"Those fun-loving Swedes at DICE are back with another foray into the Battlefield franchise that is so well loved by many. So, how does this title hold up to its much-lauded brethren? Fairly well, actually. -Jeremiah Brown"

Guest's Score:

8.5

Although the Battlefield series is almost entirely focused on the multiplayer aspect, Bad Company tries its hand at infusing a good story into the well-trodden gameplay style that is Battlefield. The multiplayer is still there, as it always has been. It's been tweaked although left largely unchanged, but that's not where the attention is deserved in this title.

My focus with this game was the single-player, since it was the only really different thing separating Bad Company from the other Battlefield titles. Surprisingly--or not surprisingly since DICE tends to do quite well with the games they make--the single-player campaign is quite good. With a story that is basically torn out of the old classic movie Kelly's Heroes (which is a wicked good movie I might add) and a similar light-hearted attitude toward everything, this game is actually quite refreshing compared, to all those other so-serious-it's-the-end-of-the-world FPS's out there at the moment.

It was loads of fun to play aside such endearing characters as those found in Bad Company. Instead of dead-serious squadmates, you're working with complete goofballs who go nuts and blow crap up as much as you do. This actually made me play the game not for the story, but for the fun I had while playing it, which hasn't happened for a long time.

Sadly though, the fun didn't last too long. Not because it got old, or because some glaring gameplay issue ruined everything, it was pretty good the whole way through. What happened was it simply stopped, and way too soon. Even though the story does get a bit twisty (not Deus Ex twisty, but Firefly twisty) it somehow manages to pack it all into a supremely short game. I find it amazing that the game wasn't longer with all that happened in it. Normally, we criticize games that seem to be drawn out and go on for way too long. In this game's case, it seems like it wasn't drawn out enough. To put it into perspective, I finished the game in less than two nights of gameplay, without missing too many secrets and collectibles at that, ouch.

One reason why the game felt so short was probably because of the difficulty. This game is insultingly easy, even on the higher difficulty settings. The AI on the enemies is fairly standard and can be hard sometimes, but that's not the problem. The main gripe is that the single player campaign plays like it thinks it's a multiplayer match. In other words, when you die, you simply respawn at the last autosave point, without losing any progress at all. Even in the really difficult spots, you just wade back into the battle that last killed you, take out a few more enemies, die again, and then wade back in. Rinse and repeat. Eventually, there will be no more enemies and you are successful. Sure there are a few spots where you can actually fail, like when you're protecting something that can be destroyed. Even then, those spots are quite short and are gone in minutes, then it's back to the grind.

Despite its length and ease, however, I still find myself liking it quite a lot. I get the distinctly odd feeling that the game is looking at me with cute puppy-dog eyes begging for love and I am helpless to resist. There is just so much fun stuff in the game. Such as destructible environments, which are actually done well for once. If an enemy runs into a building for cover, well... level it. Or, do what I do and turn entire towns into rubble before even setting foot in them ("did I just hear a twig break?... Airstrike!").

The vehicles that you have come to know and love are also back, like jeeps and tanks, boats and helicopters and the awe-inspiring Golf-cart. But the true cake of the game is in the sheer plethora of weapons and fun tools that are laid at your feet. From prototype assault rifles to brutish .50 cal sniper rifles, it's all here. As for the tools, including the aforementioned airstrike, there are also repair tools so you can keep your favourite tank in good repair, many varieties of missile launchers and, my favourite, the mortar strike, among others.

The fact that you can mix and match which tools and weapons that you are carrying makes for a sort of customizable gameplay. You aren't limited to a specific class like you are online; you can play as you want to play. If you want to go in guns blazing, go for it. Or, if you want to never see an enemy on screen that is close enough to be more than five pixels wide, you can do that too, or go for a mix. The game doesn't force-feed you which weapons to use (except at the beginning of each level, when your weapons are reset).

The levels are also fairly open, which gives a sort of sandbox feel to the game. The levels do have borders, but I never really came close to any of them, even when taking shortcuts through the landscape. So, achieve the objective however you see fit and take whatever route you want to get there, nice.

So, is this game worth your hard-earned, or not so hard-earned, cash? Well, um, sort of. I can't really put much finer a point on it. Yes, it is worth buying, but it also falls into the category of a rental because of the points I made above. Personally, I'd wait until the price drops to between $20 and $30 before picking it up, otherwise, rent it. However, if you decide to rent it, be prepared to maybe pay more later down the road to rent it again. I can already feel the urge to play it again coming, the puppy-dog eyes are always watching...

-Jeremiah Brown

Pros

Cons

Bottom Line

Guest's Score:

8.5