Description

 



   Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is an upcoming first-person shooter video game in development by EA Digital Illusions CE and to be published by Electronic Arts for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. The game is a direct sequel to Battlefield: Bad Company and was announced at one of Electronic Arts' earnings conferences[6]  and was showcased for the first time at E3 2009. The game is scheduled for release on March 2, 2010 in North America and March 5, 2010 in Europe, as announced at the EA press conference at Gamescom.

Gameplay

Gameplay in Battlefield: Bad Company 2 resembles that of the original and is set in various environments from around the world, including the mountainous regions along the borders of Russia.[8] Like its predecessor, Bad Company 2 features destructible environments. The system is dubbed "Destruction 2.0," and the level of destruction is extended — players can now completely collapse a building as opposed to only blowing out walls.[9] Along with Battlefield Vietnam, Bad Company 2 is one of only two games in the Battlefield series to have blood[10] without third-party modification. There will be new vehicles in Bad Company 2, such as the UH-60, a quad bike, a two-man patrol boat, a personal watercraft, an AA-gun mounted on a light tank, and a UAV helicopter controlled via computer.

Single-player



The single player campaign has 11 missions, and features the same characters from the first game. The game's prologue, as revealed through an ESRB rating explanation, takes place on an "unnamed Japanese island in the Pacific" during World War II.[12] The prologue introduces the player to a secret weapon codenamed "Aurora" with incredible power, which drives the campaign, and has Bad Company move along the west coast of North and South America, confronting both the Russian army and an unnamed South American militia. The campaign will feature jungles in South America to snow-capped mountains in Alaska.



The first Bad Company game ended with the main characters driving off with a truck full of gold; however, they lose their gold and end up back under Army Command, though, how this actually happens is a well-kept secret by DICE. The player controls Preston Marlowe who is part of B-Company squad, a group of misfits and Army rejects. The campaign is said to be more linear than the first, which often consisted of vast areas with only a start point and an endpoint, and a variety of ways to get between the two. The more linear style allows the player to experience more scripted and exciting missions, but still gives the player a choice in how to approach situations.

Multiplayer



The "Gold Rush" mode in the original Bad Company is referred to simply as "Rush" in Bad Company 2. The format is similar in that an attacking team must detonate explosives on a defending team's crates or destroy them with conventional weapons. The attacking team succeeds by eliminating all the crates on the map, and the defending team succeeds if the attackers are not able to eliminate the crates in the active area before their tickets are depleted. Making use of the Destruction 2.0 system, it is also possible to eliminate some of the crates by collapsing the building they are in on top of them. A smaller scale mode called "Squad Rush" was confirmed that has only two opposing teams of four players battle against each other with one existing crate stash.[13]



Multiplayer will allow players to choose from a set of weapon kits before each spawn, the number of which has been further reduced from Bad Company's five down to four: Assault, Engineer, Recon, and Medic (with the Specialist kit being the one removed). In addition to the hand grenades and sidearms standard for all classes, each class also has an initial primary weapon and a pair of gadgets unique to that class. A customizable weapon selection menu is also new to the Bad Company series (similar to unlocks in Battlefield 2 and Battlefield 2142). Gaining experience points allows a player to unlock and use different weapons and gadgets, some only usable by a given class and some available to any class that player uses. There are also unlockable items that can modify the game's firearms, such as ACOGs, reflex sights, and under-barrel launchers, which can fire 40mm grenades, smoke grenades, or buckshot.



The experience points used to unlock the above items will be awarded for performing actions conducive to the goals of the player's team, such as eliminating enemy players, healing teammates, or capturing or defending points of interest. Bonuses to the base number of points can be awarded under certain circumstances (such as achieving a headshot in the process of eliminating an enemy player). A dog tag system as seen in Battlefield 2142 and Battlefield: Bad Company returns, awarding players trophies of sorts in the form of opponents' dog tags when they defeat the opponent with a melee attack.[14]



On October 19, 2009, game developer DICE posted a Twitter announcement stating the game will have dedicated server support. This was in response to Infinity Ward's announcement on October 17 that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 would not support dedicated servers.[15] Players will also be able to use party chat for each game mode.

Development



On November 5, 2009, DICE announced a beta for Bad Company 2.[18] Different game-related sites held contests to obtain beta codes. Retailers also gave beta codes to customers who pre-order the game. The PS3 version of the beta started on November 19,[19] while the PC version was pushed back until February 2010 to increase the beta's capacity.[20][21]



Each public pre-release build of the game feature a map from the final product; the PlayStation 3, PC beta and Xbox 360 demo each feature the "Port Valdez" map. All versions only feature the "Rush" gameplay mode.



The online multiplayer demo for the Xbox 360 and the beta for the PC were released on January 28, 2010, and servers ran until February 25. The demo was released on the PlayStation 3 on February 4, 2010 in Europe and North America and February 11, 2010 in Asia.



One week before launch, a trailer was released by DICE showing the "Day One" downloadable content (DLC) pack which includes two new maps. The first map, Nelson Bay, is a night map set in a snowy location. The second map, Laguna Alta, is set in autumn with orange and brown trees. Nelson Bay supports the Rush gamemode, while Laguna Alta supports the conquest gamemode. Players that buy a brand-new copy of the game will find a "VIP" code that gives them access to these two maps, in addition to future content, at no extra cost. Players that buy used versions of the game can purchase the VIP code via an in-game store for $15. PC players will get the content as a game update. Later in March another map pack will be released containing two new maps: Arica Harbor for the "Conquest" game mode and Laguna Presa for the "Rush" game mode

Preview

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GameZone's Steven Hopper was able to preview the game, saying "Our time with the preview build of Battlefield: Bad Company 2 was definitely a positive experience, showcasing a game that does a fine job of improving on its predecessor in just about every sense. The combat was hairy and intense and the characters had a lot of personality and charm, which is definitely one of the high points of the Bad Company franchise. Keep an eye out for this one to launch next month."

Reception



Battlefield: Bad Company 2 received a score of 8.9 out of 10 and an Editor's Choice Award from IGN.com.[24]



Game Informer magazine gave the game a 9.5 out of 10, praising the improvements made over the first Bad Company.

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