Battlefield Bad Company 360 Demo
EA's New XBOX Game, Gold Rush and the Frostbite Engine
Jun 17, 2008
Gold rush is the new gametype. A 2-team objective-based game type where attackers try to blow up 2 crates of gold (either by planting demo kits or by malleting them with ordnance) protected by a team of defenders. If they are successful they get reinforcements and the crates are moved further down the map, each position more fortified than the next. Attackers win when they’ve destroyed the final 2 crates, defenders win by holding off the onslaught until the attackers run out of respawns.
The game designers have tried, with this gametype, to give online play more focus and have done away with multi respawn points. You simply have 2 choices, respawn with a squad or at your base. This helps to avoid Battlefield 2: Modern Combat’s problem of having to walk marathon distances to the action only to be sniped in the head and start over. It also leads to a more squad based tactical approach rather than a craze battlefield of random Rambo’s.
Battlefield Bad Company's Vehicles
With its support for 24 player online play Battlefield Bad Company comes from the “bigger the better” school of multi player combat. The Demo map OASIS certainly facilitates this and is a vehicle heavy map with tanks, jeeps, hummers, helicopters and howitzer posts. Maybe the tanks are just a little too powerful and that the target designation of the Specialist class lacks a bit of range to make it a valuable asset against them. And sometimes the amount of vehicles can be overwhelming. On the demo map OASIS it does seem advantageous to be the attacking team. If you’re in an organised crack unit who are effective with vehicles you’re pretty much unstoppable..
Frostbite Graphics Engine
BBC uses the new EA developed Frostbite graphics engine. A graphics tool that helps render 90 percent destructible game environments. But how does this radical new feature affect the multi player? Well when players first play the game not so much but as they move to the later, more defended crate positions it really does come into its own, providing vital cover for the defending team that can only be penetrated with some serious military hardware. It also comes into play on smaller scale fire fights and skirmishes. For instance, if the opposition has a particularly wily sniper hiding in a building you can simply blast out the wall he’s hiding behind and leave him completely exposed and vulnerable to attack. Potentially it’s an awesome feature and deserves to make it into more FPS’s.
Is the Battlefield Bad Company Demo Any Good?
The online games of Battlefield Bad Company played so far have ranged from tense closely fought tactical battles to what can only be describe as frenzied muddles where no one is quite sure what they’re supposed to be doing (just like real war then!). The close games can be a hugely rewarding and entertaining experience. For example, if you lose the first few Gold crates very quickly you'll have to defend the final 2 for the entire match. It's like watching Tom Hanks trying to protect the bridge at the end of Saving Private Ryan. A truly cinematic experience. With the exception of 1 or 2 very laggy games, BBC delivers a solid online experience and will be definitely taking up a space in many gamers collections when the full game is released.
With COD 4 and Halo 3 dominating the online played lists, Battlefield: Bad Company should be a very much welcome and worthy alternative. Another online beta that's now available to download is the Super Street Fight 2 Turbo HD Remix Beta.
