Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Multiplayer Beta Review

Game: Battlefield Bad Company 2

Developer: Dice

Publisher: EA

Available on: Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC (reviewed on PC)

After the last “proper” Battlefield game being centred on a futuristic setting (BF2142), this new entry into the franchise continues where Battlefield 2 and Battlefield: Bad Company left off. Bad Company is a much improved version of an already existing game, everything has been tweaked and improved but the true essence of Battlefield has remained intact; the character unlocks, achievements and the fantastic squad based gameplay. Read on for the full review of the beta.

GRAPHICS: This is what makes Battlefield so special, from the word go, you are immersed in an environment which feels like you are in the actual battlefield. From the juddering movement of when you run, or tracer rounds flying over your head, everything here is meant to mimic reality; only being in an actual battlefield might be more real.

When you first play, it takes some time getting used to, as there is purposeful blur to movement, explosions, but this only adds to the effect, and doesn’t take away from the game itself. What makes this game special is the way you can actually blend into the background. The artistic style and the way all the terrain can change and be moved by explosions or gunfire can help or hinder each side, and your class type uniform does that too. So being a recon is actually of use since the tree like camo outfit really does help you compared with a red beret that stands out a mile.

SOUND: You hear and feel everything, sounds are vital in this game. As your side either speaks Russian or English, it’s imperative to pay attention to where sounds and chatter are coming from, as you can use this to your advantage when locating the enemy nearby. Even when someone is behind a wall, their resupply chatter, or their cries for assistance on their in game radio-comms will give their location away.

In Battlefield, you can hear everything, every bullet that crosses your head, every explosion, every footstep, but rather than being an array of confusion, which it is at time, it’s actual one gigantic battlefield harmony, if you were to sit back and watch (or listen), just maybe you could imagine yourself at the concert hall, listening to a symphony orchestra?

Every sound has purpose, and the purpose is to benefit your side on the battlefield to win the game, so using effective headphones is imperative. It really puts you in the middle of the battlefield and the only thing left is to play.

GAMEPLAY: The core game play is almost identical to all the other Battlefield games. A map or terrain is divided into two sides, and both sides fight for control. There are different twists to make the game more interesting, like in “rush”, you can only take two points, before you unlock another two points and the battlefield move to a different area. However, generally speaking nothing has changed.

Unlike Titan mode in BF2142 which was completely different, you won’t find anything new here, just the good old fashioned two sides fighting it out.

Camping is the biggest problem in this game, or any Battlefield game for that matter. That being said, everything in this game is destructible, from the buildings to trees to vehicles to walls. So it’s actually quite a challenge to find a safe spot without getting blasted to pieces from random tank rounds or mortar fire. Also, unlike previous Battlefield games, lying prone has been removed from the game, so the best that you can do now is crouch. This is actually quite annoying if you are a seasoned veteran, however you get used to it fast and isn’t really a problem as it does make it easier to see your enemy.

The other big improvement is the spotting system, every time you see an enemy you can spot them by pressing Q. This will put an orange identifier on them for about 5 seconds so the rest of your team can see them, even if they run behind a building or try to hide. You actually get points for doing this and one of your team-mates kills that person while he’s been spotted.

Lastly a noticeable difference is that there is no health bar. When you start dying your screen starts going red with blood. This actually adds to the effect of being on the battlefield, just a shame we can’t actually feel the pain, but that is coming I’ve heard 😉 What makes this system good is that your health actually regenerates slowly, almost like it would in an MMO, so you don’t need a medic to be by your side pampering your wounds. Which makes you wonder what the point of a medic is? Apart from the benefit of chucking out tons of med packs and reviving fallen comrades, they actually have some of the meanest fully auto firepower with their light machine guns in their arsenal. It’s not as effective in close quarter FIBUA, but very deadly elsewhere.

On a sour note, getting knifed is extremely annoying and almost comedy. Sometimes you will come across a player and you will shot at least 20 rounds into his chest, and with one sweep of the knife he kills you in one go. There have been times when players have taken out five people or more, just by one-shotting with knives. Either the knife is overpowered or weapons are underpowered. A knife should be a last resort or only effective from the back as first strike, but not the “I win button” that it currently is. Makes you wonder how many knife kills the Americans actually got in Iraq, and then when you equate them to Battlefield, you will notice an inconsistency. For a game that is trying to be as realistic as possible, this is one area that needs serious improvement.

LONGEVITY: This game is designed for multiplayer, and you would be a fool to think otherwise. So regardless of the single player mode, as long as the maps are interesting enough to keep people playing, and the unlocks are useful enough to make it worthwhile levelling, then at least a couple of months for the casual player, and considerably more for the hardcore Battlefield fanatic. When you do eventually attain the highest rank, unlock all the weapons, attain all the badges and pins, and tire yourself out on every map, then there isn’t much left except for clan based games maybe?

VERDICT: Overall a welcomed improvement on the Battlefield series and fantastic taster of what is to come. Modern Warfare 2 could have some competition on its hands!

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is releases in North America today and in Europe this coming Friday (5th March). Stay tuned to GodisaGeek.com for the full review, coming soon.