 Battlefield was always well-known for tearing up the online multiplayer warzone. Still, in all of its best efforts, there was never a robust single-player experience. Today, with games like Call of Duty 4 and Halo 3 being just as popular for their single-player campaign as their multiplayer counterpart, there isn't as much room for a one-trick horse. This time, EA and DICE needed to innovate the battle on both fronts.
I won't lie: there were moments throughout Bad Company where I thought, "Huh, I've done this before in ____." In that space, you could fit anything from Brothers in Arms and Wolfenstein to Halo and Red Faction. Still, this is a unique game that just lets the player go out into a big battlefield and wreak havoc in explosive new ways. Thanks to the new Frostbite engine's destructible environments, any conflict can get very interesting. I'll be damned if there is anything wrong with that.
So, if Bad Company can run with a single-player experience on its back, can it also hold up as multiplayer game and finish the package? Where are the snags? Read on, soldier, things get a little crazy here in Bad Company.
The first thing to remember about Battlefield: Bad Company is that it does not take itself too seriously, and neither should you. This is not the Military Channel or Call of Duty 4. I started playing Bad Company like a smug old man and as a result I did not enjoy it for several hours. When I realized that I should take off the seatbelt and enjoy a wild ride, I had a much better time. This is most evident in the game's storyline. Private Preston Marlow is transferred to Bad Company, a squad of Army no-goods who are essentially meat bags and tank fodder. Each of Marlow's three squadmates are unique individuals; you have the "wishes-he-was-Romeo" Sweetwater, the "why-can't-he-just-blow-himself-up" Haggard, and Sergeant Redford, who gets royally screwed by the Army alongside the rest of Bad Company. Their objectives are initially relayed to them by the Army, but when the Army turns their back on Bad Company, the boys have to find their own solution. That involves chasing down gold, killing mercenaries...you know, all of that kind of stuff. Like I said, don't take it seriously - Haggard and Sweetwater play rock, paper, scissors during cut-scenes. Find a friend and follow their lead.
The single-player campaign starts off with some real excitement, as all of Bad Company's little quirks and perks are introduced one-by-one. First, the game's healing device is given to Marlow. This self-inject syringe always freaked me out (I have an uncontrollable fear of needles) but it is probably the most handy thing he gets in the entire game. No matter what damage Marlow endures, a little stick with the needle is all it takes to clear him up. Now I see those raised eyebrows, my friends, and I think I can already hear Yahtzee screeching wildly about how stupid it is. All I can say is this - don't forget The Getaway - a syringe beats leaning on walls, for Pete's sake!
Next, Marlow gets all kinds of weapons. There are collectible weapons scattered throughout the levels (as well as gold bars), and most of them are a lot of fun to use. But never mind the bullets, those are in every shooting game! At the start of the game, Haggard tells Marlow, "Blow stuff up, it's fun!" That was Haggard's purpose in life - to tell you to use your grenade launcher. Almost every single weapon in the game is equipped with one. Blowing things up in Bad Company is how the game works. If an enemy is pestering you with gunfire through the window of a house, send a grenade flying his way and blow off the entire wall he stands behind. Sandbags, concrete barriers, walls - nothing is truly safe to hide behind for long. There are other tools like a laser-guided missile and a mortar coordinating device that let you rain death upon anything standing in front of you, including buildings. Using these tools is easy and fun, and adds another layer of interest to the gameplay. Oh, and remember - Bad Company's game design was built around "fun", so ammo crates that infinitely refill any weapon are found all over the place. Also, the devices recharge on their own, so they can be used over and over until you drop them.
Rounding out the single-player features are vehicles and stationary weapons, which are all fun to use. As early as the first level, you are required to learn how to use turrets and an artillery gun, the latter of which is always a dirty pleasure. The computer AI is not the best at targeting enemies with the vehicle or stationary turrets, but running over enemies and destroying objects in the environment is always pretty exciting. I wouldn't say that Bad Company feels like Grand Theft Auto, but it is nice that each level is large enough to make you feel like you are driving around in a very large world. For that matter, the levels usually took me longer than 60-90 minutes each to complete, making Bad Company feel like a decently lengthy game.
Unfortunately, as of writing this review, I did not get to enjoy Bad Company's online multiplayer mode - Gold Rush - as much as I wanted to. I currently have no personal Xbox Live connection, so I could only spend a few hours playing online at a friend's house. I can tell you about Gold Rush's features, though. It is basically an attack-and-defend mode where one team tries to defend their crates of gold while the other tries to blow them up. The maps support up to 24 players, vehicles, and even artillery guns. There are five character classes, each with special perks that the other classes do not have. Gold Rush is the only mode for now, but EA promised another mode called Conquest, to be released this year. What I did play was a lot of fun - I enjoy the experience system a lot, and I think it makes a lot more sense than just giving experience based on wins and losses. After all, losing a game does not make you an inexperienced player. The classes are also balanced well, although I think most people start complaining (...whining) about things being unbalanced a long time after a game is released.
Blowing up walls is fun and all, but one of the most exciting parts about doing it in Bad Company is listening to the sound effects. After the blast you'll hear cracking bricks and falling rubble while dust and smoke spray into the air. It is quite a sight to see and sound to hear. Plowing through trees and watching anything fall apart is great. The character models look pretty nice in the cut-scenes. There are no major complaints, but I will say that I still despise the grainy screen effect that is used when your health is drained. It was used in Army of Two, another EA shooter, and I didn't like it then - I still don't, and probably never will. You lose the ability to see as well, which is quite the penalty when you are already about to die.
Of course, with almost every game comes flaws and setbacks. The first, and biggest, is the lack of a cooperative campaign. With Preston, Haggard, Sweetwater, and Redford making up the team, it seems only natural to expect four-player cooperative support. This would have cleared up, or at least pacified, the complaints about the ignorant ally AI - part of my next complaint. The other part, the saddest part, is that the enemy AI is also dumber than a box of pulled grenade pins (with smiley faces). While they have accuracy that ranges from decent to perfect, they will almost always hide in the same place, behind the same wall, until you send a grenade their way. They will rarely jump out from behind cover or chase you down. While the sound effects are pretty much perfect, Haggard and Sweetwater are usually clogging up the speakers with their annoying back-and-forth bickering and their cheesy remarks.
I would imagine that a lot of people playing Halo 3 and Call of Duty 4 are starting to get a little tired of their respective vice, and Battlefield: Bad Company is a great addition to that lineup of great Xbox 360, PS3, and PC shooters. It makes it the perfect summer game, a game that can ease the long and boring transition between the holiday seasons. While the single-player doesn't last forever, it is a lot of fun and provides an experience that most Battlefield fans have never gotten from the series. With the right mix of destructible environments, huge levels, vehicles, weapons, and nifty tools, Battlefield is finally as exciting to play alone as it is to play online. Aside from a handful of nagging flaws, there are few setbacks. First-person shooter fans, get dirty with Bad Company this summer - it is a blast.
Final Score: B+
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