"Just Eat It". Game Review

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I hope everyone who wanted to save the world from the evil Russians has already done this good deed. Therefore, the review will not generate kilograms of hatred and kilometers of anger. But just in case, I warn you: there may be spoilers especially for the online game!!!1111, so stay alert!

In general, I already know that comparing Bad Company 2 and Modern Warfare 2 is considered bad form. It's said to be really tedious, and anyway—the games are completely different. But NOT drawing parallels is a sign of ignorance. So excuse me, throw rotten tomatoes or stop reading, but I can't help but make comparisons.

But enough of the preamble. Let’s get started, or we’ll prolong the conversation again.

The first thing that surprises about the game is that we suddenly find ourselves in World War II. Moreover, in Japan, and quite unusually — as part of a sabotage unit. And immediately here begins the fashionably cinematic scenes, interactive episodes, and a lot of cutscenes.

There will only be more of them. For fifteen to twenty minutes, we shoot, and then stare at the screen, following what our hero and his comrades are doing. At first, this seems like a rather pleasant thing. The story seems to move forward, it’s visually nice sometimes, and it's just a break from the relentless shooting.

But let’s recall Modern Warfare 2. How many cutscenes were there? It’s hard to remember even one. Everything that happened, whether it was the explosion of a nuclear missile, the destruction of Washington, or the rescue from a crumbling prison island, all of it took place in the game. We saw it through the hero's eyes, participated in the process. Therefore, we were astonished by everything. This is happening to us; it is we who first attach the safety line, then slowly descend down the cliff and slice the guard.

In Bad Company 2, as soon as something happens, we are immediately separated from the hero. It's like saying, you, the player, watch—this is no longer your business. And what’s happening here does not concern you.

Our task is to take out a couple of hundred enemies to save the helicopter pilot. But as soon as we enter the hangar where he is held, black bars appear at the top and bottom of the screen, and we simply observe the ensuing duel. Will this be memorable? No. Never. But the final battle in Modern Warfare 2, when we had to throw a knife—will stay in memory. Let’s say, on the one hand, it’s templated, and on the other, you can’t lose there.

And one can’t say that the developers of Bad Company 2 deliberately decided to separate the player from the hero. It’s as if they think cutscenes are a subtle calculation, not a relic of the past. Remember, for example, the last parachute jump, where we need to shoot the Main Villain mid-air. Here, indeed new feelings arise; something fresh, not already worn out. Yet this episode is very characteristic of Modern Warfare 2. There are dozens of such instances.

Here, unfortunately, there is a dreadful lack of something innovative, unusual, fresh. The only memorable episode is when we can freeze in a snowstorm. And, really, the very beginning of the game.

That’s why Bad Company 2 didn’t leave a strong impression on me personally. We haven’t specifically discussed gameplay yet, but now I recall the game, and all memories seem rather even. After completing Modern Warfare, both the first and second, I immediately wanted to discuss something. To say on the forum: "Hey, remember how we lit signal flares on the rooftop! And how about in space, right? And the underwater assault!".

The Square, Not the Corridor

But all this, so to speak, is the game's decoration. Little joys that set the tone for the overall impression but do not significantly influence the gameplay itself. In the same Modern Warfare 2, after any exciting event—be it the infamous explosion in space or a hail of bullets on the vehicle we were in—there were just ridiculously similar duels against quadrillions of identical enemies. I can't even remember a time we saw such a banal and sometimes even boring shooting gallery. Especially loved the moments when windows opened behind your back. You move forward, seemingly having killed everyone, and then bam — a hail of bullets, and a polite suggestion to restart from the last save.

The main problem of the vast majority of modern shooters is narrow corridors and thousands of enemies. It feels like playing Rambo, I swear. All you need to do is hide and shoot. The developers are so polite that they decided everything for us. How to walk, how to kill, and even where to hide.

That’s why I really liked how EA approached level design for Bad Company 2. Here, it’s technically a corridor. But at the same time, it’s really very wide. And it’s crammed full of various objects that can be circumvented, destroyed, simply ignored, and so on.

Let’s say we were wandering through the jungle, enjoying encounters with cheerful fellows in cowboy hats, when suddenly machine gun fire started hitting us treacherously from somewhere. We need to move forward, but the street is perfectly crossfire. If the first bullet accurately hits us, we will slow down and then die.

How to solve the problem? We could, for example, rush forward, immediately throw a grenade towards the machine gun, and hide behind the nearest obstacle. The explosion momentarily distracts the enemies, we take three or four steps, throw another grenade, and hide again. If we’re lucky, we might blow them all up! Or, we could pop out and take down the gunner with a precise shot.

At the same time, we could do it differently. We run past the machine gun, break down the door of the first house, take out the "house inhabitants," and shoot at the gunner from the window.

After jumping into the house, we could make a second hole there, cross the street, enter the next building, walk a few meters, and find ourselves behind the gunner’s back.

There’s an opportunity to flank to the right, break into another house, and strike the enemy from the side. But I think the mentioned options are sufficient.

Thanks to the destructible environment and the vast amount of surrounding elements, here, we can devise 4-5 different strategies for progression. Not everywhere, of course, but in many situations.

And it’s just so great to fight when you realize that the surroundings are not just mere decorations and that if there’s a house around, we can definitely get inside. When we play Bad Company 2 on high difficulty, we become very attentive to this. If we see snipers working nearby, we won't run across the street, but rather break down a door, climb to the second floor, and take out the scoundrels from there.

In fact, if you want — you can run across the street, then climb to the shooter’s position and slice him. The most exciting thing is that there's no single right solution.

So, in purely gameplay terms, I think Bad Company 2 is much more thought-out and engaging than Modern Warfare 2. Because corridors have just become tiresome. How much longer can they be used?..

Adventures in Solitude

And to conclude the review of the campaign, a few words about the story. Potentially, there’s a decent idea here. Like in movies. First, they show the past, then how this affected the history of the present. This is why we find ourselves in Japan. Initially, this isn't entirely clear, and you think the developers just decided to joke around with us.

And then again a Russian threat, a conspiracy, and the world in danger. If not us — then all is lost. And here, Bad Company 2 has one advantage compared to other games. We have a real adventure ahead. There's a squad that set off on a relatively peaceful operation, but then—things escalate. One predicament after another, new acquaintances, rescuing comrades.

Like in a good adventure film. We see all the heroes’ actions; cutscenes seamlessly connect the levels. Plus, the writers even tried to somehow change the characters as the story unfolded. Although, of course, it wasn’t particularly successful.

It reminded me of the last Resident Evil. There too it was about adventure. But remember how much worse Resident Evil V looked when you played alone? So Bad Company 2 also needs co-op. And it should have been there. But, unfortunately. We are left 1-on-1 with computer characters. And this significantly impacted the overall impression. If they had reworked the campaign for at least three players, added more interactivity, and allowed a little role-playing in the group (like in Borderlands, where there are snipers and soldiers), then the project would have surpassed any shooters.

For now, in terms of the campaign, it's decent, at times more interesting than competitors, at times it falls short. But it still fits within the bounds. And a few months later, it will only become "one of...".

Caught in the Net

But Bad Company 2 belongs to that category of games that consist of two standalone parts: single-player and, correspondingly, multiplayer. And one does not affect the other at all. Since we’ve already analyzed the campaign, let's talk about multiplayer.

Many have tried to replicate the Battlefield series. We remember the funny game Frontlines: Fuel of War, where Russians ran around in ushanka hats, and the logic was paralyzed and glued to bed. We also recall Quake, which suddenly became global. There have been many different projects, but nobody has managed to do it better.

And Bad Company 2 once again proves that the "battlefield" multiplayer is best created by... Battlefield.

The overall concept remains unchanged. Two teams on a huge map, using various classes and vehicles, try to defeat each other. Moreover, unlike all shooters like Counter-Strike, the battles here are truly epic, and simple deathmatch, where everyone is for themselves, simply doesn’t exist (although team modes have appeared).

In Bad Company 2, there are three modes. The first is "Rush." Perhaps the most “battlefield-like” of all.

On the map, several points need to be captured and subsequently controlled. Moreover, when one of them becomes yours, respawning is available there. This simplifies defense.

The second mode is "Assault." It was in the beta version, and we've already talked about it. But I’ll reiterate. One team defends the points, while the other captures them. Moreover, if one position is taken, the frontline shifts until the last two points. Then the teams switch sides.

And the last, third mode is "Conquest." A team battle... with four teams. Something new. However, it’s not very different from the usual team deathmatch. The meaning is simple — just kill everyone. Only your group is smaller than the overall number of enemies.

But this is a dry description. It doesn’t convey the mood or, as is often said, the atmosphere of Battlefield. And that’s precisely what’s crucial. It is this that draws players away from Modern Warfare 2 and pulls them into Bad Company 2.

What matters here is the grand team interaction, where several squads together break through from one point to another, utilizing all the equipment at once and not forgetting what each class was created for.

A standard situation. We are attacking the first point. A beautiful map, autumn, everything's yellow, and the enemy sits on a tiny peninsula. Practically surrounded by water on all sides, with very few buildings, but the entire territory is just one small hill.

It seems that the enemy has a hard time defending this point, but attacking it is problematic. Simply running there isn’t easy. They’ll see us immediately and shoot us down. The snipers didn’t come just for fun; they only need a target running along a straight path. So how to proceed? Our teams decide to go two ways. Some board a helicopter, while others choose to take the water route. On boats, that is. We immediately ask the snipers to cover us. They should take position on the hill and start picking off those moving towards the stationary guns.

It seems everything is settled, the players understand who does what. We set off. Our squad of four jumps into the helicopter and, fortunately, they’re all decent pilots. If some particularly crafty sniper takes out the hotshot at the controls, another will immediately replace him.

We decided not to parachute down just yet. Our task is to provide powerful fire support for the advancing forces. We circle above the peninsula and fire from both machine guns, not allowing the snipers to rest, just flooding the entire hill with bullets.

Meanwhile, our allies rush towards the points in four boats; someone gets knocked down by an enemy bullet, and you can only see their body flying away as the boat continues to charge on. Others successfully reach the spot, but now they still have to climb up, and grenades are already flying towards them, so one by one, our allies head to the respawn point.

As for us, things aren't going too well. Everyone with a machine gun is focused on shooting down our helicopter, which is perceived as the main threat. One of the gunners has already died and fallen on the peninsula, the other just can't seem to hit the enemy. We've got about fifteen seconds left to fly, and so the only solution is to ram the location. I tilt the helicopter straight toward the target, and at full speed, we charge at it. A second before the crash, we jump out, open our parachutes, and rush to set the charge. The downed helicopter takes out all the enemies nearby, smoke rises, and nothing is visible, but someone from our team manages to activate the explosive device. Now we need to defend our position.

That task is meant for our snipers. Though they’re practically next to the respawn point, they can clearly see us, tiny and funny, as we run and jump around the point trying to stop the enemy from pushing us out. We don’t see those “observers” at all. We only notice sometimes when an enemy dies, having just opened fire on us.

What happened next doesn’t really matter. Maybe we captured the first point, but then we were wiped out. What’s essential is that only in Battlefield do battles like this occur. When you have to storm the enemy from multiple sides; when, rushing along in a boat, you see a helicopter crash just five meters away; when you sprint towards an enemy tank and stick C4 on it. Although even this isn’t quite it. Much more significant is the sense of the global nature of the unfolding events. Even if there are only sixteen people on a team and no more than four in your squad, something about the maps makes it feel like there are indeed massive battles taking place.

We won’t delve into details. After all, it won’t impact your desire to play, regardless of how many types of vehicles are presented here and that the Russians have one helicopter while Americans have another.

Better to say that the game has quite a good ranking system, similar to Modern Warfare 2. There’s a ton of achievements, additional weapons, skills, and abilities. However, these unlock much faster than in the other games, and there’s no option for prestige, heh-heh.

In conclusion — you should definitely try Bad Company 2. I won’t say that the campaign is the best. No, we will love this Battlefield for its multiplayer mode. And even if it deviated a bit from the overall path of the other games in the series. There still is no alternative. Although, honestly, I don’t feel like searching for one.