Battlefield: Bad Company

Battlefield: Bad Company - (Xbox 360, PS3)
Developer: Digital Illusions
Format: Xbox 360, PS3
Genre: Action

Blood, guts and greed in this destructive soldier shooter

The Battlefield games have sure come a very long way since the first Battlefield 1942 title all the way back in the winter of 2002. The latest installment takes place in the near future in a mythical continent called Eurasia. But don't go thinking that you're going to be filling the boots of one squeaky clean GI Joe. As the title suggests, you're playing an anti-hero who heads up a team of soldiers who have totally ignored their orders and gone AWOL in the pursuit of ill-gotten gains.

In the single player campaign players slip on the combat boots of one Preston Marlowe, a rookie in Bad Company, a small team consisting of a redneck demolitions expert, a gruff sergeant and a geeky support officer. Your three AI team mates develop entertaining personalities throughout the game - but smart, they are not. Pathing is rarely an issue but you'll always find that they pretty much follow you like sheep and only occasionally decide to aim and fire at a far smarter enemy than themselves.

The campaign takes place across several large maps, with each map containing a rolling set of mission objectives. It's all pretty much standard stuff such as destroying munitions or sabotaging gun turrets. Part of the fun comes from how you decide to achieve your goal. Commandeer any vehicle, from tanks to boats and air support. Radio in mortar strikes, fire massive artillery guns. The general rule is - if you can see it, you can use it.

But at times it's what you can't see that's important. Battlefield: Bad Company pretty much lets you destroy anything in your line of sight. Worried that a neighbouring building may be housing enemy troops? Blow a hole in it to find out. The map can constantly change depending on what you choose to target, making the action incredibly dynamic.