I couldn't help but get the impression while playing Battlefield: Bad Company 2 that its developer, Digital Illusions CE, was playfully prodding Infinity Ward, maker of the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare games.
At one point our protagonists-the same crew of misfit grunts who, in the original Battlefield: Bad Company , went AWOL so that they could hunt down some mercenary gold-consider handing off their latest assignment (a more noble mission that involves securing a new weapon of mass destruction), to a different unit. However, the idea is kiboshed when one of them, a Texan named Haggard, jokes, "They'll just call in some pussy special ops team with heartbeat sensors on their guns."
As anyone who has played Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 knows, its elite troopers are big fans of the heartbeat sensor.
Then, later on, when our motley jarheads are about to take a ride through the jungle on a quartet of four-wheeled ATVs and one of them mentions something about snowmobiles, it's Haggard again who says, "snowmobiles are for sissies."
You know, like those snowmobiles we ride down the side of a mountain in Modern Warfare 2.
Stripped of context and inflection, these taunts might seem mean spirited, but I don't think that was DICE's intent. Heard within the game they're just jokes with double meanings, the subtler of which I'd guess many players won't even pick up on. Even if they do, they'll likely take it as it was meant; a wink and good-natured jab at the competition.
See, the Bad Company games are all about having fun. Unlike many military-themed shooters that strive to create a hyper realistic combat simulation, Bad Company 2's primary goal is to make players smile, both with witty dialogue and often outrageous action. (Exhibit A: the action-packed but whimsically scored launch trailer, above.)
Our characters may be misfits who always get stuck with crap jobs, but they're an affable, mischievous bunch molded after the sort of stereotypes found in old war movies. There's the seemingly dumb but amusing southerner (Haggard, mentioned above), the brainy guy with glasses, the experienced squad leader who just wants to make it home alive, and the player's character, a well-meaning voice of reason who steps up whenever stepping up is necessary.
They crack wise throughout the campaign, and there are times when they consider just quitting, but they always end up pulling through and doing the right thing in the end. It's a little like the video game equivalent of The Dirty Dozen.
This philosophy of keeping things light is even more evident in its play.
Here's what Bad Company 2 does exceptionally well: It lets us blow stuff up. Pretty much everything in the game-from trees to buildings to fence posts-can be demolished if you have enough time and the right kind of weapon (and we usually do-this isn't the sort of game that skimps on explosive ammunition or red barrels with flames painted on their sides). Some achievements and trophies are awarded simply for doing things like bringing down a certain number of houses.
Better still, the unparalleled demolition gives the game a unique brand of tactics. Many modern shooters reward players for biding their time in cover and waiting for perfect moment to attack. Not this one. Stay where you are for very long and the enemy will blow away your cover, leaving you defenceless. You have to stay on the move, regularly jogging from one wall or building to the next.
Of course, the same applies to your enemies. They cannot hide from you. Why wait for them to pop their heads from cover when you can collapse buildings on them or pulverize the walls they're squatting behind?
And don't let all of this wonderfully wanton destruction fool you into thinking that DICE has thrown realism out the door.
All projectiles are actual game entities. Whereas many shooters use painted trails to fool players into thinking that a bullet just traveled through the game world, virtual bullets really do travel through Bad Company 2's environments, and they're acted upon by environmental forces, such as gravity. (Hence, why your long range sniper shots often hit the ground in front of your target. You need to aim a bit higher to compensate for Newton's law.)
Plus, many of the game's settings are stunning. The destructible bits suffer slightly from a cookie cutter feel (which is fair, since we're just going to be blowing them up anyway), but, thanks to exceptionally long draw distances, we're treated to some spectacular vistas, such as defined hills and dynamic pillars of smoke that are kilometres away. The view of a Chilean town rising up the side of a mountain from across a raging river is particularly special.
Then, of course, there's the multiplayer.
DICE made its name delivering terrific online experiences in the form of its earliest Battlefield games, and while the first entry in the Bad Company series appeared only on consoles and wasn't much like the PC-based games for which the developer is most famous, the multiplayer element in its sequel returns the franchise to its roots.
Huge levels set in jungles, deserts, and snowy mountains feature familiar control point objectives, useful soldier classes, and loads of vehicles and emplaced guns. Plus, they've upped the ante with a deep and robust soldier growth system that has players slowly climbing in rank, earning better weapons and tools, and gradually improving in each class.
But Bad Company 2's multiplayer element doesn't just rehash the series' glory days. The destructible environments that make staying in one place too long a bad idea in the single-player game make it just as bad a tactic online. Vulnerable walls and collapsing buildings are game-changing additions that old-school Battlefield players will need to grow accustomed to in order to succeed.
Also new is the option of jumping into a four-player squad, which, assuming all members cooperate, can be immensely helpful in conquering objectives. For example, you can choose to respawn at your squad's current location, which will save precious time. That, combined with the fact that you always have three others covering your back, should help keep you steadily in the action.
If squads aren't your thing, you can still lone wolf it. I once managed on my own to annihilate an entire enemy squad that had spent most of the match squirreled up in a house, cutting me and my team mates down whenever we came near the flag they were defending. The feeling of satisfaction was palpable.
There's also a fresh mode dubbed Squad Deathmatch in which four teams of four run around with the sole objective of trying to kill each other the most. This mode makes Bad Company 2 feel like a standard shooter, only with four teams instead of two. It's a ton of fun if you have three team mates you can rely on.
Indeed, 'fun' is the perfect descriptor for Bad Company 2. I've now been asked several times whether this game is as good as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, and my answer is that Infinity Ward's game is better in most respects, such as writing, mechanics, graphics, and overall design. However, if someone were to ask me simply which one is the most fun to play, the answer just might be Bad Company 2.
Oh, and in the PC version of Battlefield: Bad Company 2 allows for eight more players than the console editions for a total of 32. It also lets players surf servers to find and select the game that's right for them. It's worth adding that these have been sore areas for Modern Warfare 2's PC players, who are limited to 24 players and constricted to random matchmaking.
Am I just imagining the DICE/Infinity Ward rivalry? Or am I fuelling it?
Battlefield: Bad Company 2
Platforms: Xbox 360 (reviewed), PlayStation 3, Windows PC
Developer: Digital Illusions CE
Publisher: Electronic Arts
ESRB: Mature
Score: 3.5/4
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