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Battlefield: Bad Company 2 was a pleasant surprise. It managed to combine the series’ trademark multiplayer goodness with a satisfying, laugh-out-loud funny single-player game. Next year, DICE and EA are bringing the misfits of Bad Company back for another environment-leveling mission.
While the single-player side of the game wasn’t shown at E3, EA’s Bad Company 2 booth was easily the most fun I had on the show floor. While other rooms were showing off narrated gameplay, the Battlefield 2 booth was rocking with 4-on-4 games multiplayer games, drinks and a place to sit. If anything else, DICE and EA know how to win over E3'ers.
The most noticeable thing about Bad Company 2 is the level of destruction. The game uses an enhanced version of DICE’s Frostbite engine. Environments look great, but the real winner is the enhanced destruction. The first game was pretty explosive, but suffered from limitations. You could knock out a few walls and insert a crude sunroof in any building, but even airstrikes weren’t enough to topple buildings. With the new engine, you can unleash your inner Micheal Bay and flatten nearly everything you stumble across.
The in-booth demo showed off Rush mode in a snowy, pipeline-lined map called Port Valdez. The mode pits two teams in a battle over a series of crates. One team needs to destroy the crates, while the other needs to protect it. Fans of the original should be familiar with the mode, but the new engine adds a completely new spin to tactics. Port Valdez offered numerous buildings and woodland areas to hide and fight in and the new engine made sure there was no place to hide. Vehicles like tanks, jeeps and helicopters are still available and joined by 4-wheeled ATVs. Though not the best when combat gets hot, they’re great for quickly zipping around the map.
The class system also returns, though the number of classes has dropped from five to four. The new classes are: Recon, a sniper/ stealth character; Assault, a frontlines fighter; Engineer, an on-field handyman; and Medic. Of the four classes, the Medic sees the most changes. Health regenerates over time, replacing the syringe system used in the first game. Medics now come equipped with a defibrillator to give teammates a quick jolt of health.
To compensate for the reduction in classes, load-out kits are more flexible. Characters can hold two weapons, a sidearm and rifle, and weapons are fully customizable. The new system is much more flexible and offers loads more options for battle. The control system has seen a few changes, all for the better. Melee kills are easier to pull off and no longer require switching out weapons.
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 hits the PS3 and 360 early next year. |
