The singleplayer portion of Battlefield Bad Company 2 is like the salad side which comes with a T-Bone and chips at a pub lunch. Most people won't even touch it - they picked up BFBC2 for the multiplayer, not some greens smothered in vinegar. In Battlefield Bad Company 2's situation though the side salad is a good thing. It's not just a good addition to the game, it's almost necessary as EA sort out their current (as of publishing) server
issues surrounding the multiplayer.
The singleplayer continues on from the first game's story, but not in any way which requires you to have played that game. Marlowe - the player character - is the silent thoughtful type, though a highly efficient killing machine when it's needed. Sweetwater is a computer hacker extraordinaire and something of a nerd - a very relatable character, if somewhat out of place in B company. Haggard is the dumb jock - a hick out of Texas who likes blowing stuff up, he's been toned down since the last game. And finally there's Redford - the squad's leader, who has like one week left until retirement and is getting too old for this ****. No, really.
The charm of the singleplayer is primarily in the writing - the gameplay feels more like a eight hour long tutorial for the multiplayer, but the story is interesting enough to keep you rolling. The key to this is the sense of humour - the characters are shallow but funny, and the tongue-in-cheek is reminiscent of Marky Mark vehicle Three Kings - without the depressing realisation that Three Kings is grounded in an element of reality.
The twists are telegraphed from miles away but the fantastic atmosphere (created by some exemplary sound work and outstanding graphics) keeps you on the edge of your seat regardless. When the bullets fly in BC2 it's easy to forget the vaguely silly nature of what you're doing, or where. BFBC2 drags you from the jungles to deserts to islands to mountains in its attempt to provide you with interesting environments to blow up - and amusing quips to deliver - but the whole time you can't help but feel that the reason it does this is to justify the multiplayer.
In a way, this isn't a terrible thing. Despite the effort put into Battlefield Bad Company 2's singleplayer campaign it was always going to take a back seat to the multiplayer - it's in the nature of the series. Battlefield moments can happen in singleplayer, but they're always going to feel a little canned - the level of unpredictability provided by other gamers simply isn't present.
BFBC2 delivers on those moments too. Picture this - I'm standing on the top of a warehouse in the Panama Canal. A UAV drone site overhead, the pilot raining down death from an unassailable location. My team-mates are busy letting it happen, but I've had enough. The little RC helicopter is swinging around too much to get a decent shot off with my RPG, so I use my submachine gun instead. Short bursts are best - three rounds here, two rounds there, and the familiar X hit recognition symbol flashes up constantly. The inevitable occurs, just too soon, and the tiny unmanned vehicle swings around at me.
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If it had eyes they'd be locked with mine as I continue to spray bullets its way. I continue to shoot when I see an orange light in the sky behind it, and I realise what's happening. It's decided to take me out with a missile designed to kill tanks. The only way to live through this is to run directly at the UAV - it can't swing to aim below it as easily as it can swing to aim away from it, so I sprint in its direction as the missile streaks towards me. I run out of rooftop a second before the missile hits and as I leap from the warehouse an explosion like something from Michael Bay's wet dreams roars behind me. I land on the ground unharmed and swing my gun into the air - three more bullets is all it takes. This is what makes Battlefield such a memorable game - what it delivers that other games can't.
And the new game modes deliver as well. Rush isn't terribly original, but Squad Rush is one of the most focused game modes I've played in a long time. It's four verse four in a miniature version of the normal Rush game mode. Suddenly tactics come into play, even when playing with people you've never encountered before. Whereas Conquest and Rush are just a hectic explosion fest, Squad Rush - and it's slightly larger brother Squad Deathmatch - are thoughtfully considered games. Teams stick together, take up firepoints and support one another in a way you don't see in most public games - and it's fantastic.
The meat of BFBC2 is Conquest mode - an anarchic legacy mode from the first Battlefield game. Each map has multiple points for capture, each team has a reinforcement ticker. As your team captures more points it bleeds the other teams reinforcement ticker faster - meaning capturing points is important if you're hoping to win. Kills bleed the ticker as well - so running in like cannon fodder isn't the greatest idea, but it can be necessary sometimes. It still works phenomenally well - though the difference destructible environments makes is huge. Taking cover is harder than ever now, making taking points a multiple person affair more often than not.
Of course, all of the above only counts when you actually manage to get into a server - and getting into a server isn't easy at this stage. At present the game's Server browser isn't good enough to deal with the massive amounts of servers available - EA are working on fixing it, but it's still broken
right now. There's no quick refresh of just the server you're currently looking at - only a Full Refresh option, which can take 30 seconds to complete. Your best bet is to favourite a few key servers and just play those - fully refreshing two or three servers takes a lot less time.
The singleplayer isn't going to win awards, but it's a great training ground for new players. You'll finish it with a feeling of accomplishment but you probably won't talk about it later - save for laughing with friends at the game's digs at its competition. The multiplayer is amazing but a little broken - the only major problems with the game are server browser related, meaning demand to play the game is too high. It's ludicrous to think that too many people want to play a game, but it's literally the case right now - and it's
because when you do actually join a server it's exactly the experience you wanted to see last November.
Pub servers of Conquest and Rush are a mishmosh of Battlefield moments and determination as you strive to kill that sniper/tank. Pub servers of the squad modes are fantastically tactical, something you'd never expect to say about pub games. Battlefield Bad Company 2 is definitely worth a purchase, even if getting a MP game isn't easy right now. Finish the singleplayer while you wait - the dedicated servers will (hopefuly) be there when you do.
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