02.11
So hows this looking?
Well, despite being limited to one map it’s basically amazing!
One of the biggest and best features is that, despite there being only 1 map it never looks the same twice!
“How is that possible?” I hear you say, well the map STARTS exactly the same each time but is transformed by the felling of trees, the destruction of walls & the leveling of entire buildings.
There are very few games which can give you a real sense of cause & effect, but sprinting round a corner into the safety of cover provided by a 2 floor house you know is there, only to find that not only is it totally demolished this time round, but there’s a tank sitting on top of the rubble is a real game changer!
Not only that, but snipers beware! Used to hiding in the top floor of a 3 floor building with team mates guarding access? Erm, not in this game, you can’t duck behind the window to avoid a tank shell or rpg, no, even if you do manage to do that you can guarantee that the next explosion will remove at least 1/2 the roof and very likely any health you had remaining with it! To be a sniper in BFBC2 requires real guile and consideration for camouflage & cover & even then you may get another sniper calling artillery in on your location, so you’d better be ready to run!!
In addition to this major feature, bringing a huge leap in realism to the genre, the 4 classes included are brilliantly handled. I can honestly say that in most “rounds” I will play as each of the 4 classes at different points. Why? Because each one excells in an area necessary to wind the round.
Assault : For toe to toe, man to man, fighting he’s your man (or woman), excellent pound for pound damage, but not much tactical element other than the ability to provide much needed resupply of ammunition to others. But this can be key, specially when dealing with Engineers who may need a few extra, precious, RPGs or snipers out of bullets or charges. Good, solid Assault play, specially in the final 3rd of the video.
Recon : Sniper & Artillery co-ordinator who also carries a tank & building levelling explosive charge, but are you brave enough to use it in the heat of battle! Outmanouvering your opposition and sniping from the flank or securing a choke point can turn a game in seconds. A sniper controls the opponents most powerful vehicle.
Medic : Able to provide not just healing & “ressurection” but also excellent covering fire with their machine gun. The ability to get team mates back on their feet in 1 or 2 seconds rather than requiring them to travel back to the front line after re-spawning (which can take anywhere up to 30 -40 seconds on occasion) should not be underestimated. Retaining a strong front line is more important than ever in this game. A good demo of some of the Medics key features.
Engineer : Vital for both repairing your and destroying their vehicles, also packs a punch as a distance cover destroyer with their RPGs able to make life very unconfortable for entrenched snipers. Mines add the final piece to this powerful & skill requiring class. Whomever can maintain a vehicular superiority in this game has a very significant advantage. The Engineer doing his thing.
So there you go. If I haven’t been clear yet this is THE team based shooter. It not only beats MW2 at it’s own game but also builds on all the best aspects of the other leading shooters. The new gold standard for “realistic” online FPS. Fact.
And I haven’t even covered vehicle usage and play… because that is a WHOLE other post! 😉