Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Review (PS3)

That's not to say it's without its own unique brand of goofiness though; the Bad Company are as ridiculous as ever.

The plot revolves around a Japanese secret weapon that dates back to World War II, something which is detailed in a moody flashback mission. Fast-forwarding back to the modern era, players once again take the role of the Bad Company during a Cold War-esque face-off between the US and Russia. And that's about all's needed for a roller-coaster of shooting action, which is undeniably fun.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2's single-player will take roughly five hours to complete, but the multiplayer is the main attraction here. We'll take a bigger look at the multiplayer later in a future article.

It's unusual for us to honour the audio in a video game ahead of any other element, but Battlefield: Bad Company 2's sound design is a step above any other game around at the moment. It sounds unbelievable, with the guns packing a huge punch. Everything from the ringing sound that's made from nearby explosions, to the swiping sound of the player's knife is a delight to the ears. It really is the reason you need a surround sound system for your entertainment room. Audiophiles will be delighted.

Watching a building collapse to the floor in either single-player or multiplayer never gets old. DICE has refined their physics engine to perfection here, with every little action resulting in huge destruction. Graphically, Bad Company 2 is a pretty game, but it's the physics that brings the visuals to life. Huge explosions, realistically collapsing structures — it's a fantastic achievement.

There's just something satisfying about firing guns in Battlefield: Bad Company 2. They just, handle right. Naturally the audio brings the weapons to life, but the handling and tactile response you get from them only enhances the satisfaction. There's a good variety here to, with the single-player rewarding variation via in-game medals and trophies.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2's campaign is good without ever being particularly outstanding. It's a first-person shooter in which you're guided through a host of particularly lucious locales while you shoot folks. Its greatest success, however, is in the variation of its objectives. From shooting, to racing in a quad-bike, to riding in a helicopter, to shooting, to sniping — the game's constantly giving you a little variation on its strengths to keep you interested. The locales are very pretty too.

We plan on going into much more depth with Battlefield: Bad Company 2's multiplayer in a future article. For now, know that it's beautifully balanced, wonderfully presented and damn fun to play.

Knowing its competition well, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 takes a few swipes at its closest competitor Modern Warfare 2, with some delightful dialogue Easter-eggs. Shooter fans will be grinning like a Cheshire cat at the wink-wink-nudge-nudge comments.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2's final mission is pretty damn poor for a game that's packed with entertainment. The scenario is great, but the execution reeks of a lack of time.

There's something archaic about Bad Company 2's story progression. The game constantly flips out into cut-scenes, something which feels a little jarring for first-person shooters these days. We expect the story to be told during the gameplay, and we think it's a much better solution. Cut-scenes break the immersion in first-person games.

We often felt playing through Battlefield: Bad Company 2's campaign that we were dying without really knowing why. The game's fairly tough throughout, but there are a few moments where it gets a bit unfair. Unless you carry out a specific task perfectly (often hitting the dude with the rocket launcher!) you're going to fail. Then it's a 15-second wait at the loading screen until you get another attempt.

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 has a complete multiplayer component which we'll detail in a future article.