In a physics-laden first person shooter role you are rookie soldier Preston Marlowe. Starting in a squad of renegades who are forced onto the expendable front lines during a Eurasian conflict, the squad is out for revenge and has a score to settle with its US employers. While clearing out the rebels in a Russian state coup, Bad Company get the smell of riches when they find caches of gold that the hired mercenaries are stockpiling.
The 90 per cent destructible game has been built from the ground up using Swedish developer Digital Illusion's
Frostbite game engine
. And this engine is mint - designed for enabling 'tactical destruction' this means anything is fair game. Once you get a taste for demolishing houses and buildings, move on up to shelling a tank and the men in it, forget the buildings, you can even level your weapon against the trees and start felling the forest - see them splinter!
Everything can be obliterated - hiding in a house or behind a wall and ducking for cover - unlike many other games, does not equate to safe cover. A house will only stand as long as you defend it. A well-aimed rocket or Jeep-mounted grenade launcher will not just wipe you out, but bring the buildings crumbling down.
And when that happens, check out the realistic surround sound - if you have a decent audio system the thunderous bass of destruction is the best I've heard in a game. You may need to cover your ears at the deafening sound of tank and artillery fire exploding around you! At times like this the trusty auto-injector (like an endless stim pack) rejuvenates you and brings your enemies back into focus, but be quick about it.
I played it on PS3 and was most impressed with the frame rate, flawless controls and, of course, the stunning graphics that I couldn't put the dual shock controller down for four hours straight, though single player is really just that.
The missions offer great variety, but it seems like it's really up to you and no-one will stop you dying as the bullets fly all around and guns blaze out of nowhere.
But the military outcasts in your team (you're the newbie) with a love-hate relationship for the US Army are strong personalities. Being hardened souls, they are prone to droll comments on the situation which add humour and give a sly wit to the game.
Dying - yes it does happen - involves a Bioshock-style fade-out in which you get dazed and a severe case of explosive tinnitus. Instead of just dying you'll respawn to the battlefield at the last checkpoint with your Bad buddies again.
There is never a dull moment, except maybe driving between buildings or over the golf course with a heavy tank after you. The weapons are modern and cover a great range though my favourite F2000 assault rifle delivered the most satisfaction.
Single player really is impressive and flying choppers, driving cars and using mounted turrets and artillery adds dimension to the carnage. There are also eight levels for multiplayer, which has been the main staple of the Battlefield diet so far. Online combat is particularly enjoyable but feverish squad-respawns where you rejoin the game with your squad are more demanding than single player.
Download and play a demo of this year's most impressive FPS so far
here.
MadGamer rating: 9/10
