As most of you know, this was my most anticipated game of 2010. The question is did DICE meet the expectations that I had in the BETA and the demo or did they fail miserably?
I'll save that question last, but first the positives and negatives of BC2 and whether or not you should you buy it (if you haven't already).
Positives
The multiplayer is flat out addicting. Addicting to the point, even when you're pissed you still want one more game to get rid of that bad round you had or the loss your team took. Unlike Modern Warfare 2, this game is skilled based (and a little luck from time to time). Even if you're a no rank, you can kill a higher ranked player. I did that in the beginning by killing a level 8 or 10 player and a no rank killed me and I'm halfway through the ranks.
The guns handle like their real-life equivalents. M16s fire in three-round burst or full-auto. M1911 is a man stopper. Of course, in any 'Military Game' there's a generous amount of sniper rifles. If you played Modern Warfare 1 or 2, you know that you choose your weapon plus a sidearm and some perks. BC2 is different in a sense. Instead of weapons you pick classes, each with strengths and weaknesses; Medics heal and revive allies, Assault brings the pain and ammo, Recons are sneaky and deploy motion mines, and Engineers repair and destroy tanks. Also, there are several firearms that aren't linked to a class (e.g. G3, the Tommy Gun, shotguns, and for the Battlefield vets the M1 Garand.) Plus five different handguns and a tracer dart. Then, you choose your attachments (or perks) that suit your play style. Grenade Launchers for assault, advanced medic kits for medics, rocket launchers or anti-tank mines for engineer, and C4 or Mortar Strikes for recon.
Two differences from BC to MW are vehicles and destructible environments. With vehicles, (which have perks as well) they can make you win or lose or they can completely neutralize an entire team, IF the tank driver and gunner are in sync. Destructible Environments was one of the main things that convinced me BC2 was going to be good. I played the demo of the original Bad Company and it had destructible environments. Not to the extent they are now, but you could destroy a ton of things. When I mean destroy, I mean buildings, cover, heavy machine guns, and UAVs. About 90% of the things in BC2 can be destroyed, so just because you're in a GOOD hiding stop, someone will use some explosives and blow it away.
No two games will every be the same. For instance, if you dominated one round as the US, the next game you might do terrible. I've had rounds where I thought I did terrible, but ended up being the best player in the round and vice versa. Kill/Death Ratios are important in MW2, but not here. They're important, but it isn't the defining stat. Same with Wins/Losses. It's important to work as a team, instead of going lone wolf. It is possible to play lone wolf, but it's something I don't recommend, unless you have no friends (on PSN).
The guns handle like their real-life equivalents. M16s fire in three-round burst or full-auto. M1911 is a man stopper. Of course, in any 'Military Game' there's a generous amount of sniper rifles. If you played Modern Warfare 1 or 2, you know that you choose your weapon plus a sidearm and some perks. BC2 is different in a sense. Instead of weapons you pick classes, each with strengths and weaknesses; Medics heal and revive allies, Assault brings the pain and ammo, Recons are sneaky and deploy motion mines, and Engineers repair and destroy tanks. Also, there are several firearms that aren't linked to a class (e.g. G3, the Tommy Gun, shotguns, and for the Battlefield vets the M1 Garand.) Plus five different handguns and a tracer dart. Then, you choose your attachments (or perks) that suit your play style. Grenade Launchers for assault, advanced medic kits for medics, rocket launchers or anti-tank mines for engineer, and C4 or Mortar Strikes for recon.
Two differences from BC to MW are vehicles and destructible environments. With vehicles, (which have perks as well) they can make you win or lose or they can completely neutralize an entire team, IF the tank driver and gunner are in sync. Destructible Environments was one of the main things that convinced me BC2 was going to be good. I played the demo of the original Bad Company and it had destructible environments. Not to the extent they are now, but you could destroy a ton of things. When I mean destroy, I mean buildings, cover, heavy machine guns, and UAVs. About 90% of the things in BC2 can be destroyed, so just because you're in a GOOD hiding stop, someone will use some explosives and blow it away.
No two games will every be the same. For instance, if you dominated one round as the US, the next game you might do terrible. I've had rounds where I thought I did terrible, but ended up being the best player in the round and vice versa. Kill/Death Ratios are important in MW2, but not here. They're important, but it isn't the defining stat. Same with Wins/Losses. It's important to work as a team, instead of going lone wolf. It is possible to play lone wolf, but it's something I don't recommend, unless you have no friends (on PSN).
Negatives
From playing the BETA to the final product DICE has changed how some things worked. The spotting system (where you point an enemy for everyone on the map to see) was perfect, but now you can only spot so many times before it must cool down. There have been times I was in a squad and I tried to spot an enemy tank that was coming, but since spot was in cool down, my ally died. Certain guns like the M93R have been toned down, to the point that once you get the trophy for 5 guns, you'll never use it again, whereas others are completely overpower, the M1911 handgun comes to mind.
If you bought the limited edition, you got access to unlocks that others who buy the game have to rank up to get. I can see this a both a positive and a negative, however, I would have given the LE folks more of an incentive to buy the game during the first couple of weeks. For example, two more gun unlocks at minimum. One thing those at Gamestop got for pre-ordering BC2 got Squad Rush and the AKS-74u as free unlocks. Squad Rush is available for everyone right now, and the AKS is the third gun unlock for the engineer kit.
Too many times, I and an enemy have killed each other at the same time. This happens at least one maybe even two time a round to you. Squads should have 6 members, but I understand the max of four and when your not in a squad, you can't spawn on a friend. I've also spawned on a friend when he was in a fire fight and died three seconds later, because I wanted to 'HELP' out.
The last issue that I have is with the combat knife. Sometimes, you'll get the kill sometimes you'll miss. I'm not asking for MW2 teleport knife kills, but I do want the detection between the blade and my opponent to be better.
From playing the BETA to the final product DICE has changed how some things worked. The spotting system (where you point an enemy for everyone on the map to see) was perfect, but now you can only spot so many times before it must cool down. There have been times I was in a squad and I tried to spot an enemy tank that was coming, but since spot was in cool down, my ally died. Certain guns like the M93R have been toned down, to the point that once you get the trophy for 5 guns, you'll never use it again, whereas others are completely overpower, the M1911 handgun comes to mind.
If you bought the limited edition, you got access to unlocks that others who buy the game have to rank up to get. I can see this a both a positive and a negative, however, I would have given the LE folks more of an incentive to buy the game during the first couple of weeks. For example, two more gun unlocks at minimum. One thing those at Gamestop got for pre-ordering BC2 got Squad Rush and the AKS-74u as free unlocks. Squad Rush is available for everyone right now, and the AKS is the third gun unlock for the engineer kit.
Too many times, I and an enemy have killed each other at the same time. This happens at least one maybe even two time a round to you. Squads should have 6 members, but I understand the max of four and when your not in a squad, you can't spawn on a friend. I've also spawned on a friend when he was in a fire fight and died three seconds later, because I wanted to 'HELP' out.
The last issue that I have is with the combat knife. Sometimes, you'll get the kill sometimes you'll miss. I'm not asking for MW2 teleport knife kills, but I do want the detection between the blade and my opponent to be better.
The Verdict
Earlier I asked myself whether or not DICE met the expectations of that I had from the BETA to the end product and I can honestly say they more than exceeded. One minor gripe was the single player campaign. The story was decent. If your expecting a masterpiece (like MGS or God of War), you're in the wrong place. I have a saying that if you play an FPS for the story, you're a sad individual. That being said, I think if you going to play one FPS this year, it's probably Bad Company 2. Modern Warfare 2 fans may disagree, but they're missing out on an great experience.
Before the final score and the buy/rent. This is an M-rated title, and fortunately (or unfortunately) there's a ton of profane language in the multiplayer. I don't mind all the cursing, but some parents might not.
Final Score: For DICE's third next-generation title, Battlefield Bad Company 2 has added things that other First Person Shooters will copy. The comparisons to Modern Warfare 2 are apparent, but these two titles are absolutely different. Modern Warfare is an arcade shooter. Bad Company 2 is a realistic shooter. The sound and graphics are top notch. The single player is more of an extended training session to teach you the ropes. Overall, fantastic work by DICE and (I hate to say this) EA.
9.3 (out of 10)
Buy this title if you a fan of FPS or you're tired of MW2's antics.
Kennedy out!!!
Earlier I asked myself whether or not DICE met the expectations of that I had from the BETA to the end product and I can honestly say they more than exceeded. One minor gripe was the single player campaign. The story was decent. If your expecting a masterpiece (like MGS or God of War), you're in the wrong place. I have a saying that if you play an FPS for the story, you're a sad individual. That being said, I think if you going to play one FPS this year, it's probably Bad Company 2. Modern Warfare 2 fans may disagree, but they're missing out on an great experience.
Before the final score and the buy/rent. This is an M-rated title, and fortunately (or unfortunately) there's a ton of profane language in the multiplayer. I don't mind all the cursing, but some parents might not.
Final Score: For DICE's third next-generation title, Battlefield Bad Company 2 has added things that other First Person Shooters will copy. The comparisons to Modern Warfare 2 are apparent, but these two titles are absolutely different. Modern Warfare is an arcade shooter. Bad Company 2 is a realistic shooter. The sound and graphics are top notch. The single player is more of an extended training session to teach you the ropes. Overall, fantastic work by DICE and (I hate to say this) EA.
9.3 (out of 10)
Buy this title if you a fan of FPS or you're tired of MW2's antics.
Kennedy out!!!
