DICE gives the people a strong and immersive multiplayer and Activision some strong competition.
There are some interesting and unique set pieces in the single player campaign. In one such instance in players take up position in a snipers nest and patiently wait for the thunder to mask the sound of gunfire while they pick off guards and allowing their comrades to safely advance through a small village. Another makes you sprint from house to house and occasionally making your own sources of heat so Marlowe doesn't freeze to death. That being said, the single player is a lot shorter this time around and more linear. It lacks the big, open maps and the humor has been tuned down a notch. It's still there and takes a couple jabs at a certain war game that also happens to have a modern setting but it's not as good as the first game's humor. Sarge still tempts death by complaining about retirement though so it's good to see some things stayed the same.
Those of you who have ever played any battlefield game already know that the single player campaign is just a lot of shenanigans though. If you haven't, the single player is more of less one long tutorial for the real part of the game. Multiplayer. It's where the action is really at. The multiplayer component sports four entertaining game modes starting with the Battlefield classic Conquest mode. Rush, works much like it did in the first only instead of gold crates, you're destroying M-COM stations. There's also Squad Deathmatch and Squad Rush, which is rush only limited to 4v4. If you're not familiar with the four classes of the Battlefield games they are the lightning quick Assault class, the rejuvenating Medic, the explosive Engineer and the sharp eyed Recon.
Guns, equipment and other accessories are unlocked by racking up points during a match. Players will find there are a wide variety of guns to choose from in each class and others they can all use. Each class also gets their own specific piece of equipment like the Medic's defibrillators or the Recon's mortar strikes. The destruction brought to you by the frostbite engine has received a much needed upgrade. No longer will buildings stand tall after being pulverized by numerous explosives. Instead, the buildings will collapse and hopefully take out any enemies that may happen to unwittingly be inside of it. It's just too bad the squad system is frustrating to say the least. It also takes a little less ammo to kill your opponents which is both good and bad. At times it's hard to tell how close you are to dying but it's great because you'll have more ammo to continue the fight and last time I checked, ammo on the battlefield is a necessity. Being paired with talkative players is difficult when you're friends aren't around and you can't talk to anybody outside of your squad. There's also a nasty glitch where players get sent to the dashboard in the 360 version and EA seems to have a little trouble with their servers but honestly now, is anybody surprised that EA is having server issues?
Bad Company 2 also looks and sounds amazing. You can tell DICE put a lot of attention into the making of the game. From the maps right down to the guns you'll use are all wonderfully detailed. Character animations are nicely done and fluid. They move like real soldiers on the battlefield and automatic guns jerk around from side to side. The fantastic audio completes the feeling of immersion. Soldiers will scream out various things like sniper fire and grenades. Explosions and gun fire sound throughout the large maps and buildings will screech and moan as they crumble in on themselves. Bad Company 2 does a terrific job of putting the players right there in the middle of the experience.
While Battlefield: Bad Company 2 has a rather weak single player campaign this time around, the multiplayer provides a fun immersive experience. DICE has done as much as they could to fully immerse players into the game and getting every pin and award will certainly keep players hooked for a long time to come. They're certainly making sure that Bad Company 2 gives Modern Warfare 2 a strong run for it's money.