Bad Company

With the release of Battlefield: Bad Company 2 on the horizon, I thought I would give the original a spin, as I had somewhat neglected it on release. Having never played any of the Battlefield games before, I was unsure what to expect. This was, after all, the first in the series to include a singleplayer mode with a plot.

First off, the characters, although somewhat caricatured, are at least disctinctive, and the voice acting is above par for first-person-shooters. The premise of the game is that you and your three squadmates comprise the eponymous "Bad Company", a frontline division for the delinquents in the army. As such, you are sent further and further into enemy territory, on the most dangerous missions because you are deemed expendable. The twist however, comes two or three levels in, where you discover mercenaries who are paid in gold bullion. Thus a quest unfolds to abandon your orders and try and grab as much gold as possible.

In terms of gameplay, B:BC doesn't offer a great deal of new features to the genre. That being said, the vehicular combat is implemented pretty well, this having been Battlefield's staple since it's inception. The health system is also a twist on the Call of Duty style "run away a bit until your are better" in that you have an injector which will pull you back to full health but it takes 5 second to reload.

All in all, B:BC is an enjoyable romp through a few FPS conventions. The characters and the dialogue make it interesting enough to stick with it until the end.