It's been almost half a year since "Modern Warfare 2" hit store shelves, and while it remains the most played online shooter right now, many are starting to look elsewhere for their online FPS fix. Elsewhere, in this case, is "Battlefield: Bad Company 2."
The Basics
"Battlefield: Bad Company 2" is really two games in one. The single-player game is a heavily scripted, mostly linear first-person shooter which features a squad of ne'er-do-wells as they try to save the world from a devastating weapon.
The multiplayer game is another beast entirely. It consists of objective-centric multiplayer modes which pit teams against each other to capture important points on the map. There's also persistent character advancement, as you'll unlock weapons and new equipment as you play.
The Highs
The Multiplayer Modes
There are only four multiplayer modes in "Bad Company 2" but each of them are created in such a way that they engender teamwork, even among strangers. Conquest is the traditional "Battlefield" mode, which has two teams fighting over control of several points scattered across a massive map. Rush is similar, but it's more of an attack/defend style, where there are only two points that must be captured and once they are the map shifts back to the next line of defense. The other two modes are Squad Rush (a smaller version of Rush which is infantry only, 4v4 maps) and Squad Deathmatch (standard deathmatch, but with multiple teams of 4 squad members…or 4v4v4v4).
Each of the modes has its own pace and tactics, but none of them feel tacked on or unnecessary. I often found myself jumping from one to the other, and all of them felt satisfying and worthwhile.
Persistent Character Advancement
As you play online you'll earn points for getting kills, capturing objectives, repairing vehicles, so on and so forth. Depending on your class, those points will unlock new guns and equipment. Unlike "Modern Warfare 2," the class you play will determine which unlocks you get first, so there's almost an RPG-lite system at work in "Bad Company 2." A similar system was at work in the first "Bad Company," but this time around it feels streamlined and way more addictive.
Building Destruction
The destruction system from the first "Bad Company" has been improved to allow buildings to fully collapse, whereas before they would just be left as foundation skeletons. Apart from looking cool, this plays a huge part in multiplayer, as you can take out objectives by attacking them directly or simply by collapsing the building around them.
The Lows
The Single-Player Campaign
Unfortunately, while some improvements were made to the single-player campaign, it remains…lacking. Frankly it feels like a "Modern Warfare 2" knock-off, but the visuals and gameplay are simply not on par with Infinity Ward's effort. It's also surprisingly linear for a "Battlefield" game, forcing you into funneled maps and objectives rather than letting you pick your point of attack. The first time you actually make a choice of where you want to go first is 5 hours into the game, and that choice doesn't affect the way the mission plays out in any way. You're better off looking at the single-player in "Bad Company 2" as an added bonus on top of the multiplayer, but it's definitely not worthwhile on its own.
Selective Destruction
It's great that you can bring an entire house down and all, but it's less great when the game decides which walls can come down and which can't. For example, walls with ladders? Nope, they're indestructible. Even if you've blown out ever other wall in the building, the wall with the ladder will remain, taunting you. Not very satisfying.
The Verdict
If you're looking for an online multiplayer game that you can play with friends for months on end, "Battlefield: Bad Company 2" is an excellent choice. It's addictive, entertaining and fosters cooperation way more than its competitors. If you're just looking for a single-player FPS, though, "Bad Company 2" isn't much more than a mindless romp, a strictly middle-of-the-road experience. If you're looking for a little of both, though, it's an easy recommendation to make.