Lately I’ve been getting more into console gaming, due to the fact that the PC gaming market is starting to go down. Trouble is finding good titles to play, it just doesn’t seem like good games are being made much anymore. That’s when I came across this great deal. Battlefield Bad Company originally came out last fall for Xbox 360 and PS3, but at the time, I didn’t play as much. Now, I decided since it is now $20 that I would try it out.

Battlefield Bad Company

Gameplay
By far, this game has proven to be the best $20 game I have ever bought. That’s not to say it isn’t worth full price, which it is. It just makes me puzzled as to why it is so cheap. Granted, the single player is a bit repetitive, but not nearly as many other shooters. Also, the next version of this game, Bad Company 2, is due out fairly soon. That would explain part of the price drop.
The gameplay is very solid. You are part of a “elite” squad of soldiers, so all the tactics take form of a blitzkrieg-style battle. Most of the environment in this game is destructible, thanks to the new  FrostBite engine developed for the game. Grenades or explosives to walls blow holes in them, RPG’s and AT-4’s help you take out snipers hidden in buildings. Even trees are destructible by using either explosives or machine guns. This allows for a very rich, intense gameplay that keeps you on your toes, even in multiplayer.
What makes this even better is the addition of other weapons not normally seen in most FPS titles. Certain times in the game, you are able to call in mortar fire or air strikes using laser designators. This adds to some of the realism that is missing from most shooters. Also, the addition of Tanks, Helicopters, and other vehicles adds to the fast paced gameplay similar in other Battlefield titles.

Graphics
What surprised me on the back of the box on the PS3 version is that it displays in 720p mode only. While this might be the same for Xbox360, I can tell you this; It does not matter. I have a 42” Sony Bravia II 1080p, and I couldn’t notice an impact of any kind. It still looks amazing, considering that most games that only go in 720p on the PS3 generally look terrible.
To me, the graphics seem very satisfactory. They might miss some shine here and there, but its very hard to notice. The graphics-elite may care, but for the average person, it will still amaze you. The effects and weapons look amazing, explosions are detailed and incredible, and all the other efforts put forth to make the game shine are very apparent. The new engine they use definitely has been very important to due this.

Sound
I wanted to review sound because this is another great plus to this game, its sound. Echoed yelling and shooting never sounded better in a game on my speakers. This game is very accurate as far as going through houses and how it would sound. Even people off in the distance seem perfect. To me, this helps with with gameplay tremendously. You can actually tell how far an enemy is by his echo. When you get a close blast of explosives, you even temporarily loose your hearing, similar to call of duty titles.

Multiplayer
The single-player portion of the game, while entertaining and mildly amusing, is a bit bland. What makes this game worth the money is its online multiplayer. It has a similar system used in Battlefield 2 and Call of Duty where you level to get unlocked weapons and gear. This time, instead of using Marine ranks, they switch back to Army. Also, they’ve reduced the rank to 25. This, I think, makes things a bit more interesting. Instead of just purely ranking up, you also have awards you can get. These awards are given after a certain amount of kills based on what weapons you use and certain actions you do. For example, the award of “Dog Catcher” is when you collect 5 unique dog tags from players after knifing them. It really does add to the whole challenge of multiplayer, while making it unique. Just like Battlefield 2, you have different classes of soldier. Certain classes have certain weapons, but each class has specialty items you can unlock. For example, the laser designator for dropping air strikes is part of the recon class (sniper). These are able to be unlocked as soon as you get a “unlock credit” from ranking up. You don’t have to be at the highest level to unlock the best weapons or items.

Overall

Pros:
-Multiplayer is what makes the game.
-Sound is awesome.
-Overall gameplay is exciting and unique.
-Value cannot be beaten.

Cons:
-Single player is a bit bland, but better than most FPS.
-Video output is at 720p on PS3 version (but isn’t noticeable on HDTVs).

Ratings
Gameplay: 4/5
Graphics: 4/5
Sound: 5/5
Multiplayer: 5/5

Overall: 4.5/5

This game is definitely worth playing. The fact that it’s $20 means it is a steal.