Battlefield Bad Company 2 – First Impressions

So the open beta for Battlefield Bad Company 2 (BFBC2) has been out for a few days, and since I pre-ordered the game on Steam I get to participate. It’s pretty much a win-win situation, since if you don’t like what you see you can always cancel the order. Not that that’s likely to happen though, because BFBC2 is an awesome game.

I remember when I first played Battlefield 1942 with friends during a LAN. You were storming beaches, tanks where blowing stuff up, airplanes in the air, explosions, bullets flying everywhere. It was really epic, far from the standard FPS gameplay since it wasn’t scripted, and you could jump into a tank and drive one yourself. It was the perfect blend of FPS, vehicle driving, and teamwork.

Now, 8 years later, the Battlefield franchise has undergone a lot of improvements, but the feeling is exactly the same. You are storming villages, tanks are blowing stuff up, explosions, bullets flying everywhere. And it looks absolutely gorgeous!

Thanks to the new engine almost everything is breakable. Walls to buildings can be destroyed with tanks, rockets or grenade. Doors, windows, people, and fences are breakable with a knife. It raises the gameplay to a whole new level, since a hiding with your back to a concrete wall is not so safe any more. People who are fortified in a house can be dealt with simply razing the building (preferably with the people still inside). The battlefield looks completely different after you have fought in the area for over ten minutes. Every structure will be reduced to rubble, burning tanks fill the air with smoke, and every tree is gone.

The amount of classes in BFBC2 are a comfortable 4, compared to the cumbersome 7 (each good at only one thing) in Battlefield 2.

• Assault is a straight anti-infantry that resupply ammo and is good at both short and medium ranges.
• Engineer can take out vehicles with rockets/mines, or repair friendly vehicles, but is only good at short ranges versus infantry.
• Medic can heal or revive friendly infantry, and has a machine gun.
• Recon is a sniper effective at very long ranges and can call in mortar strikes and plant C4.

As you play more with one class you unlock new weapons and gadgets, and you can change the setup each time you respawn. At first I was annoyed that you couldn’t unlock all the weapons in the beta, but now I’m thankful since it gives you reason to try the other classes too. For example I never thought I would enjoy the Recon class since I have a natural dislike for snipers, but I actually found it very enjoyable, mostly thanks to the mortar strike you can call in.

The beta only includes one map and one gameplay, but even after playing it countless times I still want to play it again, because no game is the same. I’m only seeing a tiny part of the game and I’m already sold. 29 days to go.