Bad Company 2 Single Player Review (No Spoilers)

Some of you may remember me winning the original Bad Company in a Dtoid contest a couple of years ago. I'd like to think that getting the game for free didn't make it easier to love but I did love it more than most. I thought the single player was a funny alternative to Call of Duty 4 and the characters were well fleshed out. I also very much enjoyed the unique spawn and health systems in the original Bad Company. They made the game feel like it's own instead of a bad Call of Duty rip off.

So here I am with Bad Company 2. I just got my 360 back from repair and I've been dying to play this game. Mostly for the multiplayer but also because I wanted to see what wacky adventures Preston and the gang would go through. And I must say, I am very disappointed. They took my favorite parts of the original Bad Company and instead of expanding on them, like a good sequel should, they took them out and replaced them with mechanics ripped straight from Call of Duty.

In the original Bad Company, if you die, you don't lose any progress, tanks stay blown up, enemies stay dead, you just spawn a few hundred yards back and go on your merry way. Most people felt this took challenge away from the game. As a gamer who seriously hates to lose progress as punishment I loved the respawning in the first game. I also rather enjoyed the health system, having to pull out the health injector and find cover while I healed was heart pounding good fun. These two systems were replaced by a checkpoint system and a regenerating health system that work exactly like their counter parts in the Call of Duty series.

Perhaps a worst offense then the game mechanics they changed, Dice also changed the overall tone of the game. The first was consistently funny yet serious when it needed to be. The story was a simple one yet one we rarely see in military games, a squad of ousted soldiers going after gold. The soundtrack was awesome as well and reflected the vibe of the game perfectly. In the sequel, we get characters who are super serious. The occasional joke was cracked, I even laughed out loud at one point. But at some point between the two games, the characters went from barely competent soldiers, to badass, one-liner spitting super soldiers. It really broke my heart to see that. Also the story, my god the story, it is your typical one squad saving the entire world then smoking a cigar bullshit we've seen in games such as Halo, Gears of War, Killzone and yes, Call of Duty. It even ends on a cliffhanger, compare that to the original which wraps everything up nicely at the end.

As a last point, I present to you the main menus from both Bad Company and Bad Company 2. I think it is clear which one is better.


Awesome jazz song.


No awesome jazz song.

I know bitching about sub-par single player in a game that everyone bought for multiplayer is silly, but I just had to get this off my chest. The single player in the original Bad Company was totally stellar in my eyes and the sequel did nothing but let me down. I only hope that the single player in the inevitable Bad Company 3 doesn't feel like a bad Call of Duty knock off.

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