Welcome back B Company!!

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (PS3, Xbox 360, PC)
PREVIEW
Publisher: Electronic Arts
Developer: DICE

“Welcome to B Company…….”
I still remember those words like it was yesterday. Electronic Arts and DICE brought us the well-known PC franchise (Battlefield) on the console, with a little twist. It was clear what EA and DICE’s intentions were……to bring the PC experience of a well known franchise to the console and keep that flavor all at the same time.
It’s 2010 and EA and DICE brings us the highly anticipated follow up…..called Battlefield: Bad Company 2. Ok ok…….we all saw that coming, but what we didn’t know is the goodies that this new installment brings us. That’s why I went to the single player preview a couple weeks ago. Executive Producer of the Battlefield franchise, KM Troedsson, was on hand providing us with the single player introduction and a live demo.

Enjoy the game trailer…more after the Jump:

That polish and shine that was in the first game remains with everything else that made the first game fun, i.e. Destructible Environments (you will be able to blast building to rubble in the game…….or hide and use them as safe points, unless your opponent makes them go BOOM!) The whole squad from ‘B company’ are back, although Mr. Troedsson did say that the storyline would be taking on a more serious tone this time round. For me personally, the humor in the first game was what separated BF:BC from all the other FPS military styled games out at the time. I am a little disappointed to hear this…I have to admit. Another change they made was the usage of the now “Universal” cover- recovery system. I thought the use of the epipen in the first game was different and I liked it. However, I do understand why they decided to go this route and I can’t really blame them either. BF:BC2 also brings the wonders of vehicle warfare to the forefront. Land, sea and air…..take your pick!
On to the new goodies! Most of the new additions come to the multiplayer part of the game. All the different maps the game will provide range in terrain. From lush jungle to snow capped mountains. You’ll still have the signature Conquest mode and Rush mode, DICE now gives you two all new squad-focused game modes: Squad Deathmatch (players will compete in squads of 4 with one vehicle serving as a center point for the action) and Squad Rush (this mode pits two 4-person squads against one another as either an attacker or defender). All new Squad Gameplay is introduced where you can team up with up to three players and fight together to unlock special awards and achievements. Spawn on your squad to get straight into the action, and use squad specific gadgets like the tracer dart for a devastating vehicle attack.

Check out the Squad Rush video:

I hopped on the game and I have to admit, the gameplay felt really smooth, clean and very polished. This version of the Frostbite engine that DICE uses for the Battlefield franchise makes the game look scenic, even in war torn landscapes. I found myself going, “Wow….the high detail and warmth of the environments take this game to another level.” I found myself dying multiple times so that I can just check out the detail in the game over and over again…(that’s the story I’m going with and that’s that! Haha!!) I’m excited to peep the entire game and soak up all its goodness. Street date for North America is said to be 3/2/2010 & Europe is said to be 3/5/2010.

UPDATE:

Here’s a video of the Port Valdez Level in multiplayer…Thank you Ea for droppin this gem.

Here’s a couple of single player screenshots: