Battlefield: Bad Company 2
Encyclopedia
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is a first-person shooter
video game developed by the Swedish
firm EA Digital Illusions CE and published by Electronic Arts
for Microsoft Windows
, PlayStation 3
, Xbox 360
, iOS
and Mac OS X
systems. It is a direct sequel
to Battlefield: Bad Company
and is part of the Battlefield game series. It was released worldwide in March 2010.
The game is primarily a squad
-level online
first person shooter based in a contemporary modern warfare
setting. Additionally, the game includes a single-player campaign, where the player re-assumes the role of Preston Marlowe, the protagonist of the original game. The game's Frostbite 1.5 engine allows for destructible environments and multiplayer maps contain a wide selection of vehicles, aircraft and emplacements and allow for five different game modes.
The game was announced in February 2009 and free game demo
s were made available prior to the game's launch. It was met with a positive reception from game critics, garnering a weighted mean
of 88% from aggregator Metacritic
for all three ports. It has also become a commercial success, having sold in excess of nine million units since its initial release. Seven VIP map packs as well as a downloadable game mode have been released thus far, and an expansion pack centered around the Vietnam War
which was released on December 21, 2010. EA released an Mac OS X
port of the game on December 16, 2010.
s and machine guns; players can jump, crouch, and sprint. They can carry one primary weapon and a pistol in multiplayer, or two primary weapons in single-player, as well as grenades and other equipment. Players can fire "from the hip", but zooming in and using the weapon's iron sights
, reflex sight, or scope
(depending on the weapon) will provide much better accuracy when shooting.
Bad Company 2 heavily emphasizes destructible environments. Large sections of most buildings can be destroyed by explosives; some walls and fences break down under barrages of bullets. The game's physics engine realistically simulates the destruction.
The game utilizes a "regenerating health" system, rather than giving players health points as older games in the Battlefield series have done. To accommodate this in multiplayer, the Medic equipment now accelerates health regeneration rather than directly restoring the player's health. If a player is wounded, he or she must take cover and avoid damage in order to regain health. A heavily wounded player will see dirt and blood around the edges of the screen. Along with Battlefield Vietnam
and Battlefield 3
, Bad Company 2 is one of only three games in the Battlefield series to show blood without third-party modification.
Aside from infantry combat, the campaign contains several missions in which the player controls a vehicle, or mans a weapon turret while a team mate controls the vehicle.
While the other members of Bad Company will engage in combat, the game relies upon the player to complete the objectives and kill most of the enemies. The player's allies can never die.
Each weapon in the campaign is considered a collectible - the first time the player picks up that type of weapon, a "Collectable Unlocked" message appears. There are also sensor stations throughout the campaign the player can find and destroy - this is also recorded in the campaign stats. "Supply Drop" crates are scattered throughout the missions, where the player can exchange weapons and replenish ammo. The Supply Drop crates will remember any weapon the player picks up and this weapon will be available for the rest of the campaign.
New items are unlocked by earning experience points, which are gained for performing actions conducive to the goals of the player's team, such as eliminating enemy players, healing team mates, or capturing or defending points of interest. These points also count towards a total of 50 ranks. Bonuses to the base number of points can be awarded under certain circumstances (such as achieving a headshot in the process of eliminating an enemy player).
The multiplayer features 15 vehicles, including new additions, such as the UH-60 Black Hawk, a quad bike, a four-man patrol boat, a personal watercraft, a ZU-23 mounted on a BMD-3 armored personnel carrier, and a UAV helicopter (a Northrop Grumman MQ-8 Fire Scout) controlled via remote computer terminals.
The available maps are set in various environments such as South America
and Alaska
near the borders of Russia
, similar to those seen in the singleplayer.
Players can also use party chat for each game mode. A dog tag
system as seen in Battlefield 2142 and Battlefield: Bad Company returns, awarding players with their opponents' dog tags when they defeat them with a knife attack. It uses the PunkBuster
anti-cheat program, to protect the game from cheaters in online multiplayer matches.
Bad Company 2 features several game types. In 'Rush' players must defend or destroy pairs of M-COM stations until either the attackers run out of respawn tickets or all of the stations are destroyed. Lost tickets can be regained by reviving fallen team mates. An M-COM station can be destroyed by planting a charge, using explosive weapons or ballistics, or simply by demolishing the building in which it is located. Not all M-COM stations exist in destructible buildings, forcing players to use a variety of methods to achieve the same goal. When a charge is planted by the attacking team, an alarm is activated and the defenders have a limited amount of time to get to the M-COM station and disarm the bomb before it detonates. 'Squad Rush' is similar to Rush, but consists of only two squads, one defending and the other attacking. The maps used for squad rush are smaller versions of those from both the Conquest and Rush modes. There are only 2 M-COM stations in each round. 'Conquest' features the classic gameplay of the Battlefield series. Players must capture and defend flags for as long as possible. If a base is taken, it can be recaptured, and the cycle can repeat until the game's end. Every kill depletes one ticket, and tickets gradually decrease when one team controls more than half of the flags on the map. Vehicles can spawn once a flag is captured. When one team's tickets are depleted, that team will lose the game. Lost tickets can be regained by reviving fallen team mates. 'Squad Deathmatch' features up to four squads, each fighting against the other. An infantry support vehicle is available for any squad to claim, giving a significant advantage. The first squad to score fifty kills wins the match. Finally, 'Onslaught' tasks one squad of up to four players to capture certain points on the map, allowing the squad to advance. The game is won by capturing all the points. Unlike other modes, the only enemies are bots. This game mode features new lighting and time of day on existing maps, as well as new vehicles. It is available for Xbox 360 and PS3 only, a PC version was planned, however was announced cancelled on Battlefield's official blog.
battalion known as "Bad Company". Other members of the squad include technology expert Private Terrance Sweetwater, demolitions specialist Private George Haggard Jr., and squad leader Sergeant Samuel Redford. The squad, escaping with gold in the previous game but believed to be caught soon thereafter, now work on a special assignment for the Army in securing a dangerous Scalar technology.
Private Preston Marlowe: Marlowe had joined the army declaring "Runs in the family, I guess". After crashing an attack helicopter into a general's limo, Marlowe is sent to the 222nd Army Battalion, or "Bad Company" in the original game, and returns with the squad in Bad Company 2, although no longer as part of a misfit army battalion. General Braidwood, their new commander, refers to their new placement as "Special Activities Division
", but continues to ask for their "unorganized, unorthodox, and lethal" tactics.
Private Terrance "Sweets" Sweetwater: Private Terrance Sweetwater, the technician of the squad, joined the army for a scholarship. Having a keen sense for technology, he expected not to do any fighting, but after being sent to Bad Company for uploading a virus to the US military mainframe, he hoped to get out as quickly as possible.
Private George "Hags" Haggard Junior: Haggard joined the army to deal with his pyromania. After blowing up "the biggest ammo dump east side of Paris", he was sent to Bad Company where he serves as the squad's demolitions expert. He does not seek to get out of the army anytime soon.
Sergeant Samuel "Sarge" Redford: Redford was the first person ever to volunteer to join Bad Company after being promised early discharge from the army. After the first mission "Cold War" and retrieving the "Aurora" scalar weapon device, which is revealed to be a fake soon after, Samuel's service time is extended to find an agent named James Aguire, who is mentioned below. He is promised release many times, but his stay is extended when more complications arise.
s infiltrate an Imperial Japanese Navy
-controlled island in the Sea of Japan
as part of "Operation Aurora". They secure a Japanese scientist who was working on a secret scalar weapon codenamed 'The Black Weapon,' and escape the island on a submarine. However as foreshadowed by the scientist's warnings the commandos witness the weapon being fired and perish from a resulting tsunami, sparking a myth within the U.S. Army.
In the present day, Privates Preston Marlowe, Terrence Sweetwater, George Haggard, and Sergeant Samuel Redford fight in Russia in an attempt to secure a scalar weapon device. Despite evading Russian soldiers and completing the mission successfully, the device is discovered to be a fake. Impressed with their previous activities, Army General Braidwood has the squad transferred into the Special Activities Division
and assigns them on a mission to contact Agent Aguire, much to the disappointment of Redford who had hoped to retire after the last mission.
The squad travels to Bolivia
in search of the agent, and after many firefights they eventually save Aguire. Aguire sends the squad to get his intelligence detailing scalar technology from a French satellite that can be controlled from a base in the Andes Mountains. Sweetwater crashes the satellite and the squad successfully defeat a Russian counter attack aimed at destroying it. Marlowe soon finds the data server and proceeds to go down the mountain during a blizzard while dodging Russian patrols, and is soon extracted by the others.
During extraction, Aguire briefs the squad about a man responsible for rebuilding scalar weaponry, Arkady Kirilenko, a Russian Army colonel the squad failed to eliminate in Russia, who is believed to be hiding in Chile
. The squad, aided by U.S. forces, find Kirilenko, though he again escapes. Left with only Kirilenko's papers, Sweetwater discovers there is a shipping manifest for an abandoned ship called the "Sangre Del Toro." Aided by the rest of the squad, Marlowe finds the ship and retrieves a compound essential to the use of the weapon, while also finding out the truth behind Operation Aurora - the US military knew it was a suicide mission, and the operation was instead an exercise to learn more about the weapon's power.
While attempting to meet Aguire in Ecuador
, their helicopter is shot down and the squad becomes separated. Along with their helicopter pilot, Flynn, they regroup and escape the local militia. Redford gives Aguire the compound before finding out that Aguire double-crossed the squad by allying with Kirilenko. Aguire reveals he wants revenge against the United States for what happened to his father, one of the commandos involved in Operation Aurora. Despite this, Kirilenko betrays Aguire and kills him. Before he can kill the squad, however, Flynn intervenes and saves the squad at the cost of his own life.
The squad is mourning for Flynn when they hear Kirilenko talking through a guard's radio. Marlowe kills the guard, and the squad proceeds toward the city of Quito
. Here, after battling squads of Russian troops, Marlowe and the squad find a large cargo aircraft that is believed to house the scalar weapon. This is confirmed as a powerful electromagnetic pulse
is suddenly released, disabling all electronic equipment in the city except the aircraft. Everyone except Marlowe becomes disheartened, but he encourages them, and the squad infiltrates the aircraft as it takes off. After a firefight to reach the cockpit, they find it empty. The squad returns to the cargo bay to find Kirilenko attempting to fire the scalar weapon again, now high over the southern United States. With the help of explosives from the plane's armory the squad access and destroy the scalar weapon.
The explosion sends the aircraft plummeting, forcing the squad to bail out, but Kirilenko grabs the last parachute before Marlowe. In free fall
, Marlowe kills Kirilenko, allowing Sweetwater to rescue Marlowe. The squad lands in Texas
, Haggard's home state. Shortly after, General Braidwood arrives to inform them that they are to aid the U.S. Army against the incoming Russian invasion that recently passed through Alaska
and Canada
, much to the squad's disappointment.
and an M1911 pistol, as well as four vehicle perks In addition to the six upgrades offered by EA on all pre-orders and the buyers of the Limited Edition, select retailers offered their own incentives as well. Copies pre-ordered at GameStop
came with an additional code, unlocking the AKS-74U carbine
and giving access to the Squad Rush game mode 30 days early (North America only). All six limited edition upgrades, as well as the AKS-74U, are also available to owners of the Standard Edition of the game, but they must be acquired by accumulating points in-game.
The Ultimate Edition was announced and released to the market on August 31, 2010 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The package includes Battlefield: Bad Company 2, Battlefield 1943
, "Onslaught" mode, and immediate access to four vehicle upgrades and two weapon unlocks from purchase, a bonus originally included in the "Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Limited Edition".
As part of the Battlefield Veterans program, players gain access to the M1 Garand
rifle if they have registered two or more Battlefield games with EA, or if they have joined the "EA Gun Club".
The PS3 beta featured the map "Arica Harbor", while the PC beta, Xbox 360 demo, and PS3 demo featured the map "Port Valdez". On October 19, 2009, game developer DICE posted a Twitter
announcement stating the game will have dedicated server support. This was in response to Infinity Ward
's announcement on October 17 that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
would not support dedicated servers.
GameZone's Dakota Grabowski interviewed Senior Producer Patrick Bach about the game. Following the negative feedback from PC gamers after the first Battlefield Bad Company was not released on the PC, Electronic Arts and DICE had a separate dedicated team working on the PC version. Bach stated "We see it as very, very hardcore and important part of our customers. So we put a lot of effort into making sure that everything worked perfect.” Bach also commented on the use of peripherals such as a mouse and keyboard on consoles, saying "I don’t think that we have any special connections to peripherals to the consoles … The biggest problem with peripherals for consoles is that the console itself is a level playground. It’s even and you know the consumer has the same technology and have the same peripherals and same controls – which makes it easier for us to create a game that feels fair. By catering to a mouse and keyboard for the consoles, it would maybe skew the even playground."
Several map packs have been released for the game. Map Pack 1, the first map pack, was released on March 2, 2010, called the "Day One Map Pack". It added two new maps: Nelson Bay for Rush and Laguna Alta for Conquest. The second map pack, entitled Map Pack 2, was released on March 30, 2010. It added two new maps: Laguna Presa for Rush and Arica Harbour for Conquest. Map Pack 3 was released on 9 June 2010 for consoles, and June 30, 2010 for the PC. The Laguna Alta map was made available for Squad Rush, and the Nelson Bay map was made available for Squad Deathmatch. Map Pack 4 was released on July 7, 2010. The Atacama Desert map was made available for Rush and the Port Valdez map was made available for Conquest. Map Pack 5 was released on July 28, 2010. The White Pass map was made available for Rush and the Nelson Bay map was made available for Conquest. Map Pack 6 was released on August 18, 2010. The Panama Canal map was made available for Squad Deathmatch and the Laguna Presa map was available for Squad Rush. Map Pack 7 was announced on November 8, 2010. The map pack includes two maps ported from the first Bad company game; "Oasis" and "Harvest day", both of which are playable in all game modes. As well as those, two maps from the single-player campaign were ported; "Cold War" is available for Rush, Squad Rush and Squad Deathmatch while "Heavy Metal" is available for Conquest and Squad Deathmatch. The map pack was released on December 1, 2010.
Kit upgrades were released on April 21, 2010 for the Xbox 360, May 12, 2010 for the PlayStation 3 and December 1, 2010 for PC. Residents of the United States can retrieve unlock codes for the upgrades on the Xbox 360 by purchasing specially marked Dr. Pepper bottles. The kit upgrades include two additional pins and one additional award for each class, as well as unique camouflages upgrades. Kit shortcuts were released on 16 June 2010 for consoles. The shortcuts are available for purchase for each separate class, or in a bundle pack for all four classes. Upon installation, the shortcuts will unlock all primary weapons, gadgets and specialisations for their respective class.
A new mode, Onslaught, was released on June 22 and June 24 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 respectively. In Onslaught, up to four players cooperatively face endless waves of computer controlled enemies. Bad Company 2 senior producer Patrick Bach said that DICE would "consistently support the fans playing Bad Company 2 with new ways to get into multiplayer". He also said that the mode would "challenge the elite players with new experiences to improve their performance online".
. It was released on December 18, 2010 for Microsoft Windows through the EA Store/Steam, and on December 21 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It is only available via download. The expansion has received extremely positive reviews from different gaming review and user sources, citing its "fun, close encounters", and use of licensed music tracks from the Vietnam war era.
The expansion pack contains 5 new maps, 6 new vehicles, and 15 new weapons. The fifth map, Operation Hastings, was planned to be unlocked when the playing community reached 69,000,000 team play actions (revives, resupplies, assists etc.) on each platform. While it was unlocked for PC on December 30, 2010, the map was released early on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 as a "new year's gift" from DICE. It also includes 49 contemporary music tracks which can be listened to via an in-game radio as well as new voice overs for both American and Vietnamese forces, based on authentic communication from the Vietnam war. Ten new Xbox Live achievements/PSN trophies are also available to unlock.
of 86 for the Windows
version and 88 for the Xbox 360
and PlayStation 3
versions. Most critics agreed that the expansion is worth buying for users who already enjoy Battlefield: Bad Company 2's multiplayer component. IGN
praised it as being one of the best multiplayer offerings of the year, finishing the review with a score of 9.5 out of 10. Destructoid
gave it a 9 out of 10 rating, calling it a "no brainer" for active Battlefield fans. GameSpot
gave it 8.5 out of 10, praising the maps, atmosphere and the new vehicles and weapons, but criticizing the online stat-tracking issues and the reduced emphasis on player progression. Joystiq
stated that it plays differently than the original game but called it a success nevertheless; they awarded it 4 out of 5 stars.
rating of 88% from 59 reviews.
GameZone's Steven Hopper gave the game a 9.25/10, saying, "Even though the single-player campaign still isn't where it needs to be, Bad Company 2 is definitely a great sequel that builds on its predecessor in every way, making for one that no shooter fan will want to miss, especially if you go online for your gaming." GameTrailers gave Battlefield: Bad Company 2 a 9.1 out of a possible 10, praising its use of an intertwining multiplayer in which "Purists will appreciate that you must earn every kill", but labeling the single-player as predictable. Level design was also commended saying "Bad Company 2 features sprawling, densely populated environments with an excellent level of detail."
Game Informer
magazine gave the game a 9.5 out of 10, praising the improvements made over the first Bad Company.
GameSpy reviewer Anthony Gallegos gave the game 4.5 stars out of 5, describing the single-player campaign as "a blast" and concluding that "the staying power for BFBC2 lies in its multiplayer". Dan Whitehead from Eurogamer
reviewed the game and gave it a score of 9/10, describing it as an "open challenge" to Activision's market leader, Modern Warfare 2, and as a "way superior game" when compared to it. Whitehead also commented that it had "immediately evident" improvements over the previous game in the series, and concluded that Bad Company 2 is "the online shooter at its most streamlined, most thoughtful, most exhilarating". IGN
praised the visuals of the game as being "near-photo realistic" and "one of the best looking games around".
First-person shooter
First-person shooter is a video game genre that centers the gameplay on gun and projectile weapon-based combat through first-person perspective; i.e., the player experiences the action through the eyes of a protagonist. Generally speaking, the first-person shooter shares common traits with other...
video game developed by the Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
firm EA Digital Illusions CE and published by Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
for Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
, PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
, Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
, iOS
IOS
iOS is an operating system for iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, and Apple TV.IOS may also refer to:-Companies and organisations:* Illinois Ornithological Society, American state-based bird club...
and Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
systems. It is a direct sequel
Sequel
A sequel is a narrative, documental, or other work of literature, film, theatre, or music that continues the story of or expands upon issues presented in some previous work...
to Battlefield: Bad Company
Battlefield: Bad Company
Battlefield: Bad Company is a first-person shooter developed by EA DICE for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It was released in North America on June 23 2008, followed by a European release on June 26. The game was hinted at just before the release of Battlefield 2, and then announced sixteen months later...
and is part of the Battlefield game series. It was released worldwide in March 2010.
The game is primarily a squad
Squad
In military terminology, a squad is a small military unit led by a non-commissioned officer that is subordinate to an infantry platoon. In countries following the British Army tradition this organization is referred to as a section...
-level online
Online game
An online game is a game played over some form of computer network. This almost always means the Internet or equivalent technology, but games have always used whatever technology was current: modems before the Internet, and hard wired terminals before modems...
first person shooter based in a contemporary modern warfare
Modern warfare
Modern warfare, although present in every historical period of military history, is generally used to refer to the concepts, methods and technologies that have come into use during and after the Second World War and the Korean War...
setting. Additionally, the game includes a single-player campaign, where the player re-assumes the role of Preston Marlowe, the protagonist of the original game. The game's Frostbite 1.5 engine allows for destructible environments and multiplayer maps contain a wide selection of vehicles, aircraft and emplacements and allow for five different game modes.
The game was announced in February 2009 and free game demo
Game demo
A game demo is a freely distributed demonstration or preview of an upcoming or recently released video game. Demos are typically released by the game's publisher to help consumers get a feel of the game before deciding whether to buy the full version....
s were made available prior to the game's launch. It was met with a positive reception from game critics, garnering a weighted mean
Weighted mean
The weighted mean is similar to an arithmetic mean , where instead of each of the data points contributing equally to the final average, some data points contribute more than others...
of 88% from aggregator Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
for all three ports. It has also become a commercial success, having sold in excess of nine million units since its initial release. Seven VIP map packs as well as a downloadable game mode have been released thus far, and an expansion pack centered around the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
which was released on December 21, 2010. EA released an Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
port of the game on December 16, 2010.
Gameplay
While a first-person shooter, the game follows the series by including controllable vehicles, including ATVs, APCs, tanks, and helicopters. On foot, players are given access to a variety of real-world small arms such as assault rifleAssault rifle
An assault rifle is a selective fire rifle that uses an intermediate cartridge and a detachable magazine. Assault rifles are the standard infantry weapons in most modern armies...
s and machine guns; players can jump, crouch, and sprint. They can carry one primary weapon and a pistol in multiplayer, or two primary weapons in single-player, as well as grenades and other equipment. Players can fire "from the hip", but zooming in and using the weapon's iron sights
Iron sights
Iron sights are a system of shaped alignment markers used as a sighting device to assist in the aiming of a device such as a firearm, crossbow, or telescope, and exclude the use of optics as in telescopic sights or reflector sights...
, reflex sight, or scope
Scope
The word scope may refer to many different devices or viewing instruments, constructed for many different purposes. It may refer to a telescopic sight, an optical device commonly used on firearms. Other uses of scope or Scopes may refer to:...
(depending on the weapon) will provide much better accuracy when shooting.
Bad Company 2 heavily emphasizes destructible environments. Large sections of most buildings can be destroyed by explosives; some walls and fences break down under barrages of bullets. The game's physics engine realistically simulates the destruction.
The game utilizes a "regenerating health" system, rather than giving players health points as older games in the Battlefield series have done. To accommodate this in multiplayer, the Medic equipment now accelerates health regeneration rather than directly restoring the player's health. If a player is wounded, he or she must take cover and avoid damage in order to regain health. A heavily wounded player will see dirt and blood around the edges of the screen. Along with Battlefield Vietnam
Battlefield Vietnam
Battlefield Vietnam is the second video game in Electronic Arts' Battlefield franchise after Battlefield 1942. The game was developed by the Swedish company Digital Illusions CE and published by Electronic Arts on March 15, 2004 in North America and days later in other parts of the world....
and Battlefield 3
Battlefield 3
Battlefield 3 is a first-person shooter video game developed by EA Digital Illusions CE and published by Electronic Arts. The game was released in North America on October 25, 2011 and in Europe on October 28, 2011 for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and EA Mobile confirmed a port for...
, Bad Company 2 is one of only three games in the Battlefield series to show blood without third-party modification.
Single-player
Bad Company 2 features a story-driven single-player campaign. For most of the narrative, the player takes control of Preston Marlowe, one of the members of the titular "Bad Company". The exception to this is the first mission set prior to the rest of the campaign. Each mission is divided into a series of objectives, often interspersed with cut-scenes which simulate the style of films.Aside from infantry combat, the campaign contains several missions in which the player controls a vehicle, or mans a weapon turret while a team mate controls the vehicle.
While the other members of Bad Company will engage in combat, the game relies upon the player to complete the objectives and kill most of the enemies. The player's allies can never die.
Each weapon in the campaign is considered a collectible - the first time the player picks up that type of weapon, a "Collectable Unlocked" message appears. There are also sensor stations throughout the campaign the player can find and destroy - this is also recorded in the campaign stats. "Supply Drop" crates are scattered throughout the missions, where the player can exchange weapons and replenish ammo. The Supply Drop crates will remember any weapon the player picks up and this weapon will be available for the rest of the campaign.
Multiplayer
Multiplayer is class-based, with four classes: Assault, Engineer, Medic, and Recon. Each class has a variety of unique weapons and pieces of equipment, and serves a specific role in combat. There are also some weapons that can be used by any class, such as pistols and shotguns. Each class gains experience and levels up separately.New items are unlocked by earning experience points, which are gained for performing actions conducive to the goals of the player's team, such as eliminating enemy players, healing team mates, or capturing or defending points of interest. These points also count towards a total of 50 ranks. Bonuses to the base number of points can be awarded under certain circumstances (such as achieving a headshot in the process of eliminating an enemy player).
The multiplayer features 15 vehicles, including new additions, such as the UH-60 Black Hawk, a quad bike, a four-man patrol boat, a personal watercraft, a ZU-23 mounted on a BMD-3 armored personnel carrier, and a UAV helicopter (a Northrop Grumman MQ-8 Fire Scout) controlled via remote computer terminals.
The available maps are set in various environments such as South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
and Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
near the borders of Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, similar to those seen in the singleplayer.
Players can also use party chat for each game mode. A dog tag
Dog tag (identifier)
A dog tag is the informal name for the identification tags worn by military personnel, named such as it bears resemblance to actual dog tags. The tag is primarily used for the identification of dead and wounded and essential basic medical information for the treatment of the latter, such as blood...
system as seen in Battlefield 2142 and Battlefield: Bad Company returns, awarding players with their opponents' dog tags when they defeat them with a knife attack. It uses the PunkBuster
PunkBuster
PunkBuster is a computer program that is designed to detect software used for cheating in online games. It does this by scanning the memory contents of the local machine. A computer identified as using cheats may be banned from connecting to protected servers. The aim of the program is to isolate...
anti-cheat program, to protect the game from cheaters in online multiplayer matches.
Bad Company 2 features several game types. In 'Rush' players must defend or destroy pairs of M-COM stations until either the attackers run out of respawn tickets or all of the stations are destroyed. Lost tickets can be regained by reviving fallen team mates. An M-COM station can be destroyed by planting a charge, using explosive weapons or ballistics, or simply by demolishing the building in which it is located. Not all M-COM stations exist in destructible buildings, forcing players to use a variety of methods to achieve the same goal. When a charge is planted by the attacking team, an alarm is activated and the defenders have a limited amount of time to get to the M-COM station and disarm the bomb before it detonates. 'Squad Rush' is similar to Rush, but consists of only two squads, one defending and the other attacking. The maps used for squad rush are smaller versions of those from both the Conquest and Rush modes. There are only 2 M-COM stations in each round. 'Conquest' features the classic gameplay of the Battlefield series. Players must capture and defend flags for as long as possible. If a base is taken, it can be recaptured, and the cycle can repeat until the game's end. Every kill depletes one ticket, and tickets gradually decrease when one team controls more than half of the flags on the map. Vehicles can spawn once a flag is captured. When one team's tickets are depleted, that team will lose the game. Lost tickets can be regained by reviving fallen team mates. 'Squad Deathmatch' features up to four squads, each fighting against the other. An infantry support vehicle is available for any squad to claim, giving a significant advantage. The first squad to score fifty kills wins the match. Finally, 'Onslaught' tasks one squad of up to four players to capture certain points on the map, allowing the squad to advance. The game is won by capturing all the points. Unlike other modes, the only enemies are bots. This game mode features new lighting and time of day on existing maps, as well as new vehicles. It is available for Xbox 360 and PS3 only, a PC version was planned, however was announced cancelled on Battlefield's official blog.
Characters
For the majority of the single-player campaign, the player controls Private Preston Marlowe. Marlowe is part of a squad formerly representing a misfit company in a fictional United States ArmyUnited States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
battalion known as "Bad Company". Other members of the squad include technology expert Private Terrance Sweetwater, demolitions specialist Private George Haggard Jr., and squad leader Sergeant Samuel Redford. The squad, escaping with gold in the previous game but believed to be caught soon thereafter, now work on a special assignment for the Army in securing a dangerous Scalar technology.
Private Preston Marlowe: Marlowe had joined the army declaring "Runs in the family, I guess". After crashing an attack helicopter into a general's limo, Marlowe is sent to the 222nd Army Battalion, or "Bad Company" in the original game, and returns with the squad in Bad Company 2, although no longer as part of a misfit army battalion. General Braidwood, their new commander, refers to their new placement as "Special Activities Division
Special Activities Division
The Special Activities Division is a division in the United States Central Intelligence Agency's National Clandestine Service responsible for covert operations known as "special activities"...
", but continues to ask for their "unorganized, unorthodox, and lethal" tactics.
Private Terrance "Sweets" Sweetwater: Private Terrance Sweetwater, the technician of the squad, joined the army for a scholarship. Having a keen sense for technology, he expected not to do any fighting, but after being sent to Bad Company for uploading a virus to the US military mainframe, he hoped to get out as quickly as possible.
Private George "Hags" Haggard Junior: Haggard joined the army to deal with his pyromania. After blowing up "the biggest ammo dump east side of Paris", he was sent to Bad Company where he serves as the squad's demolitions expert. He does not seek to get out of the army anytime soon.
Sergeant Samuel "Sarge" Redford: Redford was the first person ever to volunteer to join Bad Company after being promised early discharge from the army. After the first mission "Cold War" and retrieving the "Aurora" scalar weapon device, which is revealed to be a fake soon after, Samuel's service time is extended to find an agent named James Aguire, who is mentioned below. He is promised release many times, but his stay is extended when more complications arise.
Plot
The game begins in October 1944, as a group of US commandoCommando
In English, the term commando means a specific kind of individual soldier or military unit. In contemporary usage, commando usually means elite light infantry and/or special operations forces units, specializing in amphibious landings, parachuting, rappelling and similar techniques, to conduct and...
s infiltrate an Imperial Japanese Navy
Imperial Japanese Navy
The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes...
-controlled island in the Sea of Japan
Sea of Japan
The Sea of Japan is a marginal sea of the western Pacific Ocean, between the Asian mainland, the Japanese archipelago and Sakhalin. It is bordered by Japan, North Korea, Russia and South Korea. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it has almost no tides due to its nearly complete enclosure from the Pacific...
as part of "Operation Aurora". They secure a Japanese scientist who was working on a secret scalar weapon codenamed 'The Black Weapon,' and escape the island on a submarine. However as foreshadowed by the scientist's warnings the commandos witness the weapon being fired and perish from a resulting tsunami, sparking a myth within the U.S. Army.
In the present day, Privates Preston Marlowe, Terrence Sweetwater, George Haggard, and Sergeant Samuel Redford fight in Russia in an attempt to secure a scalar weapon device. Despite evading Russian soldiers and completing the mission successfully, the device is discovered to be a fake. Impressed with their previous activities, Army General Braidwood has the squad transferred into the Special Activities Division
Special Activities Division
The Special Activities Division is a division in the United States Central Intelligence Agency's National Clandestine Service responsible for covert operations known as "special activities"...
and assigns them on a mission to contact Agent Aguire, much to the disappointment of Redford who had hoped to retire after the last mission.
The squad travels to Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
in search of the agent, and after many firefights they eventually save Aguire. Aguire sends the squad to get his intelligence detailing scalar technology from a French satellite that can be controlled from a base in the Andes Mountains. Sweetwater crashes the satellite and the squad successfully defeat a Russian counter attack aimed at destroying it. Marlowe soon finds the data server and proceeds to go down the mountain during a blizzard while dodging Russian patrols, and is soon extracted by the others.
During extraction, Aguire briefs the squad about a man responsible for rebuilding scalar weaponry, Arkady Kirilenko, a Russian Army colonel the squad failed to eliminate in Russia, who is believed to be hiding in Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
. The squad, aided by U.S. forces, find Kirilenko, though he again escapes. Left with only Kirilenko's papers, Sweetwater discovers there is a shipping manifest for an abandoned ship called the "Sangre Del Toro." Aided by the rest of the squad, Marlowe finds the ship and retrieves a compound essential to the use of the weapon, while also finding out the truth behind Operation Aurora - the US military knew it was a suicide mission, and the operation was instead an exercise to learn more about the weapon's power.
While attempting to meet Aguire in Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
, their helicopter is shot down and the squad becomes separated. Along with their helicopter pilot, Flynn, they regroup and escape the local militia. Redford gives Aguire the compound before finding out that Aguire double-crossed the squad by allying with Kirilenko. Aguire reveals he wants revenge against the United States for what happened to his father, one of the commandos involved in Operation Aurora. Despite this, Kirilenko betrays Aguire and kills him. Before he can kill the squad, however, Flynn intervenes and saves the squad at the cost of his own life.
The squad is mourning for Flynn when they hear Kirilenko talking through a guard's radio. Marlowe kills the guard, and the squad proceeds toward the city of Quito
Quito
San Francisco de Quito, most often called Quito , is the capital city of Ecuador in northwestern South America. It is located in north-central Ecuador in the Guayllabamba river basin, on the eastern slopes of Pichincha, an active stratovolcano in the Andes mountains...
. Here, after battling squads of Russian troops, Marlowe and the squad find a large cargo aircraft that is believed to house the scalar weapon. This is confirmed as a powerful electromagnetic pulse
Electromagnetic pulse
An electromagnetic pulse is a burst of electromagnetic radiation. The abrupt pulse of electromagnetic radiation usually results from certain types of high energy explosions, especially a nuclear explosion, or from a suddenly fluctuating magnetic field...
is suddenly released, disabling all electronic equipment in the city except the aircraft. Everyone except Marlowe becomes disheartened, but he encourages them, and the squad infiltrates the aircraft as it takes off. After a firefight to reach the cockpit, they find it empty. The squad returns to the cargo bay to find Kirilenko attempting to fire the scalar weapon again, now high over the southern United States. With the help of explosives from the plane's armory the squad access and destroy the scalar weapon.
The explosion sends the aircraft plummeting, forcing the squad to bail out, but Kirilenko grabs the last parachute before Marlowe. In free fall
Free fall
Free fall is any motion of a body where gravity is the only force acting upon it, at least initially. These conditions produce an inertial trajectory so long as gravity remains the only force. Since this definition does not specify velocity, it also applies to objects initially moving upward...
, Marlowe kills Kirilenko, allowing Sweetwater to rescue Marlowe. The squad lands in Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, Haggard's home state. Shortly after, General Braidwood arrives to inform them that they are to aid the U.S. Army against the incoming Russian invasion that recently passed through Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
and Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, much to the squad's disappointment.
Editions
As a pre-order promotion, EA offered the "Limited Edition" of Bad Company 2 at normal pricing. By pre-ordering the Limited Edition, buyers of the PC version were given early access to the closed beta from January 28 to February 25. In addition, owners of the Limited Edition on all systems were given early access to numerous weapons and vehicle perks, which included the M1A1 ThompsonThompson submachine gun
The Thompson is an American submachine gun, invented by John T. Thompson in 1919, that became infamous during the Prohibition era. It was a common sight in the media of the time, being used by both law enforcement officers and criminals...
and an M1911 pistol, as well as four vehicle perks In addition to the six upgrades offered by EA on all pre-orders and the buyers of the Limited Edition, select retailers offered their own incentives as well. Copies pre-ordered at GameStop
GameStop
GameStop Corporation is an American video game and entertainment software retailer. The company, whose headquarters is in Grapevine, Texas, United States, operates 6,500 retail stores throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, Austria, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, New...
came with an additional code, unlocking the AKS-74U carbine
Carbine
A carbine , from French carabine, is a longarm similar to but shorter than a rifle or musket. Many carbines are shortened versions of full rifles, firing the same ammunition at a lower velocity due to a shorter barrel length....
and giving access to the Squad Rush game mode 30 days early (North America only). All six limited edition upgrades, as well as the AKS-74U, are also available to owners of the Standard Edition of the game, but they must be acquired by accumulating points in-game.
The Ultimate Edition was announced and released to the market on August 31, 2010 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The package includes Battlefield: Bad Company 2, Battlefield 1943
Battlefield 1943
Battlefield 1943 is an online multiplayer World War II first-person shooter video game developed by EA Digital Illusions CE and published by Electronic Arts for Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network via digital download only. Unlike Battlefield 1942, this game takes place only in the Pacific...
, "Onslaught" mode, and immediate access to four vehicle upgrades and two weapon unlocks from purchase, a bonus originally included in the "Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Limited Edition".
VIP
As part of a program designed to encourage game purchases and reward the community, EA and DICE confirmed that they would periodically release additional "VIP" content for Bad Company 2. On Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, this content is available free to "VIP" players who purchase a new copy of the game. Owners of used copies will be able to purchase a VIP code for an additional cost from the respective system's online store. Owners of the PC version will receive this content for free regardless of ownership status.Veterans
As part of the Battlefield Veterans program, players gain access to the M1 Garand
M1 Garand
The M1 Garand , was the first semi-automatic rifle to be generally issued to the infantry of any nation. Called "the greatest battle implement ever devised" by General George S...
rifle if they have registered two or more Battlefield games with EA, or if they have joined the "EA Gun Club".
Development
The game was first announced in February 2009. A PS3 version of the beta started on November 19, while the PC version was pushed back until February 2010 because there were difficulties with PC varieties. The online multiplayer demo for the Xbox 360 and the beta for the PC were released on January 28, 2010, and servers ran until February 25. The demo was released on the PlayStation 3 on February 4, 2010 in Europe and North America and February 11, 2010 in Asia.The PS3 beta featured the map "Arica Harbor", while the PC beta, Xbox 360 demo, and PS3 demo featured the map "Port Valdez". On October 19, 2009, game developer DICE posted a Twitter
Twitter
Twitter is an online social networking and microblogging service that enables its users to send and read text-based posts of up to 140 characters, informally known as "tweets".Twitter was created in March 2006 by Jack Dorsey and launched that July...
announcement stating the game will have dedicated server support. This was in response to Infinity Ward
Infinity Ward
Infinity Ward is an American video game developer. Infinity Ward is responsible for the development of the video game Call of Duty and four other installments in the Call of Duty franchise....
's announcement on October 17 that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is a first-person shooter video game developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 video game consoles and the Microsoft Windows operating system. Officially announced on February 11, 2009, the game was released worldwide on...
would not support dedicated servers.
GameZone's Dakota Grabowski interviewed Senior Producer Patrick Bach about the game. Following the negative feedback from PC gamers after the first Battlefield Bad Company was not released on the PC, Electronic Arts and DICE had a separate dedicated team working on the PC version. Bach stated "We see it as very, very hardcore and important part of our customers. So we put a lot of effort into making sure that everything worked perfect.” Bach also commented on the use of peripherals such as a mouse and keyboard on consoles, saying "I don’t think that we have any special connections to peripherals to the consoles … The biggest problem with peripherals for consoles is that the console itself is a level playground. It’s even and you know the consumer has the same technology and have the same peripherals and same controls – which makes it easier for us to create a game that feels fair. By catering to a mouse and keyboard for the consoles, it would maybe skew the even playground."
Audio
The game uses Dolby Digital and Frostbite's High Definition Audio Range technology. The score was composed by Mikael Karlsson and is featured on the Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Official Soundtrack, which was released on February 2, 2010.Downloadable content
| Map Packs | Maps and extras |
|---|---|
| VIP Map Pack 1 | Nelson Bay for Rush Laguna Alta for Conquest |
| VIP Map Pack 2 | Laguna Presa for Rush Arica Harbour for Conquest |
| VIP Map Pack 3 | Laguna Alta for Squad Rush Nelson Bay for Squad Deathmatch |
| VIP Map Pack 4 | Atacama Desert for Rush Port Valdez for Conquest |
| VIP Map Pack 5 | White Pass for Rush Nelson Bay for Conquest |
| VIP Map Pack 6 | Panama Canal for Squad Deathmatch Laguna Presa for Squad Rush |
| VIP Map Pack 7 | Oasis for all game modes Harvest day for all game modes Cold War for Rush, Squad Rush and Squad Deathmatch Heavy Metal for Conquest and Squad Deathmatch ACOG and Red Dot made available for M14 and G3 |
Several map packs have been released for the game. Map Pack 1, the first map pack, was released on March 2, 2010, called the "Day One Map Pack". It added two new maps: Nelson Bay for Rush and Laguna Alta for Conquest. The second map pack, entitled Map Pack 2, was released on March 30, 2010. It added two new maps: Laguna Presa for Rush and Arica Harbour for Conquest. Map Pack 3 was released on 9 June 2010 for consoles, and June 30, 2010 for the PC. The Laguna Alta map was made available for Squad Rush, and the Nelson Bay map was made available for Squad Deathmatch. Map Pack 4 was released on July 7, 2010. The Atacama Desert map was made available for Rush and the Port Valdez map was made available for Conquest. Map Pack 5 was released on July 28, 2010. The White Pass map was made available for Rush and the Nelson Bay map was made available for Conquest. Map Pack 6 was released on August 18, 2010. The Panama Canal map was made available for Squad Deathmatch and the Laguna Presa map was available for Squad Rush. Map Pack 7 was announced on November 8, 2010. The map pack includes two maps ported from the first Bad company game; "Oasis" and "Harvest day", both of which are playable in all game modes. As well as those, two maps from the single-player campaign were ported; "Cold War" is available for Rush, Squad Rush and Squad Deathmatch while "Heavy Metal" is available for Conquest and Squad Deathmatch. The map pack was released on December 1, 2010.
Kit upgrades were released on April 21, 2010 for the Xbox 360, May 12, 2010 for the PlayStation 3 and December 1, 2010 for PC. Residents of the United States can retrieve unlock codes for the upgrades on the Xbox 360 by purchasing specially marked Dr. Pepper bottles. The kit upgrades include two additional pins and one additional award for each class, as well as unique camouflages upgrades. Kit shortcuts were released on 16 June 2010 for consoles. The shortcuts are available for purchase for each separate class, or in a bundle pack for all four classes. Upon installation, the shortcuts will unlock all primary weapons, gadgets and specialisations for their respective class.
A new mode, Onslaught, was released on June 22 and June 24 for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 respectively. In Onslaught, up to four players cooperatively face endless waves of computer controlled enemies. Bad Company 2 senior producer Patrick Bach said that DICE would "consistently support the fans playing Bad Company 2 with new ways to get into multiplayer". He also said that the mode would "challenge the elite players with new experiences to improve their performance online".
Expansion pack
Battlefield: Bad Company 2: Vietnam is an expansion pack for the game which takes place during the Vietnam WarVietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. It was released on December 18, 2010 for Microsoft Windows through the EA Store/Steam, and on December 21 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It is only available via download. The expansion has received extremely positive reviews from different gaming review and user sources, citing its "fun, close encounters", and use of licensed music tracks from the Vietnam war era.
The expansion pack contains 5 new maps, 6 new vehicles, and 15 new weapons. The fifth map, Operation Hastings, was planned to be unlocked when the playing community reached 69,000,000 team play actions (revives, resupplies, assists etc.) on each platform. While it was unlocked for PC on December 30, 2010, the map was released early on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 as a "new year's gift" from DICE. It also includes 49 contemporary music tracks which can be listened to via an in-game radio as well as new voice overs for both American and Vietnamese forces, based on authentic communication from the Vietnam war. Ten new Xbox Live achievements/PSN trophies are also available to unlock.
Reception
Battlefield: Bad Company 2: Vietnam received positive reception, with a score MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
of 86 for the Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
version and 88 for the Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
and PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
versions. Most critics agreed that the expansion is worth buying for users who already enjoy Battlefield: Bad Company 2's multiplayer component. IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
praised it as being one of the best multiplayer offerings of the year, finishing the review with a score of 9.5 out of 10. Destructoid
Destructoid
Destructoid is an independent video game-focused blog based in San Francisco, California that was founded in March 2006. It has since grown into one of the most widely read video game sites on the Internet, reaching more than 3 million unique visitors per month...
gave it a 9 out of 10 rating, calling it a "no brainer" for active Battlefield fans. GameSpot
GameSpot
GameSpot is a video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information. The site was launched in May 1, 1996 by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady and Jon Epstein. It was purchased by ZDNet, a brand which was later purchased by CNET Networks. CBS Interactive, which...
gave it 8.5 out of 10, praising the maps, atmosphere and the new vehicles and weapons, but criticizing the online stat-tracking issues and the reduced emphasis on player progression. Joystiq
Joystiq
Joystiq is a video gaming blog founded in June 2004 that has since become one of the most successful sites within the Weblogs, Inc. family of weblogs. It is the centerpiece of WIN's own network of video gaming blogs, which also includes a blog dealing specifically with the popular MMORPG World of...
stated that it plays differently than the original game but called it a success nevertheless; they awarded it 4 out of 5 stars.
Reception
The game has received positive reviews. As of August 2011, the game has received a metacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
rating of 88% from 59 reviews.
GameZone's Steven Hopper gave the game a 9.25/10, saying, "Even though the single-player campaign still isn't where it needs to be, Bad Company 2 is definitely a great sequel that builds on its predecessor in every way, making for one that no shooter fan will want to miss, especially if you go online for your gaming." GameTrailers gave Battlefield: Bad Company 2 a 9.1 out of a possible 10, praising its use of an intertwining multiplayer in which "Purists will appreciate that you must earn every kill", but labeling the single-player as predictable. Level design was also commended saying "Bad Company 2 features sprawling, densely populated environments with an excellent level of detail."
Game Informer
Game Informer
Game Informer is an American-based monthly magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of popular video games and associated consoles. It was formed in August 1991, when FuncoLand started publishing a six-page magazine, free in all its retail locations...
magazine gave the game a 9.5 out of 10, praising the improvements made over the first Bad Company.
GameSpy reviewer Anthony Gallegos gave the game 4.5 stars out of 5, describing the single-player campaign as "a blast" and concluding that "the staying power for BFBC2 lies in its multiplayer". Dan Whitehead from Eurogamer
Eurogamer
Eurogamer is a Brighton-based website focused on video games news, reviews, previews and interviews. It is operated by Eurogamer Network Ltd., which was formed in 1999 by brothers Rupert and Nick Loman. Eurogamer has grown to become one of the most important European-based websites focused on...
reviewed the game and gave it a score of 9/10, describing it as an "open challenge" to Activision's market leader, Modern Warfare 2, and as a "way superior game" when compared to it. Whitehead also commented that it had "immediately evident" improvements over the previous game in the series, and concluded that Bad Company 2 is "the online shooter at its most streamlined, most thoughtful, most exhilarating". IGN
IGN
IGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
praised the visuals of the game as being "near-photo realistic" and "one of the best looking games around".