games

Joining up with Bad Company, for a second time

'Battlefield Bad Company 2' is surely one of the most hilarious and action-packed shooters around. The 'Battlefield' franchise has come a very long way and, by now, Electronic Arts knows how to make a decent FPS.

The characters' in-game commentary and quips has always been brilliant, and their sharp wit hasn't fallen by the wayside. But comedy doesn't make a good shooter, and a few improvements to the first instalment help propel the second version into the 'must-have' category.

Gameplay

It's WWII. You have to help secure a defected Japanese scientist who will be able to help the US in the Pacific. But during the extraction, strange things start to happen.

Fast forward to the future. You are once again filling the shoes of marine Preston Marlow, who sets out with his eccentric squad from the first game to hunt down a Soviet general who might be planning a massive war on the US.

The majority of the game takes place in exotic locations in South America like Bolivia and Chile but, as your search progress, locations close to the Russian border serve as your battlefield.

Just like the first instalment, version two features a destructible environment, dubbed 'Destruction 2.0'. In some regards it's better than its predecessor, but when a machine gun is hitting you through two wooden houses, it does start to become annoying. But the best part of 'Destruction 2.0' is that buildings can now be completely demolished.

There are also more vehicles than before and new additions include the UH-60 Black Hawk, a quad bike, a two-man patrol boat, a personal watercraft, an AA-gun mounted on a light tank, and a UAV helicopter controlled via a computer.

Graphics

'Bad Company 2' uses a similar graphics engine to the first instalment and, as a result, the visuals are almost identical. So, while by no means bad, they do lean towards the mediocre.

Some improvements have been made though. As an example, ice will start to clog up your screen and severely hinder your vision if you stay out in the snow for too long. Granted, that was part of the mission, but it certainly is a nice touch.

So, if you've played the first game, you'll know what to expect graphics wise, although it does seem as though the lip-synching is slightly better this time around. A game's rendering of wheels and fire is usually a good estimate of the graphical capabilities, and although 'BC2' produces perfectly round wheels, fire scenes still look a bit glued on.

Controls

Although the control scheme is a carbon-copy of the predecessor, it's easy enough for first-time players to get the hang of. It uses a simple button-allocation system, but even if you get stuck, a helpful hint will be displayed to steer you in the right direction.

While driving vehicles, the allocated buttons for driving are displayed in the bottom right-hand corner, making enemy tracking and destruction so much easier.

Conclusion

'Bad Company 2' is definitely an improvement over its older brother, but it just lacks a certain something. Exactly what is rather difficult to pinpoint, as the controls are easy, the graphics decent, and the action non-stop. Although the humour is plentiful, it just seems as though the game is a bit empty in the campaign department.

The multiplayer, on the other hand, has been flawlessly created. EA had to increase their server capacity by over 400 percent recently, as 'BC2' became the highest played online game in the 'Battlefield' franchise's history.

Some might also find the game to be slightly tougher than the first title, but as they say “What doesn't kill you, will only make you stronger”.