. I was never impressed by any of the COD MP games and UT3 wasn't as good as UT2004 but Battlefield has always been a good online series. Dedicated servers ftw!

  • kingoftime #130 2 years ago

    Awesome Review! You sound so professional and your words are eccentric but effective in explaining every detail of this game. I definitely notice the difference in reviews from a person who is as intelligent as you and bad reviewers who may or may not give the game a good score, but in the end do nothing to satisfy our want for the "full story". smart, funny, intriguing, and satisfying review, good job I'm definitely going to come back to this site more often if you do these reviews on the regular.

  • Boomerang #131 2 years ago

    Heh, are you reviewing the reviewer?

  • Brexer #132 2 years ago

    Game is really bad actually.

    Single player is over in like couple of hours, then you have multiplayer left, and thats where its not fun anymore.

    1) You have to pay others to host your servers (those company's who payed off EA to get the software), as you dont get the software to do it yourself.
    2) There is absolutely no customer support at all.
    3) Multiplayer on PC version is NOT WORKING, yes, you read it right, you will get
    3.1) disconnects
    3.2) loose the special items from your limited edition code
    3.3) fail to connect to servers (all of them).
    3.4) Packet loss
    3.5) Limited amount of servers, most with high ping even on my 50/50 mbit fiber connection.

    However, they do visit forums, only to ban you if you catch on to them, but not to help you.

    Even if its first time you visit the forum, they will ban you if you say anything they dont like (so much about freedom of speech).

    I highly recommend not buying the game at this current state and lack of any support at all.

  • jambo74 #133 2 years ago

    @Brexer

    Not on the console review matey

    50/50 mbit fiber connection.
    NO - 50 Down - Fibre in the street, cable to your house - you don't have optical cable in your house.
    2-3 MB up.
    Edited by 2 at 05/03/10 @ 11:35

  • Br0ken_Engli5h #134 2 years ago

    Brexer is really Bobby Kotick in disguise.

  • local_celebrity #135 2 years ago

    "Awesome Review! You sound so professional and your words are eccentric but effective in explaining every detail of this game. I definitely notice the difference in reviews from a person who is as intelligent as you and bad reviewers who may or may not give the game a good score, but in the end do nothing to satisfy our want for the "full story". smart, funny, intriguing, and satisfying review, good job I'm definitely going to come back to this site more often if you do these reviews on the regular."

    Post. of. the. year.

    Dan, you should print this out and frame it. Your work is now done.

  • bf #136 2 years ago

    Unless you like your singler player gaming to be unispired inconsistant american flagwaving with rotten dialogue and more plotholes than swiss cheesethen you should give this a miss.
    Its back to the store for you BC2 because you really are bad company...

  • tullos #137 2 years ago

    As usual a good game spoilt by ea ability to screw up the multiplayer servers. Fifa, bad company 1 its still the old story of trying to run the servers themselves and still making an ass of it... come on ea let someone who knows what they are doing do the job instead of the incompetents you currently use

  • php_penguin #138 2 years ago

    Loved the SP (just the right amount of variation and difficulty, although a few annoying saveless moments) but the MP is just so unbelievably fracking broken right now my usual calm is flying out of the window.

    Whilst searching for games (Play Now >> Join Game) I have managed to read the review and every comment in this thread. I got interrupted momentarily when it dropped me into a game with 3 people. 5 seconds later I got kicked by PB.

    So, a quick run down of all the issues with MP I have noticed *so far*:
    1. Failed to login to EA
    2. Failed to load soldier list
    3. Failed to login to soldier (Updating stats dissapears and tells you to get f***ed)
    4. Failed to find any matches
    5. Unable to connect to server
    6. Server is full (not really a bug but annoying that it takes 20 seconds to tell you this)
    7. Dropping you into empty servers
    8. Dropping you into servers with high ping
    9. A lot of the dialogs have no "cancel" button for when you get bored and decide to play SP for the 50th time.
    10. Random kicks making you lose unlocks.

    It's annoying because when you actually get into a game its MP bliss.

  • SleepyDeathFred #139 2 years ago

    Another game that will be awesome as soon as EA sort their shit out. We'd better get some free DLC for this - what's the point of a release date if the product's broken for the first week or so? Pretty sure this is the third Battlefield game on Xbox 360 that has had this exact problem.

  • E_Goldstein #140 2 years ago

    Sigh, i must be getting old. No matter how many high scoring shooters they make I can't bring myself to buy another one after MW2. My mind can't cope with another FPS they are all the fecking same now! Save me Jebus!

    I think my wish list needs "Antiques Roadshow: The Valuation Octagon"

  • metalangel #141 2 years ago

    Well, I spent the weekend playing MW2. The hour or so I managed to get online playing Bad Company 2 sure seemed fun, but after being dumped just after making a squad with my friend I was unable to reconnect for the rest of the evening, and indeed for the remainder of the weekend.

    A complete fucking disgrace.

  • mizcicz #142 2 years ago

    this game is so awesome i think i wont need any other game any time soon...

  • DirtyDubs #143 2 years ago

    Great game!

    Also, just wanted to post the 152nd (ish) comment on this. Do people really read this far?

  • kingosticks #144 2 years ago

    I'd agree with most MP comments here. Great once your in but near impossible to get that far. Not that its anything new from DICE's other BF titles on that front. If they sorted that I'd buy it in an instant.
    Edited by 1 at 10/03/10 @ 14:01

  • ReaperOscuro #145 2 years ago

    Dirty they dont but like me skip to the last page, which this is.

    Agree with all but with the balance in multiplayer. Last i checked the spot function, while now on cooldown, still makes everyone spam sniper. Spot function wasnt mentioned even once (lol knowing my ignorance its been take out) but a. Important if small unbalance to take note of.

    And if its superior to mw2 in every way, why has it the same score? I understand 10 is still 10, but its a shame it didntget a better score since the better game.

  • danbobs #146 2 years ago

    The single player plot is really mediocre. If you imagine MW2 plot to be hollywood blockuster in the style of a Bond or Jason Bourne movie, BFBC2 feels like feature length episode of the A-team. The dialogue is hokey, even by gaming standards. An officer on his last mission before retiring, a wisecracking geek, a plain speaking texan. Gimme a break. Cliche-ridden drivel. At points, even the main characters can't be bothered to understand or care what the hell they're doing. Who can blame them? As for the "if you bought BFBC2 for the single player mode you're missing the point" shtick: fine, if it's basically just a multiplayer game, then let it retail at near half price. Even then, there are not that many maps in multplayer. Awesomely balanced and massively fun BFBC2 is, the lack of content gives you the feel of a spectcaularly good demo, not a polished and finished game.

  • geeza2020 #147 2 years ago

    this game is amazing sauce. what?

  • Agente_Silva #148 2 years ago

    @ DirtyDubs... Lucky your post is in the head of list - lol, yes we do.

    Anyway, I didn´t even know that BF BC2 had a singleplayer campaign! Is it more from same? YES it is... do we like it? YES we do.´Yesterday I´ve played almost straight 6 hours and I just stopped so I can play today as well (LoL). It´s the kind of devouring games and the score given here is bullseye. The game feels like a VIP presentation for the multiplayer game (wich will certainly increase sells for EA/DICE) but it´s made with the same attention as if it was meant to be just singleplayer campaign (this is EA grunting theeth at Activision). If you add the upcoming Medal Of Honor, Activision will have a lot to swim :D

    @danbobs:

    "An officer on his last mission before retiring, a wisecracking geek, a plain speaking texan. Gimme a break. Cliche-ridden drivel..." - I believe that is the story of true Marine Corps... LOL

    Great game - we love pure shooters :)
    Edited by 3 at 25/05/10 @ 15:34