Battlefield: Bad Company is as subtle as a kick in the head, but you’ll definitely be coming back for more.Battlefield: Bad Company
Playstation 3, $99.95
9/10
Prepare for an assault on the senses. Battlefield: Bad Company is a blast on blast, gritty, explosive EA title that redefines what gamers should expect from a first-person shooter (FPS).
A mediocre, but playable, single-player campaign sits second in line to deliciously brutal multiplayer action, which will definitely keep you coming back for more.
But before you jump behind the machine gun turret in multiplayer, persist with the single-player mission.
I promise it gets much better than the first 30 minutes suggest.
With dreary dialogue, seemingly cut straight from the Haze sound production studio, your patience will diminish in the early missions as your fellow soldiers bombard you with tongue-in-cheek humour and play rock, paper, scissors while the group commander is dishing out life-altering orders.
But look past the minor niggles and focus on putting bullets in the heads of those pesky Russians.
The graphics and textures are remarkable, the landscapes sprawling and the sound is as realistic as I’ve ever encountered in an FPS.
Then there are the weapons, which are best enjoyed with the rumble of a Dualshock 3 controller and beefy home theatre system.
Each weapon packs a punch, and comes with a full range of drool-inducing sound effects, including punchy recoil and wind as the bullets pierce through air and hit destructible walls.
Problems with the single player mode might include the respawn system. I use ‘might’ because whether or not you’ll see this as a positive or a negative is entirely personal.
When you die, you’ll respawn some 50 metres from the scene of the battle, and every soldier you killed before you went down will remain dead.
Essentially this means death is not an issue – you’ll continue to progress through the game without punishment.
Instant respawn also ensures the storyline continues to tick along, and you won’t find yourself bogged down in a difficult section of the campaign.
When it’s time to log on and put Battlefield to the real test in multiplayer, you’ll come out the other side bruised, battered and smiling ear to ear.
The game has just one online mode, ‘destroy the crates’, and two 12-player teams are divided into ‘attackers’ or ‘defenders’.
Attackers must seek and destroy the gold crates scattered around the intuitive maps, while defenders put their lives on the line to keep the nuggets safe.
When entering the Battlefield, you’ll have to choose a class to play as, such as sniper or assault, and each is outfitted with a specialised array of weapons and deadly accessories.
The game environment is totally destructible, so hiding behind a wall to escape an enemy is no longer an option – this just adds to the exhilarating excitement.
To keep you logging on, players will also earn promotions and unlock weapons, an addition that adds infinite replay value.
You can also upload game screenshots to the EA servers, then log on, check your stats and download your best Battlefield images.
Battlefield is a classy title oozing with confidence, and shines the most when played online.
EA has promised additional multiplayer content, such as more online modes, so expect a gradual increase in online numbers in the months to come.
