ITP Ratings For BFBC
The guys over at the ITP today gave their review of the Battlefield Bad Company, and like in other reviews by well known websites/personalities the game scored good.
Click here to read the whole review.
If you have still not got your BFBC Copy its perhaps a good time to get one.
BattlefieldBadCompany.com now offering forum hosting for your clan.
Have a Battlefield clan? We are now offering you free clan forum hosting. Your forum will be located at the bottom of the normal BattleFieldBadCompany.com forums as seen in the picture. This offer was announced on Tuesday and so far [UL] and Lords of Warfare have taken advantage of the offer but we are looking for more homeless clans. If your clan needs a place to talk and discuss things, send me a PM on the forums and we will get your clans forum setup ASAP.
For more information, read this thread.
4.5/5.0 From BallerStatus.com
Another great review for BFBC:
Whether you’re busy dodging grenades, shooting down trees (yes, shooting is the word I meant to use), or running over Communists with one of many vehicles, you’ll be busy at all times with Battlefield: Bad Company. Constant action seems to have been one of the game’s major areas of focus and Electronic Arts succeeds in achieving this.
From the get go there is hardly a dull moment as Preston (your character) joins Bad Company, a group of misfit soldiers who have all managed to get themselves into mischief which has lead them to the group. As Preston, you will have to work along with the rest of the company to accomplish set missions in communist Russia, all while looking for gold and any collectable weapons.
The game’s communist Russia isn’t exactly an open world, though, as you must unlock areas of the map by completing various missions. Venture out of the unlocked area and in a few seconds you’ll meet your end thanks to enough artillery fire to take out a small village. None of this is groundbreaking in the gaming world, but what is groundbreaking is the level of utter destruction and chaos. Explosions are frequent in this game and evading grenades becomes almost natural after only the first few missions. The game’s explosions aren’t your standard explosions either, and weapons will take out what they should be able to. Gone are the days of standing behind the wall of invincibility and firing around the corner, as a grenade may very well just make the wall or fence you’re behind disappear.
As if rockets, grenades, and large caliber artillery aren’t enough to keep you occupied, a nearly constant barrage of bullets will have you grabbing for one of your endless health shots more frequently than you’d like. Enemies aren’t left in clear sight either; an aggressive AI will have the Reds taking cover just like you and makes it tough at times to find where the shots are coming from. Bad Company brings you as close to the war’s chaos as you can get without having a tank roll into your family room.
The game’s world also offers a variety of settings. Open fields, small towns, and small forests can all be found on your map and all offer their own unique experience. Take control of an anti-aircraft gun and shoot down the trees in the forest or shoot down the fences in the towns; either way, you’ll have one hell of a time.
Firefights are exciting, but driving a big military vehicle into buildings, camps, and over rocks can be even more exciting. Vehicles can be found all over the world and range from large cargo trucks to armored vehicles. Large, unarmored trucks are amusing in their ability to muscle over terrain and objects, while smaller vehicles will amuse by means of their agility and weaponry. But regardless of your preference, vehicles are a must to get yourself around the map. Your fellow soldiers will even complain at times during the game if they get tired of walking.
The progression of the game’s story is smooth and cut away scenes are incorporated nicely, as is in-game dialog. Particularly interesting is the dialogue during drives, which gives you a chance to learn more about your comrades and what landed them in Bad Company.
The single player campaign isn’t the only mode that rocks in the game either, as you can head online where up to 24 players can join in ranked or unranked matches across eight maps. The vehicles and weapons are just as fun to use online as they are off, especially because each map requires unique strategies to be effective. Moreover the depth of unlockables and awards that are available while playing online really add to the multiplayer experience. Bad Company features a solid multiplayer that will keep you coming back for more long after completing the single player campaign.
Electronic Arts delivers a great game with Bad Company. Realistic explosion mechanics, a variety of guns and vehicles, and intense action are all wrapped up within a well implemented story and bring the Communists right into your family room for a nice dose of Yankee ass whooping. If this doesn’t get your adrenaline pumping then maybe you have bigger problems.
A question for the community: What don’t you like about BFBC so far?
Someone started a thread in the forums titled “What don’t you like about the game so far?“. It’s a different question and unlike most of the other questions asked, it’s not nessasarly a positive question. We’ve all seen the “What’s your favorite part of BFBC” type questions, this one goes in the other direction. Ill list some of the responses below.
The thing I don’t like so far is that when you get close to someone you can’t tell if their friend or foe. It especially is bad when you round the corner and see someone staring right at you. Do you shoot and get a teamkill or flinch and get shot instead. I wish the clothing was more distinct between teams.
The M95 can’t fire through walls, it can blow fences and trees apart & When people are on those missile launchers that look like telescopes and I snipe them, they don’t die.
No prone is retarded, I cant lay down? Thats what you do in a bad company.
The weapon attributes are off, and wonky looking. The assault + SF classes weapons are too weak. Half a clip to kill someone, when has that ever been right? The one shot shotgun. Little to no down time for a reload. WTF is this little thing I spawn with a spawn of the M4? A little nit to pick, why do games always have the M60 as the end all heavy weapon. I know RAMBO, but there is another, my baby, that I feel gets left out alot, the M240B, look it up. I played BF MC a lot, and the basic gunplay feels more like Frontline 2 with its wonkyness. That being said, I am a battlefield fan first before COD4, I prefer the open battlefields to the arena of COD. But wonkyness, iron it out.
Auto injectors, I guess they probably got that from the adrenaline shot you are supposed to give yourself if you are exposed to nerve gas. Or maybe the med heart shot. That is definitely not a more than one time thing, and the one time you use it there is a chance you’ll have a heart attack. The fact that there is a auto injector tells me that they shammed out (thats a real bad company term) on the balance of the game. A one button cure all.
too much health, the assault rifles should be a little bit better, more game modes, all the house goes down not most of it, team killers, people who walks past the gold when theres a bomb on it trust me it happends alot, more ranked levels most people all ready a level 25, the shotgun wayyy over powered, mines dissaper after a while, more levels, some level are too big and when you die and your squad is dead you hav to start right back at the beginnig but there are people who like big maps and last thing is NO DEATHMATCH
My gripes are…
Some guns realy need tweeking………Some can fire though chain link fences and others can’t.
1) Pistol is too powerfull. I mean they can take 5-6 machine gun/assault shots and turn around and still kill you.
2) Knife is he same way but can kill you from 6 feet away.
3) Shotgun 1 hit kills are fine but if someone aims at my feet it should take two. When you sneak up on someone and shoot them all them do is turn
around and shoot, no aim required.
4) One class (forgot which one) has the first 2 or 3 weapon the same, stat wise. I mean come on at least adjust them a little.
5) To many shot to a door to bring them down
6) Still getting stuck in objects. plants/ small fences
7) Bradley vehicle fires alot but no real damage, also is this thing made out of a pop can. I thought it was an armor vehicle.
8 Respawns AT the gold should NOT be allowed when on offense. I had 3 enemies respawn (my opinion ) right in front of me.
9) A respawn you should have a “God” mode (can’t die or shoot anyone) for 2-3 seccond to just give you a chance. Tired of respawning only to get shot 1 second latter.
10) Need more playing styles,
11) Should be able to create you own match, and be able to play without certain weapons or vehicles.
12) Calling in an air stike sometimes they land on you because the dot was next to a leaf of a tree you were near. Should also be able to lock on a “taged” object
13) Bunny hoppers are still a problem.
To read the rest of this busy thread, click here.
9.2/10 from xboxsolution.com
Another day and another great review/score for Battlefield Bad Company. You can read the review here or you can jump over to the reviewers site and read it.
Battlefield: Bad Company - Xbox 360 Review
Battlefield has seen several changes since the franchise began. So, when I heard about the new changes and the multi-player modes, I was very interested. I also wanted to see the new Frostbite engine in action. The story for the single-player grabbed my interest so when the Beta came out, I got a chance to see the game. I liked the offline mode and thought the online gameplay was interesting. Now after playing the final version, let’s catch up with the boys from Company B in the full Battlefield Bad Company review.
GameplayYou’ll play as Preston Marlow who ended up getting in enough trouble to get transferred to B Company. He meets his Sergeant who has two days left in charge of the misfit crew and then he goes home. Then there is Sweetwater and Haggard. All are misfits and criminals, but they have another thing in common, they are expendable. The military decided rather than locking up the four men and throwing away to key to use them as the first wave for certain operations that are not “known about†While the team together makes for some very humorous moments, they have trouble fighting as a team. On one mission they find one gold bar. Each man is thinking the same thing. They want to take the gold and when their time is up retire in style. The story may seem a bit farfetched but this has happened several times in real life so it makes for an interesting story.
The single-player mode is setup in a way that you have an objective, but how you achieve it is up to you. I like this while you can go almost anywhere and take down targeted areas in any order, the only thing you can’t do is go too far outside the map. A timer will count down and you will get an earful to get back. Any vehicle you find or can steal can be used to reach the next objective and weapons are scattered to pick up something better. My only complaint was that you could not keep two primary weapons. You also have a knife and a secondary weapon and endless health shots. BFBC is not one of those games where you can tell a certain team member to go or give orders to. In fact for most of the time, you will find that no one is near you to lay down cover or to help you out. You’ll even get yelled at to lay down cover, fire or move out. At first it seems odd that the newbie would have to take the lead but I think EA and Dice wanted to give gamers a new challenge. It makes sense since they are rejects from other companies and not assigned to B Company for a promotion.
The main thing I like is how the game allows you to tackle each section of a mission. You could go in and run and gun but the outcome usually ends up with you having to restart from the last save point. Using a little patience and sneaking up on the targets is the best way, although run and gun is needed at times. You are always outnumbered and not just by a few guys so taking out the snipers first is a key. Then again you may find taking out the support is faster. It’s a great change of gameplay and adds to the game’s fun factor. The AI at times seems to have an unfair advantage. You shoot through a wall and destroy half the building yet the AI survives. While at times it seems a bit unbalanced, you will soon find a way to deal with it.
You get support from HQ, a hot sounding girl who tries to help with telling you Intel and drop zones so you can find a weapon you need to complete each mission. She also has a quick tongue and some great one-liners so she fits perfectly into the game. Each of the guys has a different personality and skill. Sarge likes to dig in and fight things out while Sweetwater and Haggard are content in trying to beat each other or yell quick comments thinking that will help. The mix of action and humor is great and makes playing the single-player mode a real treat.
Xbox LiveThe only mode to ship with the game for the Xbox live is the Gold Rush the Conquest mode will be available later this summer as a free download. The online play is fun but better if you have some people in the battle that you know from your friends list. There were issues while trying to join a squad and then launching into a game, but last time I played it was working and the connection issues seemed to have been fixed. The only lobby per se is if you want to have other friends join the squad before launching into an unranked or ranked game. Like most huge multi-player games you have a lot of kids and adults that bark out orders or just run in die and never learn.
After getting through the disconnects and server issues, the game is a blast to play with the right people. You can even take snapshot up on the D-Pad. It will send them to the Bad Company site to look at and is a neat idea. The maps are well thought-out and have plenty of vehicles and places to demolish while trying to either save the gold cases or take them away. I personally like this multi-player mode better than the last BC game, but that is just my opinion and personal taste. I will say DICE tried to offer a multi-player mode that enhances the single-player campaign. I also know EA is still tweaking things and a patch should hit soon to take care of all known issues. Again I can’t stress enough about having some friends along to help the online play be more enjoyable, but once you learn the maps you can enjoy the game with or without friends. Overall a very good online mode but I really want the conquest mode to be released.
ControlThe controls are well done but may take some time to get used to. This is especially true when hopping into a vehicle ground or air. Just keep in mind that while it does give you a pop-up screen with the basic controls, each vehicle has its own controls and all are different. The standard controls for firing, knifing and switching weapons are well thought-out and with a few minutes of playing anyone will find them easy to use. I will say at times during a massive fight it’s easy to need hit a wrong bumper when trying to switch to a weapon to knock something out of the sky. I would say about 10 minutes for those used to playing games of this genre and maybe 15 minutes more for those just starting out to grasp everything.
GraphicsBattlefield Bad Company Screenshot
At times I listen to what is said during online modes about the game. I heard that some people thought the faces of the characters looked funny or a bit distorted. I personally like the look of the characters and thought the new Frostbite engine worked well. The destructions looked great and each new place you have to fight has something different to offer. I loved the idea of having to fight a Dictator that owned a private golf course and had a blast tying to drive the golf cart to safety.
Battlefield Bad Company Screenshot
DICE threw in some very cool weapons and when the laser sight locks and it launches, for example, the game looks amazing. The vehicles looked realistic and overall the game looks great. The different weapons really added to the game. Of course the smiley faces on the pull pins of the grenades add an interesting touch. Overall the game look fits the theme and no complaints to point out or that stuck out while playing the game.
Battlefield Bad Company Screenshot
AudioThe overall audio of the game is fantastic and really stands out. The voice-over actors all did great job which helped the game. The explosions and bullets sounded very realistic and showed off another aspect of the Frostbite engine. You could tell if the firing was close or far away or from inside or outside. I was extremely impressed with all the different sounds added to the game.
Replay ValueBattlefield Bad Company offers a strong single-player campaign and offers a lot of replay value. With achievements set at beating a mission on hard or normal, it is not like most games where you play it on hard and both will pop. Trying to locate all the hidden gold bars and weapons are a real challenge as well. Throw in a massive online mode and a soon to be released new mode and it’s easy to see that BFBC offers plenty of replay value.
Bottom LineOverall Score: 9.2/10.0
Additional CommentsOnce you get used to having to be the one in charge and lack of real back up, Bad Company is a great game. The story line is interesting since it also has some truth to what went on in different wars and conflicts. Of course the story is for enjoyment, but it also helps throw in another factor about greed and right and wrong. Add in the humor, the vehicles, and all the weapons, DICE has a hit on their hands. The online mode or should I say modes will keep getting better and it shows they are listening. For all it has to offer the new Battlefield shows it can hold its own with the rest of the competition. I am glad they went with the angle they did and am interesting to see what direction they take the franchise next.
Audio
One more great review for BFBC to put under it’s belt.
This one coming over from al.com
Recommendation: It’s not perfect, but Battlefield: Bad Company is great. I enjoyed the campaign story so much, I finished it in three days of heavy gaming during my vacation. The multiplayer modes need more variety, but that should come with downloadable content. Shooter fans who are ready for new battlefields will have a blast blowing up this sandbox.
Grade: A
Once again BFBC is compared to COD4 ion this review with the reviewer acknowledging that it’s perhaps even better than COD4. It really kills me that BFBC for the PC is not coming…or at least hasn’t been announced.
BFBC “Highly Reccomended” says Paul from winsupersite.com
Another day and another good review for Battlefield Bad Company. This time the review is coming from Paul over at community.winsupersite.com
I’ll shut up now and just give you the review:
You’ve probably seen the ads on TV: Battlefield: Bad Company looks like Call of Duty 4 (see my review) but with a decided sense of humor. Well, here’s a shocker: That’s exactly what it is. And best of all, it’s a great game. In fact, it’s easily the best new game I’ve played this year. (And yes, I’ve played Grand Theft Auto IV.)
Two comments up front: I am very much biased towards first person shooters, so Bad Company automatically makes my short list. But it’s a great game, too, and in fact now takes its place with Call of Duty 2 (see my review), Gears of War (see my review), and Call of Duty 4 as being among the best first person shooters I’ve ever played on the Xbox 360. That’s a very short list.
Point two: Game makers have tried to mix comedy and shooters before, and with mixed results. Many will remember the groan-inducing adolescent humor of Duke Nukem 3D with a weird mixture of embarrassment and nostalgia, but I’m happy to report that Bad Company rarely devolves into “damn, I’m looking good” territory a la the Duke. In fact, while most of the humorous dialog in this game is decidedly on the cheesy side, I found myself smiling and waiting for the next bit. Typical example:
Sarge: “This place is heavily guarded.”
Haggard: “Well, we’re heavily armed!”
OK, the dialog won’t win any awards, and yes there’s some debate to be had about any combination of violence and humor, but come on, it’s a game. In fact, one of the things I think the makers of this particular title handle quite well is the line between realism and game play. Unlike many games that force you to trudge back to artificial checkpoints and refight the exact same battles, enemies, and situations again and again until you get it right, Bad Company eliminates this convention. That is, you never forget it’s a game because it doesn’t take itself seriously.
What do I mean by this? Well, you can resuscitate yourself basically anytime using a never-ending supply of health. If you clear out part of an area and then get killed, when you come back, those enemies are still dead, so the second time easier. And you know what? It’s OK, it really is. Gaming purists will complain that this makes the game too easy, and I do hear that, I really do. But I think this makes the game more fun. And you know what? It’s a game. It’s supposed to be fun.
I love this game.
Plot: You play Preston Marlow, a new recruit in Bad Company, an army division that consists of misfits like ex-cons who are sent into battle ahead of the more expensive and less easily replaced elite soldiers. It’s a funny concept, really, and your small team consists of some lively personalities, including the “retiring in two days” Sarge, the Truckosaurus loving Haggard, and the too-talkative and too-smart-for-his-own-good Sweetwater. Their banter, both within the team and with the presumed-to-be-gorgeous female voice that guides them via radio, is generally light and fun.
There’s a war going on, apparently between the US and the Soviet Union, though the Soviet Union has also hired expensive mercenaries that make up the more dangerous enemies you’ll face. Where and when this conflict occurs is unclear, but both appear to be fabricated and, anyway, who cares? It’s just a game.
Along the way, your team goes AWOL, attempts to get back into the good graces of the US army by kidnapping a foreign dictator, and generally makes a mess of things. It’s a glorious mess.
Graphics: The graphics in Bad Company are arguably the best I’ve ever seen on any Xbox 360 title. The only visual issue is that the graphics are actually somewhat grainy, but the detail on all of the onscreen elements–not to mention that you can interact with virtually all of it, usually by blowing stuff up–really puts it over the top. This is one of the most engaging interactive experiences I’ve ever had.
Sounds: Likewise, the music and other audio in Bad Company is first rate. I generally turn off any music in a game for what I assume are obvious reasons, but the musical selection in this title is so quirky that it’s worth leaving on: It really sets the stage. One minor gripe: There are no subtitles at all, and sometimes very crucial bits of information are provided verbally while fighting or other loud background noises are occurring.
Game play: If you’re familiar with console-based first person shooters, Bad Company holds few surprises. On the plus side, Bad Company’s system for switching weapons is excellent, and should be emulated by other games. (It uses the RB and LB buttons instead of the control pad. I feel this is superior.)
Bad Company provides a wide range of play options, including the ability to ride in (and use the armaments of) a lot of different vehicles, including trucks, tanks, golf carts (!), helicopters, and the like. You man long-range guns and target distant enemies. You can hop on stationary guns and cut down individual enemies. There are rocket launchers and sniper rifles. The list goes on and on and on. And though the nature of the game is somewhat repetitive–do this, then go to the red smoke, now repeat it–the sheer variety of missions keeps things interesting.
On the minus side, controls are a bit balky and vague, and decidedly less well defined than those in Call of Duty 4, which sets the standard today. You get used to it, but if you’re coming to this game right off of COD, as I did, it’s a bit off-putting.
Also, there’s no true prone. You can stand and crouch only. Not a big deal, but there were times when lying down fully would have come in quite handy.
One huge complaint: There’s no co-op mode at all. This seems like an odd omission in what is essentially a team-based shooter.
Replayability: Thanks to a very balanced Achievements system and the multiplayer system mentioned below, replayability is excellent. I’m now moving through the single player campaign for a second time to clean up on various collectibles (gold, guns) and a few other random Achievements I missed the first time around. A few years into the Xbox 360’s lifecycle and it seems like game makers are finally figuring out how to best use Achievements to keep things interesting. This is a great example of how to do that.
Multiplayer: I’ve only barely explored multiplayer so far, but what I’ve seen looks interesting. There are ranked and unranked matches, and 8 different maps, but just one basic game type. What makes this interesting is that the games are objective-based, with offensive and defensive teams of up to 12 players each, and you can choose from five character classes, each with its own set of unique weapons and capabilities.
Final score: Highly recommended
There you have it, another satisfied FPS fan.
Battlefield Bad Company scores a B+ from gaming-age.com
Another review has come in for BFBC, it’s a B+ from the people over at gaming-age.com. Here are a few of the more interesting quotes from them…
Visually B:BC has some very impressive technical feats, beginning with the destructible environments. Any title where you can blow up your enemies, it’s nice to blow up the terrain around them as well. Even though it’s very cool to blow a hole in the side of a building, knock down that annoying shrubbery that is in the way of your vehicles, or knocking down that water tower just for the hell of it, the destruction is oddly enough limited. A great for instance is when I had a grenade launcher at my disposal. I was able to take down an enemy tanker and secure a building with such unrelenting force, yet there was a dilapidated wooden fence that would budge not matter what I would do to it. It seems like EA made the environments have certain “sweet spots” that were destructible, which can be disappointing when trying to supply as much damage as possible.
This isn’t the first complaint I’ve heard about the destructible environments either. Many people are complaining that if you can blow it 90% of the way up, why not just go ahead and let people blow 100% of the building up? It really does seem kind of stupid when you think about it. I mean they did a cool thing by coming up with the destructible environments thing, but it’s like they all sat around and said “Oh no, we can’t let them destroy all of it, that would be too much fun!”. Seriously, wtfs up with that?
Battlefield: Bad Company may not be the award winner that COD 4 was, but it is damn near as entertaining and a lot easier to get into. This is a war game for the casual gamer who just wants to have fun blowing stuff up.
If you read the full review, you’ll see this isn’t the only time he speaks of COD4. It seems this guy, like myself, really loves COD4.
The Russians are Coming?
Well, well, well. The Cold War is back. Or more accurately, it’s a Hot War with actual gunfire.
“Battlefield: Bad Company” resurrects our long-ago nemesis, the Russians. Apparently, terrorists and modern desert armies weren’t interesting enough anymore to anchor “Battlefield’s” battlegrounds.
“Bad Company,” a worthy sequel to some pretty awesome “Battlefield” games, sets you down upon the green and hilly landscapes of a fictional European nation where Americans and Russians are shooting at each other.
And yet, our military is also contending with mercenaries who have stored gold bars all over town squares and barns.
In fact, your side mission in “Bad Company” is to find that gold and become rich, even while you’re trying not to get killed by whizzing bullets.
As every game writer understands, this cinematic narrative is reminiscent of the films “Kelly’s Heroes” and “Three Kings.”
To pull off such a cynical storyline, the war you are engaged in must seem potentially, morally iffy. Otherwise, you’d be a bad guy, looting towns, instead of merely fighting for freedom and other trademark, apple-pie Americanisms.
So the narrator says at the start, “War’s fought for a number of reasons,” such as oil, “but on the battlefield, every soldier has to find his own.”
Our soldiers are fittingly characteristic of such stories. They are, as in “Kelly’s Heroes” and “Three Kings,” expendable misfits. They gab stupidly, but in a legitimately funny way. They’re greedy. And the ethically compromised sergeant is to retire in a few days.
All that’s missing is Danny Glover.
This set-up gives the game an oomph of a meaty plot. More important, the game play is stellar.
The battlegrounds of “Bad Company” are huge, sprawling terrains. You drive tanks, helicopters and boats. And you jog across hill and dale, shooting bad guys with machine guns, sniper rifles and shotguns.
The most promising action is going online to join battles of up to 24 people in showdowns where you alternately play on offense, trying to blow up the enemy’s bases, or on defense protecting your own bases.
I don’t love this online game mode. It’s like waging war on a football field, one team at a time.
But the game’s designers realize fans of previous “Battlefield” titles prefer online “Conquest” modes, where you battle on both offense and defense at the same time, trying to capture and protect a bunch of bases simultaneously. We shooting gamers love that sort of kill-the-man-with-the-ball chaos.
So to satisfy us, game designers have promised to release a “Conquest” mode as a free downloadable upgrade, although they didn’t say when. Within weeks? Months?
Meanwhile, you can alternately play some other good, not great, online battles in another big war sequel out now, “Enemy Territory: Quake Wars,” which has no serious plot to speak of as an offline solo game, except that aliens have invaded Earth and they’re pointing weapons at your throat.
“Battlefield: Bad Company” is more fun. But “Enemy Territory” is solid, and it also excels online.
The “Monster Truck”-like ads for the game are hilarious and accurate, saying you can steal weapons from the alien invasion destroying Earth, and each battlefield is a “square kilometer.”
If that doesn’t satisfy you, as the ad says, “How about calling orbital air strikes from OUTER SPACE!?” Hell, yeah!
Each week, award-winning writer and columnist Doug Elfman sorts through the video game world with his syndicated package, The Game Dork. He reviews games, tells you what’s hot, what’s renting and what’s coming down the pipeline. E-mail Doug at dougelfman@thegamedork.com. He also blogs at DougElfman.com.
What Doug Says
“Battlefield: Bad Company” by EA retails for $60 for Xbox 360 and PS 3
· Plays fun. Looks great.
· Starts easy, becomes challenging.
· Rated “T” for alcohol reference, strong language and violence.
“Enemy Territory: Quake Wars” by Activision retails for $60 for Xbox and PS 3
· Plays fun, though not great. Looks very good.
· Moderately easy to moderately challenging.
· Rated “T” for violence, mild language.Ratings Chart
“E” for Everyone “T” for Teen “M” for Mature 17+
The Hit List
Here are the top 10 best-selling video games, according to retailer Blockbuster. Games are listed by title, company, the gaming system and rating from the Entertainment Software Rating Board:
1. “Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots” (Konami) for PS 3; rated “M” (blood, crude humor, strong language, suggestive themes, violence)
2. “Grand Theft Auto IV” (Rockstar) for Xbox 360; also available for PS 3; rated “M” (intense violence, blood, strong language, strong sexual content, partial nudity, use of drugs and alcohol)
3. “Ninja Gaiden II” (Microsoft) for Xbox 360; rated “M” (partial nudity, suggestive themes, blood, gore, intense violence)
4. Wii Zapper with “Link’s Crossbow Training” (Nintendo) for Wii; rated “E”
5. “Grand Theft Auto IV” for PS 3
6. “Rock Band” (Reverb) for Wii; also available for Xbox 360, PS 3 and PS 2; rated “T” (lyrics, mild suggestive themes)
7. “Mario Kart Wii” with Wii Wheel (Nintendo); rated “E” (comic mischief)
8. “LEGO Indiana Jones” (LucasArts) for Wii; also available for Xbox 360, PS 3, PS 2, PSP and DS; rated “E 10+” (for cartoon violence)
9. “Wii Play” with Wii remote (Nintendo) for Wii; rated “E”
10. “Super Smash Bros. Brawl” (Nintendo) for Wii; rated “T” (cartoon violence, crude humor)
Pay now, return later
Here are the top 10 best-renting video games, according to retailer Blockbuster. Games are listed by title, company, the gaming system and rating from the Entertainment Software Rating Board:
1. “Grand Theft Auto IV” (Rockstar) for Xbox 360; also available for PS 3; rated “M” (intense violence, blood, strong language, strong sexual content, partial nudity, use of drugs and alcohol)
2. “Ninja Gaiden II” (Microsoft) for Xbox 360; rated “M” (partial nudity, suggestive themes, blood, gore, intense violence)
3. “The Incredible Hulk” (Sega) for Xbox 360; also available for PS 3, Wii, PS 2, DS; rated “T” (violence, mild blood, mild language)
4. “Mario Kart Wii” with Wii Wheel (Nintendo); rated “E” (comic mischief)
5. “Army of Two” (EA) or Xbox 360; also available for PS 3; rated “M” (strong language, blood, intense violence)
6. “Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Vegas 2″ (Ubisoft) for Xbox 360; also available for PS 3; rated “M” (blood, intense violence, strong language)
7. “Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare” (Activision) for Xbox 360; also available for PS 3, DS; rated “M” (blood, gore intense violence, strong language)
8. “Super Smash Bros. Brawl” (Nintendo) for Wii; rated “T” (cartoon violence, crude humor)
9. “The Bourne Conspiracy” (Vivendi Universal) for Xbox 360; also available for PS 3; rated “T” (use of tobacco and/or alcohol, violence, blood, mild language)
10. “Grand Theft Auto IV” for PS 3
NEW TO YOU
Tuesday’s Release
“Beijing Olympics 2008″ (Sega) offers more than three dozen sports offline and online, virtually creating the atmosphere expected at the real Olympics, minus the controversies and human rights issues.
The Tuesday release retails for $50 for Xbox 360 and PS 3. It’s rated “E.”
NOW IN STORES
Used Game of the Week
“Burnout Paradise” (EA) suffered a considerable flaw when it came out in January. It was a great racing game with spectacular-looking tracks. And unlike previous “Burnout” titles, you could take long drives anywhere you wanted in big, “open-world” cities.
But the crashes weren’t as fun, and that detracted from what was an otherwise superior game.
“Paradise” is selling for $20 as a used Xbox 360 title, and for around $27 as a used PS 3 game.
It’s rated “E 10+” for violence and language.
Yet another great review for BFBC!
This time the review is coming from the Palgn Xbox site Their ratings for Battlefield Bad Company range from 8.5’s to 9’s. I guess depending on how you look at it this isn’t such a great review, 8.5 is actually the lowest review score I’ve seen to date. I think the 8.5’s tie a record with another site that I posted about…don’t remember for sure though.
There’s an episode of Futurama in which Fry is defending the world against ‘those’ space invaders. His defeat seemingly imminent, he is no less determined to emerge victorious over his intergalactic foes. Enthusiastically he explains to his roguish pal Bender, “I still have a trick or two up my sleeve. Watch as I fire upwards through our own shield!†To which Bender in a panicked state cries, “He’s a mad man! A mad man!†We’ve all been there, whether we were watching a friend or a firing upon the armada of pixilated enemies ourselves, wondering whether the destruction of the barrier between our ship’s fragile hull and the invaders from space would lead to the destruction of earth’s last hope, or a chance to take the battle directly to the enemy and onwards to victory.
Space Invader’s shields were prosaic forms of the walls we hide behind in today’s games in order to take cover from enemy fire, but as plain as they appeared they still had one thing above most of the pieces of shelter we see today, their destructibility. This had a huge influence on how the game was played. Walls in first person shooters, unless placed there for the sole purpose of being brought down by a well place explosion, tend to be impenetrable to even the largest of payloads. That is until now. Battlefield Bad Company has changed all that, and although the rest of the game offers up some fantastic gameplay, its lasting imprint upon the videogame landscape will be the way in which cover is almost never permanent and its destruction can be used as a tactic by either side.
Crysis had an environment that was incredibly destructible which created a great playground for the player to tear apart. And although its technical prowess was, to be fair, much greater than Bad Company’s in terms of the way in which this devastation was reaped, the player’s connectedness to the gameworld falls short of Battlefield’s, feeling slightly more surgical. In Bad Company, when you take out a cinderblock wall, the cloud of dust left behind obscuring your view, the sound of crumbling bricks and the way that the battlefield is metamorphisised into something new, makes the action feel a great deal more satisfying. The effect you can have on your environmental and tactical benefits of this all go to show that rather than be included as a gimmick this destruction is key to the gameplay of the game.
Hey guy, someone lives there you know. Well, they used to.Bad Company’s Frostbite Engine not only allows for some great explosions and deformation but has also allowed its developers to create an incredibly visually impressive world in which to follow the exploits of its band of misfit soldiers. It truly is one of the best looking games on the Xbox 360 currently out there. From a hilltop you can peer out at the surrounding landscape, its wooded areas cradling scattered enemy outposts in hills and valleys which all rendered beautifully and distant objectives can be seen regardless of how far away they are.
The narrative of Bad Company’s campaign never really meets the lofty heights set by some other First Person Shooters, and although it isn’t truly great it’s never offensively bad either. The game follows the exploits of a group of soldiers whose misdemeanors, which could have landed them with a court marshal, have instead led them to be placed within a division whose members are handpicked for some of the worst jobs the army has to offer. Veritable human shields, a chance discovery of enemy gold leads them on a treasure hunt akin to that of the movie Three Kings or The Dirty Dozen. The dialogue is reasonably well written, with your other three wise cracking teammates allowing for a snicker or two, and at least it’s a change from the overly official, or steroided up characters we usually have to endure. Bad Company feels as though it would be perfect source material for one of those over the top, comedic action movies from the 80’s such as Tango and Cash.
Besides the tactical destruction there’s a few other ways in which Bad Company makes its niche within the FPS genre. The first that will probably be noticed by players is the way in which health is regenerated. Instead of fossicking through enemy corpses to find stimpacks or sitting around for your mutant healing factor to kick in, Bad Company has the player stab themselves in the chest with a giant syringe to regain health. It’s a novel way to approach regeneration, but there are times when you do feel a bit foolish ripping out a syringe to plunge in your chest every 10 seconds, especially during the most heated of battles.
Pointing to its developer’s background in multiplayer FPS design, player death within Bad Company is dealt with using a respawn style re-entry into the game’s world. When you die, rather than start you from a checkpoint with all the damage you’ve done to your opposition reset, the game takes you and your squad back to a spawn point ready to continue where you left off – although in two or three key areas there are ‘hard’ checkpoints that will reset your progress. This is a godsend as there are areas that are devilishly difficult. Along with the huge explosions and over the top battles this adds to the fact that the game progresses somewhat like an old arcade shooter, just without the machine’s constant demands for more credits. Whether this lack of consequences for death works well is another question. Progression through the game is made with a certain amount detachment as a result, because no matter how daft your strategies, brute force will eventually snuff out the life of each enemy even if only one is killed per life.
Preston insisted on taking his Ben Heck created portable 360 wherever his squad went, claiming that Bad Company multiplayer took his mind off the depressing fact that he was in a real war.Enemy AI is a weak point of Bad Company. There are times when your foes seem to know exactly where you are regardless of cover, and their aim is impeccable to boot. This means that you’ll often find yourself switching between gun and giant syringe filled with health juice in quick succession, which slightly detracts from the fun of simulated warfare. Your squad must be in cahoots with the enemy because they never seem be fired upon and rarely assist you in any meaningful way. The feeling is often still that you’re the classic videogame one man army, although this time, with some impervious comedians along for the ride.
DICE has a long heritage in multiplayer gaming, and although Battlefield’s public face has been its single player, it’s clear that the game’s real strength shines through in its competitive online mode. If you’ve played a Battlefield game before you’ll be well aware of the fact that these developers have the ability to create some of the best multiplayer experiences available, and Bad Company is no exception. Here nearly all of the issues of the single player campaign melt away, AI isn’t an issue, and as a result neither is the constant need to heal. Along with these things the destructible environments that the single player’s enemies rarely, if ever, use to their tactical advantage are perfect for human players to make the best of creating some interesting results. Blow up a nearby wall to uncover an enemy or distract someone close by and the action will undoubtedly heat up keeping the battle from becoming static. The structure of the battlefields also allows for some great firefights, and all are a good size and offer just the right amount of choke points and cover positions.
Bad Company’s multiplayer uses a similar unlocking weapon system to other Battlefield titles and Call of Duty 4 where kills earn you new ranks to access fresh weapons. However unlike the huge advantages that the latter’s unlocked weapons provided to those who had played for longer, here each weapon feels as if it’s on far more equal footing, feeling different yet relatively equal.
Whilst it’s not quite perfect, Bad Company’s legacy will most definitely be its satisfying use of tactical destruction. In no other FPS does changing environment factor so heavily into combat, or in such a fun way. Its single player could have used a little polish but the game’s multiplayer shines as one of the best available on console to date.
