Battlefield: Bad Company
Preview
This worthy FPS takes the leap to next-gen
by aHong
previewed on X360
Franchise Worthy for the Next Generation
The Battlefield franchise has already made quite of an impact on gaming with its expansions, immersive first-person gameplay, and addictive multiplayer mechanics. All this and more has only made major appearances on the PC platform, but with Battlefield: Bad Company, this worthy First Person Shooter takes the leap to the Xbox360 and PS3. It could give gamers another great reason to stay online for hours to come. With the game being developed by DICE, we can be sure they have built it from the ground up, specifically for next-generation consoles.
B Company
If you haven’t been paying much attention to Battlefield: Bad Company, here’s a quick rundown on it. One thing that DICE had not exactly concentrated on in the Battlefield franchise was the story, which is explainable due to its huge reputation for its multiplayer. This time, gamers are promised a single player experience with a little twist to it. Basically, a group of four soldiers named Bad Company (B Company) have been dispatched by the government to participate in a war pitting the United States, Russia, and the Middle East against each other.
Gamers are placed in the shoes of Preston Marlowe, a soldier who’s part of B Company, along with Haggard, Sweetwater, and Sarge. The squad is full of rejects, sentenced to B Company as a form of punishment. The government will call on them take part in the worst conditions possible. So far, this story might sound like any other typical war shooter right? The twist in the story comes when this ragtag squad spots a truck hauling gold. With the realization of their newfound luck, the four men decide to abandon their assigned mission and set out to claim this sudden gold rush for themselves. This personal quest provides for a cinematic experience not usually seen in this franchise.
Destructibility
The B Company is obviously not the only one interested in claiming all this gold, so you will need to go enemy lines with as much firepower as possible. Battlefield: Bad Company features a multitude of new and improved weapons and vehicles, provided to wreak havoc on all enemy forces. One of the key goals that DICE has tried to accomplish in this game is full destruction, pure and simple. To implement this into the game, DICE has made sure that the environments are highly destructible. It will not only be satisfying to see that chunk of the house wall fall off: gameplay relies on destructibility as well.
For instance a group of enemy soldiers has taken cover in a house from which they can avoid your gunfire. When using a grenade launcher though, the wall is blown to bits and leaves the once safe soldiers a sitting duck for your impending gun rounds. However, this mechanic will also work the other way around, which leaves you to make some quick decisions on what to do when thinking you’re safe behind that one wall.
Getting Technical on the Battlefield
One of the most anticipated things to come with this addition to the Battlefield franchise is the addition of DICE’s all new game engine called Frostbite. Being the first game to feature this game engine, the choices that it could add to games are something to look forward to. Frostbite truly adds a new level to next-gen gaming as it allows for a new kind of interactivity. With Frostbite, the total destructivity mentioned earlier is made possible, giving gamers the chance for a whole slew of possibilities when approaching each hectic battle. Not only is 90% of the environment destructible, the Frostbite engine doesn’t hold back on stunning HD graphics either.
