War is Hell Yet Rated Teen – Tech-Gaming Reviews Battlefield: Bad Company

We have to question one of developer DICE’s design
decisions. Their latest Xbox 360 and PS3 title rests on the premise that a
group of soldiers are treated as expendable by the U.S. military, a theme that
is uncomfortably close to our current situation of underequipped servicemen,
and lack of resources for our returning veterans.  While Battlefield: Bad Company steals the iconic
irony from Full Metal Jacket’s poster (A helmet with a peace sign now becomes a
grenade with a happy face), it lacks any of its narrative power. Still, it is
amazingly fun to play, plot be damned.

B:BC plays like the spiritual successor to Black, the Xbox
and PS2 shooter made by Burnout developer Criterion. From the integration of destructible
environments, the tight camera view, to the inexplicable large amounts of explosive
red crates and barrels, the two titles look strikingly similar. Control in
Battlefield also recalls Black, from the lack of any autoaim assistance, to the
reliance of zooming with the left trigger.

Bad Company’s distinction in the realm of first-person
shooters is the level of environmental destruction. Sadly, ballistic firearms
don’t chip away at buildings and terrain, only explosives cause any real
damage. Still, players will get an overwhelming sense of satisfaction in
blowing silos to bits, even when it’s not a mission requirement. The title
welcomes replay by giving the player multiple ways to break down the enemy. In
the first level, the player can take out communication equipment by planting C4
charges up close, or launching RPGs from a safe distance.

B:BC uses the proprietary Frostbite engine developed by
DICE to great effect. The framerate is smooth throughout even when a multitude
of huge explosions rock the screen. Different filters, from the gritty, dusty look
of an old film to the sterile black and white starkness of a satellite image are
employed throughout the game. Aurally, the game is a masterpiece, and should
give any quality sound system a  workout.

After enjoying the single player game, we found multiplayer to
be somewhat frustrating. Instead, of playing the game’s Gold Rush mode in an
objective based fashion, play felt more like deathmatch, with a large number of
spawn campers. Hopefully, a future patch and player experience will rectify
this situation.

Battlefield: Bad Company is the best console shooter since
Call of Duty 4; anyone craving a new FPS experience could do much worse. Sadly,
the title doesn’t dethrone Infinity Ward’s opus, as its multiplayer isn’t as
refined or detailed, and its plot doesn’t deliver on its premise.

Final Grade: A-