Battlefield: Bad Company 2 - review

Without question, developers DICE have not only held their own against Infinity Ward's record-breaking juggernaut, they have provided an experience which often leaves MW2 looking distinctly average by comparison.

In the single-player campaign, you take charge of Marlowe, one of the eponymous Bad Company, a bunch of expendable misfits who are sent on one suicide mission after another in a bid to track down and destroy a potentially apocalyptic uber-weapon.

The levels are pretty straightforward, but still largely allow you to progress as your mood sees fit, whether clearing the area from distance with a sniper rifle, then leisurely strolling to your objective, or spotting the enemy positions from afar, then sneaking around the back to issue summary justice with your trusty combat knife.

Failing that, you can always blast everything in sight with one of several assault rifles while running from cover to cover.

However, experienced shooters may get a tad frustrated at how much your squad members do - on more than one occasion I was looking forward to a decent firefight, only to watch my AI-controlled colleagues make life depressingly easier.

Yet the game offers more than just an infantry experience, with helicopters, boats, AA missiles and more providing a rich variety of destructive roles to play.

One of the genuine highlights of the game is the quality of the cut scenes; which look fantastic and are both well-written and superbly acted.

It's no exaggeration to say these scenes would not look out of place in a feature film, so don't be surprised if Hollywood offers a big screen offering based on the game anytime soon.

Critics have mentioned the brevity of the campaign, which veteran gamers will knock off in a few hours, but I think this is planned and for very good reason: the utterly magnificent multiplayer.

DICE know which side their bread is buttered and they know that Battlefield means multiplayer. A brief campaign means newcomers to the genre and the series can, in a short time, feel they have played themselves into the game before venturing into the cut-throat world of online battle.

Experienced players will be more interested in the multiplayer anyway, so again, there is simply no need for a lengthy campaign.

Where BFBC2 differs from MW2 is in its brilliant use of teamwork. You simply cannot succeed in this game without recognising the need to work with and for your squad and team-mates.

Even without the amazing variety of vehicles you can control, which alone give BFBC2 a dimension beyond MW2, the variety of roles you can assume each require a different approach.

In assault, you can distribute ammo boxes to pinned-down colleagues at risk of shooting themselves dry, while possessing the brute force necessary to spearhead assaults on enemy positions.

As medic, you can restore health and even revive the recently dead, yet your light macine gun is one of the most accurate and ammunition friendly weapons around. Engineers can fix damaged vehicles, then use their rocket launchers to take down opposition tanks.

Recon snipers can serve up death from a distance, but also spot enemies and highlight their positions to the rest of the team.

Indeed, the ability to alert your colleagues to enemy positions by a quick tap of the back button (on the Xbox 360) once the target is in sight is an integral part of any successful mission.

Regarding the actual modes of play, in Conquest, players on both teams are required to battle it out to seize control of strategic points (marked by flags, of course), with each successful kill reducing the opposition's number of 'tickets'.

In Rush, teams are divided into attackers and defenders, with a few communications points (M-COM stations) the target. Only attackers have tickets in this mode, with the defenders defeated only when all stations have been destroyed.

In Squad Rush, things get a bit more personal, with a single squad of attackers and defenders battling over a single M-COM station. With numbers so limited, he difference a good team-player can make is significant.

Overall, even if you don't have an internet connection, BFBC2 is worth a look for the entertaining campaign mode. But if you like your multiplayer action, this game is simply unmissable.

9/10

Battlefield: Bad Company 2

DICE / Electronic Arts

XBox 360 - 37.99

PC - 24.99

PS3 - 39.99

(Click here to buy it from www.game.co.uk)