Choices… There are so many choices. Do I position myself on a ridge and snipe my enemies from a distance, sneak in undetected and then unleash a firestorm of RPG’s, blast my way through in a tank or should I “paint” my target with a laser guided bomb. These are just some of the decisions you will have to make while playing through Battlefield Bad Company. Now I’m a big Call of Duty 4 fan and one would think that because of this I would have jumped all over Bad Company when it released. I didn’t. I played the Battlefield multiplayer beta during the height of my CoD4 obsession and was unimpressed with it. I didn’t like the large scale battles that are a staple of the Battlefield franchise and preferred the more intimate small skirmishes Call of Duty 4 offered. So I skipped over the game and continued playing CoD4.
After the great August XBLA offerings were over I needed something to play, and was finally burnt out on Call of Duty 4. Enter Battlefield Bad Company. I just finished the campaign last week and I had blast with it. Just like I mentioned earlier the number of choices you have to tackle your in game objectives is what make this game so much fun. There are numerous weapons, support kits and vehicles that can all be used to accomplish your objectives (which usually involve blowing stuff up). Speaking of blowing stuff up, nearly everything in the game is destructible. Buildings, trees and vehicles all can be destroyed with your awesome fire power. On one level I couldn’t spot the exact location of a pesky enemy sniper, so I figured the general area he was in, painted it, guided my bomb and blew the hell out of the tower/building he was hiding in. It was so satisfying.
The story is relatively interesting and I enjoyed the characters that make up your squad. There were a few laugh-out-loud parts within your squad mates friendly banter, and they rarely (maybe twice) get in your way or detract from your enjoyment of the game (thank goodness they can’t die). The story has you, Preston Marlow, as a new member of the US Army’s Bad Company unit (pretty much a stick-the-soldiers-who-screw-up-here squad). Bad Company is expendable and therefore does the Army’s most dangerous missions. During one such dangerous mission you and your squad discover a brick of gold used to pay the hired mercenaries that are assisting in the hostile takeover of a fictional country (Kerplakistan?). When your US Army superiors abandon Bad Company while in hostile territory, you and your mates decide to go after the rest of the gold. It’s a very Three Kings inspired story, but with less Marky Mark and more Funky Bunch. Oh man, that was a lame quote… but I’m hecka leaving it in there… Anyway, I enjoyed the story mainly because the characters are entertaining, even if they are a bit cliché (rough and tough commanding Sergeant anyone?)
Here is an example of how varied your experience can be. While playing online yesterday I started out in a match by jumping into a teammate’s tank. We tore around the map for a while gunning down hopeless foot soldiers before being blasted to bits by mortar fire. When I respawned I wanted to try the mortar thing out for myself. I was targeting my second tank when I was hit by a laser guided bomb. Having failed with the big guns I decided to try a little sniping. I found a spot along the tree line and spent the rest of the round picking off fools while my team advanced on the gold.
This game is all about giving the player the freedom to decide how to play the game the way they want to. So, if you like blowing stuff up and want to decide how you get to do it. Then I recommend picking up Battlefield Bad Company.
After the great August XBLA offerings were over I needed something to play, and was finally burnt out on Call of Duty 4. Enter Battlefield Bad Company. I just finished the campaign last week and I had blast with it. Just like I mentioned earlier the number of choices you have to tackle your in game objectives is what make this game so much fun. There are numerous weapons, support kits and vehicles that can all be used to accomplish your objectives (which usually involve blowing stuff up). Speaking of blowing stuff up, nearly everything in the game is destructible. Buildings, trees and vehicles all can be destroyed with your awesome fire power. On one level I couldn’t spot the exact location of a pesky enemy sniper, so I figured the general area he was in, painted it, guided my bomb and blew the hell out of the tower/building he was hiding in. It was so satisfying.
The story is relatively interesting and I enjoyed the characters that make up your squad. There were a few laugh-out-loud parts within your squad mates friendly banter, and they rarely (maybe twice) get in your way or detract from your enjoyment of the game (thank goodness they can’t die). The story has you, Preston Marlow, as a new member of the US Army’s Bad Company unit (pretty much a stick-the-soldiers-who-screw-up-here squad). Bad Company is expendable and therefore does the Army’s most dangerous missions. During one such dangerous mission you and your squad discover a brick of gold used to pay the hired mercenaries that are assisting in the hostile takeover of a fictional country (Kerplakistan?). When your US Army superiors abandon Bad Company while in hostile territory, you and your mates decide to go after the rest of the gold. It’s a very Three Kings inspired story, but with less Marky Mark and more Funky Bunch. Oh man, that was a lame quote… but I’m hecka leaving it in there… Anyway, I enjoyed the story mainly because the characters are entertaining, even if they are a bit cliché (rough and tough commanding Sergeant anyone?)
As for the multiplayer, the same theme holds through; choice. As I said earlier, I am not a fan of large scale multiplayer battles (which is why I prefer my Halo served Team Slayer rather then Big Team Battle). However, I found myself really having fun with Bad Company’s multiplayer. There is only one mode to play (which kind of contradicts this choice theme we have going on), but it is the freedom of choice that is given to the player to accomplish the goal that makes it so fun. The name of the mode is Gold Rush. Two sides, defenders and attackers square off. There are numbered gold crate caches scattered around each map. The defenders are trying to protect the gold, while the attackers are trying to destroy the crates. The game ends when either the attackers destroy all the gold crates or the defenders kill all the attackers and their reinforcements (a set number of respawns the attacking team has).
So the same choices are available to you during multiplayer as in single player, but some will need to be unlocked by advancing through the leveling and experience system. You gain experience by recording kills, assists, and protecting/defending the gold caches, but also get more points for skilled kills such as headshots or destroying an enemy vehicle. By leveling up you will earn credits that can be spent to unlock new guns and support kits. Some of these include a hypodermic needle for regaining health, laser guided bomb and new weapons (sniper rifles, shotguns, ect.)
So the same choices are available to you during multiplayer as in single player, but some will need to be unlocked by advancing through the leveling and experience system. You gain experience by recording kills, assists, and protecting/defending the gold caches, but also get more points for skilled kills such as headshots or destroying an enemy vehicle. By leveling up you will earn credits that can be spent to unlock new guns and support kits. Some of these include a hypodermic needle for regaining health, laser guided bomb and new weapons (sniper rifles, shotguns, ect.)
Here is an example of how varied your experience can be. While playing online yesterday I started out in a match by jumping into a teammate’s tank. We tore around the map for a while gunning down hopeless foot soldiers before being blasted to bits by mortar fire. When I respawned I wanted to try the mortar thing out for myself. I was targeting my second tank when I was hit by a laser guided bomb. Having failed with the big guns I decided to try a little sniping. I found a spot along the tree line and spent the rest of the round picking off fools while my team advanced on the gold.
This game is all about giving the player the freedom to decide how to play the game the way they want to. So, if you like blowing stuff up and want to decide how you get to do it. Then I recommend picking up Battlefield Bad Company.
