Single-player is short and not the best, the 24-player online mode makes this game more than worth $15 on eBay. MUST BUY
Lets face it, Battlefield Bad Company has an average to below average story mode. You play as a young private, Preston Marlowe, who has recently been transferred to a rag-tag group of soldiers that are deemed by the army as "expendable". You and three other soldiers are sent deep into enemy lines to clear out hostiles before the army can advance. This is where things get a little interesting, while clearing out enemies, you notice that they have gold bars on them. You and your squad quickly go AWOL (Absent Without Leave) in search of more gold.
Now, although the story may sound interesting,the game play is kind of a let down. I would say the difficulty is just about right, but your teams AI is all but irrelevant. All you here are a few bad jokes and some sloppy shooting from your fellow soldiers, but otherwise it may aswell be just you out there. They do absolutely nothing; they don't even draw any enemy fire away from you. That is where the real challenge comes from. If there are 100 enemies on an open field, and you and your buddies are standing right next to you, all of the fire will be directed at you. The enemies don't even aim for them. There are only 7 levels and the story is otherwise very short with a few gold bars and collectibles scattered in each map.
Online on the other and is the best. 24 player online makes for good competition, with no lag and still good visuals. Plenty of maps and 2 game modes including gold rush and conquest (capture the flag). Although this game has been out 2 years, the online community is still great and I almost get a full game every time I go online.
This game is really a most buy for the online, and although the story mode isn't great, it doesn't mean you shouldn't play it. This game wouldn't be an 8.5 if just the online was good. This game is cheap and great. A TOTAL OF ONLY $15-$20 MAKES THIS A MUST BUY!