It's not for us to pit Battlefield: Bad Company 2 against Modern Warfare 2 – thankfully that contentious task has already been taken up by John Riccitiello, EA's outspoken CEO making no bones about the fact that DICE's sequel to 2008's gung-ho shooter has Infinity Ward's showstopper in its sights. And Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is certainly shaping up to be a contender: this takes the destructible sandbox of the first Bad Company and polishes it into something that's got the potential to rise to the top of the class of 2010.
At its heart, Battlefield: Bad Company 2's a first-person shooter that paints its chaos with vehicles, destructible buildings thrown into a sandbox and a campaign that's told with a disarmingly charming gusto in single-player while the multiplayer shows the expertise that DICE has acquired in its many years plying the trade. It's a formula that was introduced in 2008 with the first Bad Company, and it's a formula that's not far removed from the blueprint that's been such a force on the PC since Battlefield 1942 proved such a hit in 2002.
"One of the basic ideas behind [the first] Bad Company, which was a spin-off of Battlefield 2, was that we should do a console game," DICE's Patrick Bach and the game's executive producer tells us. "Therefore you think of how we can make it more accessible, how we can make it easier to use for the normal console gamer. We quite soon realised we were full of bullshit when we said that, because it's the same people; people want that same hardcore Battlefield PC experience but on a console. So what we did for Bad Company 2 is forget [the line] between PC and console and just make the best possible game that doesn't exclude the hardcore and doesn't exclude accessibility."
In terms of getting the Battlefield experience onto consoles Bad Company was certainly a success both critically and commercially and it did so much more besides, introducing a sizable single-player mode and an all new feature for the series, destructible environments. "It was more successful than we thought it would be; it was supposed to be a test for the new Frostbite engine as well as a spin-off, so everyone was surprised by how well it sold and also the quality of the game itself."
For Bad Company's second excursion there are no big numbers being stamped on the back of the box, and no tub-thumping about all new features: "It's not the amount of weapons and vehicles and how many square kilometres we can render," insists Bach. Instead, the focus is on providing more quality, and it's a refreshing approach. Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is about pushing the core foundations of the first game – sandbox gunplay, characterful squad dynamics and environments that convincingly crumble under duress – further towards fulfilling their potential.
All this is apparent in our first look proper at the campaign. Our look kicks off on the outskirts of a South American jungle camp in the shadow of a towering mountain range where Bad Company are in pursuit of Aguire, a man with information on a super weapon that threatens to turn the balance of the war. The first thing we take away is how much is being squeezed from the Frostbite engine – it's an impressive looking game that runs slickly, and while it isn't quite as faithful to a 60fps framerate as Infinity Ward's efforts it's rarely too far off. It's also got a keener eye for spectacle – firstly, that mountain range in the far distance lends the level a sense of scope that was sometimes absent from the first game, and the sense of awe is soon underlined as a pair of low-flying Russian choppers buzz by.
From the covered heights that run down to the camp, returning lead Preston Marlowe and his ragtag band of brothers take position before the attack ensues – and already Bad Company 2 shows one area where it's made clear ground on its predecessor - the squad dynamics. They fuelled one of our biggest grumbles with the first game, and for all the personality that Preston's companions displayed in cut-scenes they were a frustratingly mute presence on the battlefield, dumbly following the player and providing more hindrance than assistance.
Bach happily acknowledges it was far from a success: "I could say we failed in a way with the AI experience," he admits. "We had a very complicated system because they needed to navigate this open world, but it didn't really show you cool behaviour. The same with the enemies; they'd do weird things like running into walls. We've put a lot of energy into making sure they will take cover, move, talk, kill each other and actually guide you – they'll help you finish the game."
Back to the level at hand. From the high vantage point a brace of scoped shots from the player spark off a pitched battle, with Preston and his crew fighting from the incline while the troops they're after retaliate from the safety of a group of huts. Not that they provide cover for too much longer, as within seconds we're shown another area where Bad Company 2 has moved on.
Preston switches out to the gun's secondary fire, a grenade launcher that sends the wooden huts tumbling in a shower of splinters, leaving little behind other than a group of rather terrified opposition soldiers. It's several steps beyond the destructibility that was offered last time out, no mean feat given that Bad Company was no slouch when it came to the business of knocking down buildings.
Better still, there are consequences of the chaos and from the debris a soldier staggers screaming through the flames, his writhing torso set graphically alight. It marks a change in tone from the first Bad Company and if that game was like a light-hearted take on the mischief of Three Kings, the sequel promises to provide a much more sombre take on the battlefield.
It's reflected in the story too and whereas before the action was framed as being nothing more than a particularly violent jaunt, in Bad Company 2 the crew are placed on the front lines of an all-out war as USA and Russia find themselves at each other's throats. "We've sharpened the tone by adding more backstory and we've also made sure the situations we've put them in are much more serious," explains Bach. "It's not just them looking for gold, they're in a situation where their lives are threatened, and that turns the characters into something else. They grow as people without us having to force it."
A second single-player level highlights the variety that's to be packed into the campaign, taking the action out of the jungle and into the snow-covered heights of South America. It's also here that Bad Company 2 reminds us there's more to its game than deliciously destructive run 'n' gun, book-ended as it is with two vehicle-powered set-pieces.
The first seats Preston in a chopper-mounted gun turret. Essentially it's an on-rails shooting section but the swollen firepower means that Bad Company 2's more destructive elements can really let their hair down. Concrete crumbles and tumbles with gleeful grace and it's a pleasure to simply place the crosshairs on a wall and let the Frostbite engine bare its teeth.
It looks impressive, but it sounds even better; Bad Company's greatest asset was its sound design, utilising DICE's pioneering HDR Audio technology to create gunfights that were told with unprecedented fidelity. The science behind it is simple, the results absolutely spectacular – and it's naturally been bolstered for Bad Company 2, the game boasting a soundscape that's beyond compare.
A point-to-point run through a series of outhouses in the snow shows this off admirably, with the sound of bullets coming sharply into focus when the action moves inside. It's even more pronounced when an APC gets involved in the action, the RPG that's required to bring it down letting off an almighty hiss and the resulting explosion shaking the speakers with serious force.
It's impressive in single-player, but of course that's only half of the package. We've been through Battlefield: Bad Company 2's multiplayer before – and if you're lucky you would have too courtesy of the PS3 beta – but there's a new mode on display today. Called Squad Rush, it's a quickening of Bad Company's Gold Rush mode that cuts the numbers down to a four-vs-four rumble, each side playing a game of attack and defend as they work to secure two separate points. It's a wonderfully frantic addition to Bad Company 2's multiplayer suite.
And when it comes to multiplayer, DICE is helping on both fronts of EA's two-pronged attack on Modern Warfare 2, the company lending their consummate experience to the multiplayer component of the recently rebooted Medal of Honor. Bach's under strict orders not to talk about it today, but he can't help but slip a detail or two.
Will elements of Battlefield bleed into DICE's work on the new Medal of Honor? "I think it would be hard to not have anything feed in," answers Bach, "But then again we're not striving to make a new Battlefield – the goal is to make a completely new IP and make sure we get the best possible multiplayer experience for that IP. I've been play-testing it – and it really is good. We're using the Frostbite engine and it's amazing to see how it can build a completely different experience."
With the Call of Duty series due an off year (apologies to Treyarch, but that's just the way it is) it seems highly likely that there's going to be a changing of the order in first-person shooters in 2010. Whether it's Medal of Honor or Battlefield: Bad Company 2 that's going to claim Activision's scalp remains to be seen - but on the evidence of what we've seen it's going to be fun finding out. Expect the full review in the coming months.
According to IGN.com it will be release sometime in the 2010 calender year. Now all you have to do is wait.
