Chaotic, loud, and fun, there are good times ahead.
Ok, that last example of borrowed material was a little weak, seeing as how "Black" was an EA title, but the comparison still stands. If I were to call BF anything, it would be the long-lost cousin of the aforementioned title, and it's every bit as fun. That's right. Fun. Because what BF may lack in originality, it makes up for in entertainment.
BF:F
As stated above, the plot in BF: BC is nothing you haven't seen before. It's pretty much a carbon copy of "Three Kings" minus any kind of noble intention on the part of the main characters. Four soldiers (Or "Kings") stumble across evidence of some fabled gold, and quickly go AWOL in order to recover it. The gold belongs to a villain called The Legionnaire, who pays his band of mercs in the form of solid gold bars. The main characters kill one of the mercs in a fire-fight, discover the gold on his body, and then are off on their less than hilarious misadventure.
Truth be told, there are a couple of moments here and there that might make you giggle, but the characters in this game are so shallow that it's genuinely difficult to feel much more than slight irritation at the repeated attempts to be funny. Though I appreciate DICE's attempts to make something more than just another dramatic shooter, when every conversation has some catchy zinger thrown into it, the humor begins to feel more forced than funny.
THE DELICATE SOUNDS OF THUNDER
Though the "look at how funny we are" moments begin to wear thin almost immediately, at least the lines are carried by a group of fairly solid voice actors. Don't expect Oscar caliber performances, but for the most part this quartet knows how to sing. As a whole, the lines are delivered well, even if some of those lines will make you cringe.
Beyond that, however, you are in for an audio treat. The guns and explosions that inevitably follow the firing of said guns are extremely well done. This game has the potential to get very, very loud, and the chaotic ring of battle is a lot of fun to endure. Crumbling walls and fences sound spot-on, the volume of weapons fire makes each weapon a joy to shoot, and the sound of dust settling after an explosion is a great touch.
The only other place that BF sags in terms of sound would be in the scoring. Though there are a few tracks that heighten the experience, for the most part expect forgettable tunes. This includes the rather odd but interesting music you'll hear while driving.
EYES ON
BF:BC is something of a visual treat. Though it won't dethrone Gears or Killzone 2 in terms of aesthetics, character models are highly detailed, right down to the fibers that their uniforms are made of. The weapons have a nice look to them, which is a definite plus seeing as how you'll be spending a great deal of time looking down them at approaching enemies.
Where this title suffers some is in the environments. Apparently, you have been transported to a magical land where no one believes in furniture. Every house is depressingly vacant, and therefore bland. This blandness then creeps out into the surrounding environment. Though there are a few environmental gems (a courtyard here or a small city there), most of what you will see are long stretches of green and brown.
That's not to say its all bad. There are usually a large number of trees in any given area, each of which can be destroyed at the player's leisure. Knocking down an entire forest with artillery or tank shells is a lot of fun, though it tends to make the battlefield a little more drab after. And blasting gigantic holes into the side of a building so that you can get at the foe within makes you wonder why destructible environments aren't used more often in shooters.
CALL OF DUTY TOO
After they've finished with the single player campaign, online aficionados will definitely want to check out the online offerings of this game. Though it rips a page straight out of COD's play book, ranking system and all, it's still a varied and entertaining experience.
Finding a match is a breeze (though you'll have to download the Conquest mode in order to play it). Once the match has begun, simply select your class, and drop into the mix. Demo, Assault, Support, and a couple of other classes give players the opportunity to express their own play styles or attempt to try something new (we can't all be snipers, kiddies. )
As of now, only two modes are available, Gold Rush and Conquest. Both are fairly simple in execution. In Gold Rush, the two teams are spit into Attackers and Defenders. The objectives: Attackers attempt to destroy the enemy's gold crates. If they succeed, the Defenders then most relocate to a new base via shifting spawn points. All of this makes for a surprisingly fluid and varied experience.
Conquest is about as simple as it gets. Capture the control point, hold the control point to score. Most matches shift back and forth in terms of who has the most points, and, again, this makes for a match that is constantly changing. Though BF may not win any points for originality, it can be said that online play is chaotic, loud, and fun, and that's what counts.
THE VERDICT
Overall, BF:BC is worth playing. The single player campaign is satisfying for the most part, and the online play is a blast. Yes, this title has a few issues that hold it back from being more than it could be, but it offers enough strength to outweigh the weaknesses.