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====Kit Upgrade DLC====
====Kit Upgrade DLC====
Originally planned for a March 9th release, the Kit Upgrade DLC released on April 21st for Xbox 360 users. In North America the upgrades can only be obtained by inputting codes found on specially marked [[Dr. Pepper]] soda bottles. Outside of the US, 360 users can pay 180ms points for the upgrades, per-class. A bundle for all classes costs 480ms points. The upgrades include two pins and 1 award for each class, a special [[camouflage]] upgrade, and a special camouflaged weapon.
Originally planned for a March 9th release, the Kit Upgrade DLC released on April 21st for Xbox 360 users and May 18th for Playstation 3. In North America the upgrades can only be obtained by inputting codes found on specially marked [[Dr. Pepper]] soda bottles. Outside of the US, 360 users can pay 180ms points for the upgrades, per-class. A bundle for all classes costs 480ms points. For Playstation 3 each kit is priced at $2.00 and the bundle is $5.50. The upgrades include two pins and 1 award for each class, a special [[camouflage]] upgrade, and a special camouflaged weapon. Each upgrade kit also adds 1 achievement/trophy adding up to a total of 4 for all of the kit upgrades.


====VIP Map Pack 3====
====VIP Map Pack 3====

Revision as of 00:58, 19 May 2010

File:Bc2lowres.jpg
Developer(s)EA Digital Illusions CE
Publisher(s)Electronic Arts
Composer(s)Mikael Karlsson[3]
SeriesBattlefield
EngineFrostbite Engine[4][5]
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
ReleaseMicrosoft Windows, Xbox 360
PlayStation 3
Genre(s)First-person shooter, action
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is a first-person shooter video game developed by EA Digital Illusions CE and published by Electronic Arts for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. The game is a direct sequel to Battlefield: Bad Company and was announced at one of Electronic Arts' earnings conferences[6] and was showcased for the first time at E3 2009. The game was released worldwide in March 2010.

The gameplay in Bad Company 2 is primarily a squad based first-person shooter. Similar to previous titles in the series, the game is played out on large maps with vehicles, aircraft, turrets, unmanned aerial vehicles armed with hellfire missiles, and so on, but the majority of the game is based around infantry combat. Players can score points by performing a variety of tasks that do not involve directly engaging with opposition players. For example, the "engineer" class can score points through the repair of various equipment and vehicles, or the "medic" class can do so by healing his squad and reviving recently killed players. A key gameplay feature introduced by its predecessor, Bad Company, is destructible environments. The improved system is called "Destruction 2.0". It now allows players to completely demolish a building with sustained explosive firepower, resulting in the building becoming a pile of rubble and killing any trapped inside.[7] The game also includes bullet drop, a feature previously seen in single-player games such as the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. series, which causes bullets and other munitions to fall downwards due to gravity.

Along with Battlefield Vietnam, Bad Company 2 is one of only two games in the Battlefield series to show blood[8] without third-party modification. Bad Company 2 features 15 vehicles, including new additions, such as the UH-60 Black Hawk, a quad bike, a three-man patrol boat, a personal watercraft, a ZU-23 mounted on a BTR-D armored personnel carrier, and a UAV helicopter controlled via remote computer terminals.

The currently available maps are set in various environments from South America and the mountainous regions along the borders of Russia.[9]

Multiplayer game types

Rush
Players must defend or destroy pairs of M-COM stations for as long as the attacking team's respawn tickets hold out. Lost tickets can be regained by reviving fallen teammates. An M-COM station can be destroyed by planting a charge, using explosive weapons or when a building is collapsed down on it.
Conquest
The classic gameplay from every Battlefield series game. Players must capture and hold flags for as long as the enemy respawn tickets hold out. Every kill makes the enemy lose one ticket, and enemy tickets constantly decrease when a team controls more than half of the flags on the map. Vehicles unlock as control points are held.
Squad Deathmatch
Up to four squads and one Infantry Fighting Vehicle roam the map. First squad to score fifty kills get the win.
Squad Rush
Squad Rush puts a squad of four players versus another squad of four players for a max of eight player matches of Rush. The maps for squad rush are taken from both conquest and rush. There will be only 2 M-COM stations in the entire round.
Onslaught
One squad of up to four players faces an onslaught of enemy AI soldiers. This game mode will feature new lighting and time of day on existing maps, as well as new vehicles. It has only been announced for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.

The experience points used to unlock the above items are awarded for performing actions conducive to the goals of the player's team, such as eliminating enemy players, healing teammates, or capturing or defending points of interest. Bonuses to the base number of points can be awarded under certain circumstances (such as achieving a headshot in the process of eliminating an enemy player). A dog tag system as seen in Battlefield 2142, Battlefield 1943 and Battlefield: Bad Company returns, awarding players trophies of sorts in the form of opponents' dog tags when they defeat the opponent with a melee attack.[10] It uses PunkBuster to protect the game from cheaters in online multiplayer matches.

On October 19, 2009, game developer DICE posted a Twitter announcement stating the game will have dedicated server support. This was in response to Infinity Ward's announcement on October 17 that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 would not support dedicated servers.[11] Players will also be able to use party chat for each game mode.[12]

Single-player campaign

Characters

As for the majority of the single player campaign, the player controls Private Preston Marlowe. Marlowe is part of a squad formerly representing a misfit company in a fictional United States Army battalion known as "Bad Company". Other members of the squad include technology expert Private Terrance Sweetwater, demolitions specialist Private George Haggard Jr., and squad leader Sergeant Samuel Redford. The squad, escaping with gold in the previous game but believed to be caught soon thereafter, now work for a special assignment for the Army in securing a dangerous weapon codenamed "Aurora".

Plot

In October 1944, a group of commandos infiltrate an Imperial Japanese Navy-controlled island in the Sea of Japan. They secure a Japanese scientist who was working on a secret weapon codenamed Aurora and escape the island on a submarine. But as foreshadowed by the scientist's warnings the commandos witness Aurora being fired and perish, and this sparked a myth within the U.S. Army, which has been dubbed as "Operation Aurora".

In the present day, Privates Preston Marlowe, Terrence Sweetwater, George Haggard, and Sergeant Samuel Redford fight behind enemy lines in Russia in attempt to secure a device related to Aurora. Despite escaping Russian soldiers and completing their believed final mission in their service, the device is discovered to be a fake. Being impressed with their previous activities, Army General Braidwood assigns them to a special operation of stopping Aurora, much to the disappointment of Redford who had hoped to retire after the last mission.

The squad travels to Bolivia in search of an agent named James Aguire. Through many firefights, they save Aguire. Aguire requests the squad to get all his intelligence detailing Aurora from a French satellite that can be controlled from a base in the Andes Mountains. Sweetwater crashes the satellite and the squad successfully defeat a Russian counterattack aimed at destroying the satellite. Marlowe soon finds the data server and proceeds to go down the mountain during a blizzard against Russian patrols, and is soon extracted by the others.

During extraction, Aguire briefs the squad about a man responsible for rebuilding Aurora named Arkady Kirelenko; a Russian Army colonel the squad failed to eliminate in Russia. Kirelenko is believed to be hiding in Chile. Marlowe and the squad, aided by U.S. forces, find Kirelenko, though he soon escapes. Left only with papers from Kirelenko, Sweetwater discovers there is a shipping manifest for an abandoned ship called the "Sangre Del Toro." Aided by the rest of the squad getting the coordinates, Marlowe finds the ship and retrieves an unnamed compound essential to the use of the weapon and finds out the truth behind Operation Aurora.

While attempting to meet Aguire in Colombia, their helicopter is shot down and they become separated. Along with their helicopter pilot Flynn, they regroup and escape the local militia. Sarge gave Aguire the compound before finding out that Aguire double-crossed the squad by allying with Kirelenko. Aguire wants revenge against the United States for what happened to his father, one of the commandos in the original raid on Aurora, after it is revealed that the U.S. military callously sent them to their deaths to test the effects of Aurora. Despite the alliance, Kirelenko betrays Aguire and kills him. Flynn intervenes and saves the squad at the cost of his own life.

The squad is mourning for Flynn when they hear Kirelenko talking through a guard's radio. Marlowe kills the guard, and the squad proceeds toward a large metropolitan city. In the city, Marlowe and the squad find a large cargo aircraft, an Antonov An-124 (Haggard mistakes it for the larger Antonov An-225 Mriya) that is believed to house Aurora. This is immediately confirmed as the weapon releases a powerful electromagnetic pulse, destroying all electronic equipment in the city and thereby causing all military vehicles to cease functioning; a helicopter nearly crashes onto the squad. Everyone except Marlowe becomes disheartened of continuing the mission. Marlowe encourages them to get on the aircraft. The squad infiltrates the aircraft’s lower levels as it takes off. After a firefight to reach the cockpit, they find it empty. The squad returns to the cargo bay to find Kirelenko attempting to fire Aurora again, now high over the southern United States and so threatening to cause havoc on the power grid, crippling the country's ability to defend itself against an attack. With the help of explosives from the plane's armory they gain access to Aurora and Marlowe destroys it.

The firefight and the violent destruction of Aurora has crippled the aircraft, sending it plummeting. The squad bails out with Kirelenko trying to grab the last parachute in mid-air. In free fall, Marlowe kills Kirelenko before getting the parachute from Sweetwater. The squad lands and regroups a few miles away from Nacogdoches, Texas, Haggard's home state, behind the destroyed airplane. Shortly after, General Braidwood drives by to inform them that they are to aid the U.S. Army in defense against the incoming Russian invasion that recently passed through Alaska and Canada, much to the squad's disappointment.

A satellite map shows the Russian advance as they prepare to meet U.S Forces at the border of Canada.

Marketing and release

As part of a program designed to encourage game purchases and reward the community, EA and DICE have confirmed that they will periodically release additional content for Bad Company 2. On Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, this content will be available free to "VIP" players, or people who purchased a new copy of the game. Owners of used copies will be able to purchase the content for an additional cost from the respective system's online store. Owners of the PC version will receive this content for free regardless of ownership status.[13]

For PlayStation 3, the VIP code will only work for one PS3 account per console. Many PlayStation 3 users have multiple user accounts on one console. For this case any VIP content, like the map packs, will only be available for the one user who entered the VIP code. The other option is to ask at EA support to transfer the PSN account without the VIP code to the EA account with PSN account where the code is already entered. Likewise on the Xbox 360, the map packs or any other VIP content will only be available for the one user who entered the VIP code. They will not be available to other users on the same Xbox 360.

Downloadable content

VIP Map Pack 1

In February 2010, Electronic Arts announced the first downloadable content for Battlefield Bad Company 2. It was released March 2, the same day as the game itself, as a "Day One Map Pack".[14] It included two maps - Nelson Bay, a winter-themed rush map taking place at night, and Laguna Alta, an autumn-themed conquest map.

VIP Map Pack 2

The second map pack was released on March 30, 2010 and added Arica Harbor to Conquest Mode and Laguna Presa to Rush mode.[15]

Kit Upgrade DLC

Originally planned for a March 9th release, the Kit Upgrade DLC released on April 21st for Xbox 360 users and May 18th for Playstation 3. In North America the upgrades can only be obtained by inputting codes found on specially marked Dr. Pepper soda bottles. Outside of the US, 360 users can pay 180ms points for the upgrades, per-class. A bundle for all classes costs 480ms points. For Playstation 3 each kit is priced at $2.00 and the bundle is $5.50. The upgrades include two pins and 1 award for each class, a special camouflage upgrade, and a special camouflaged weapon. Each upgrade kit also adds 1 achievement/trophy adding up to a total of 4 for all of the kit upgrades.

VIP Map Pack 3

Although no official announcement has been made, the map pack appeared in the in-game store on April 22nd. According to in-game information, it will add Laguna Alta to Squad Rush mode and Nelson Bay to Squad Deathmatch mode.[citation needed]

Onslaught Mode

After selling 5 million copies of Battlefield Bad company 2, Dice decided to announce Onslaught Mode. The release date for Xbox 360 will be the 2nd of June. For PS3 the release date is set for June 16, 2010. The new game mode will be a co-op gamemode playable on Valparaiso, Atacama Desert, Isla Inocentes and Nelson Bay where up to 4 players co-operatively face waves of computer controlled enemies.[16] A teaser has been released and Senior Producer Patrick Bach Said this: “We want to consistently support the fans playing the game with new ways to get into multiplayer and also challenge the elite players with new experiences to improve their performance online. Effective squad play is the key to success in Battlefield: Bad Company 2 multiplayer and this new mode will provide players with a dedicated environment to test their team skills and rank against the competition.”[17] The associate producer of Bad Company 2 spoke the official forums of why there is no planned release of Onslaught on PC at the moment, explaining that they didn't want to switch any of their multi-player servers over to host Onslaught games as a server for Onslaught would only support 4 players instead of the competitive multi-players 24 and went on to say "The reason we aren't making it Peer 2 Peer is that to do that we have to include server code into the client which won't happen for security reasons." Though it is worth noting that he later said, "We haven't given up on a PC version of Onslaught as I say, just we have a lot things to work out first."[18]

System Requirements
Minimum Recommended
Microsoft Windows[19]
Operating system Windows XP (32-bit)Windows Vista or Windows 7 (64-bit)
CPU Dualcore 2 GHZQuadcore
Memory 2 GB RAM2 GB RAM
Free space 10GB for disc version or 15GB for digital version
Graphics hardware GeForce 7800 GT / ATI X1900 with 256 MB VRAM - DirectX 9DirectX GeForce GTS 250/ ATI Radeon HD 4870 with 512 MB VRAM - DirectX 10
Sound hardware DirectX 9.0c compliant Sound card
Network 1 Mbit/s internet connection for online play

Development

PS3 version of the beta started on November 19,[20] while the PC version was pushed back until February 2010 to increase the beta's capacity.[21][22]

Each public pre-release build of the game featured a map from the final product; the PlayStation 3, PC beta and Xbox 360 demo each feature the "Port Valdez" map. All versions only featured the "Rush" gameplay mode.

The online multiplayer demo for the Xbox 360 and the beta for the PC were released on January 28, 2010, and servers ran until February 25. The demo was released on the PlayStation 3 on February 4, 2010 in Europe and North America and February 11, 2010 in Asia.

GameZone's Dakota Grabowski interviewed Senior Producer Patrick Bach about the game. Following the negative feedback from PC gamers after the first Battlefield Bad Company was not released on the PC, Electronic Arts and DICE had a separate dedicated team working on the PC version. Bach stated "We see it as very, very hardcore and important part of our customers. So we put a lot of effort into making sure that everything worked perfect.” Bach also commented on the use of peripherals such as a mouse and keyboard on consoles, saying "I don’t think that we have any special connections to peripherals to the consoles … The biggest problem with peripherals for consoles is that the console itself is a level playground. It’s even and you know the consumer has the same technology and have the same peripherals and same controls – which makes it easier for us to create a game that feels fair. By catering to a mouse and keyboard for the consoles, it would maybe skew the even playground."[23]

Audio

The game uses Dolby Digital and Frostbite's High Definition Audio Range technology.[24] The score was composed by Mikael Karlsson and is featured on the Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Official Soundtrack, which was released on February 2, 2010.[3]

Reception

The game has received highly positive reviews. Game Informer magazine gave the game a 9.5 out of 10, praising the improvements made over the first Bad Company.

GameZone's Steven Hopper gave the game a 9.25/10, saying, "Even though the single-player campaign still isn't where it needs to be, Bad Company 2 is definitely a great sequel that builds on its predecessor in every way, making for one that no shooter fan will want to miss, especially if you go online for your gaming."[25]

Gametrailer gave Battlefield: Bad Company 2 a 9.1 out of a possible 10, praising its use of an intertwining multiplayer, but labeling the single player as predictable.[26]

GameSpy reviewer Anthony Gallegos gave the game 4.5 stars out of 5, describing the single-player campaign as "a blast" and concluding that "the staying power for BFBC2 lies in its multiplayer".[27]

Dan Whitehead from EuroGamer reviewed the game and gave it a score of 9/10, describing Bad Company 2 as an "open challenge" to Activision's market leader Modern Warfare 2, and considering it to be the "superior game" when compared to it, with "immediately evident" improvements over the previous game in the series. Whitehead concluded that Bad Company 2 is "the online shooter at its most streamlined, most thoughtful, most exhilarating".[28]

IGN praised the visuals of the game as being "near-photo realistic" and "one of the best looking games around".[29]

Sales

Since its release, 5 million copies of Bad Company 2 were shipped worldwide.[30] It was the best-selling video-game of March 2010 up until the release of Pokémon HeartGold and SoulSilver.[31][32][33][34][35]

Limited edition

As a pre-order promotion, EA offered the Limited Edition of Bad Company 2 at normal pricing ($50 for PC, $60 for Xbox 360 and Playstation 3). By pre-ordering the Limited Edition, buyers of the PC version were given early access to the closed beta from January 28 to February 25.[36] In addition, owners of the Limited Edition on all systems were given access to numerous weapons and vehicle perks[37]

In addition to the six upgrades offered by EA on all pre-orders and the buyers of the Limited Edition, select retailers offered their own incentives as well. Copies pre-ordered at GameStop came with an additional code, unlocking the AKS-74U carbine and giving access to the Squad Rush game mode 30 days early (North America only). All six upgrades, as well as the AKS-74U, are also available to owners of the Standard Edition of the game, but they must be acquired by accumulating points in-game. Though, all those upgrades must be EQUIPPED in the game and you can't have more than only one upgrade at the same time.

In addition to the limited edition content available through use of a code, users of Battlefield's Veteran program can gain access to the M1 Garand rifle.

References

  1. ^ a b c d Orry, James (August 18, 2009). "Battlefield Bad Company 2 dated". VideoGamer. Retrieved 2009-08-19.
  2. ^ "Battlefield Bad Company 2 release info". IGN. 6 March 2010. Retrieved 05-03-10 "DD MM YY". {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  3. ^ a b "Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Official Soundtrack". Electronic Arts. 2010-02-02. Retrieved 2010-03-06.
  4. ^ Johan Andersson. "Official Blog: PC Graphic Details", "EA Digital Illusions CE"
  5. ^ Frostbite 2 pc games hardware
  6. ^ Ahearn, Nate (February 3, 2009). "Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Announced". IGN. p. 1. Retrieved 2009-05-26.
  7. ^ "Battlefield Bad Company 2 Ups the Destruction". Kotaku. 2009-03-30. Retrieved 2010-01-30.
  8. ^ Brudvig, Erik (March 30, 2009). "Battlefield: Bad Company 2 First Look". IGN. p. 1. Retrieved 2009-05-26.
  9. ^ Porter, Will (2009). [www.oxm.co.uk "Official Xbox Magazine"]. Official Xbox Magazine (46): 114. Retrieved 2009-06-01. 'EA has promised dense jungles…' {{cite journal}}: Check |url= value (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  10. ^ Miller, Greg (May 22, 2009). "Pre-E3 2009: Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Multiplayer Hands-on". IGN. p. 1. Retrieved 2009-05-26.
  11. ^ October 19th, 2009 @ 12:11 By Johnny Cullen (2009-10-19). "Blog Archive » DICE: Dedicated servers are a "given"". VG247. Retrieved 2010-01-29.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  12. ^ "Bad Company 2 Will Not Block Party Chat". GameSpy. 2009-12-09. Retrieved 2010-01-16.
  13. ^ D.I.C.E., E.A. "Battlefield Bad Company 2 Day 1 Map Pack".
  14. ^ "DLC coming day one". Bad Company 2 Blog. 2010-02-25. Retrieved 2010-05-17.
  15. ^ Stukje Design - Allround multimedia bedrijf. "First Bad Company 2 DLC announced". Ps3.cheathost.com. Retrieved 2010-05-17.
  16. ^ Stukje Design - Allround multimedia bedrijf. "Battlefield Bad Company 2 : Onslaught Mode". Xbox360.cheathost.com. Retrieved 2010-05-17.
  17. ^ http://blogs.battlefield.ea.com/battlefield_bad_company/archive/2010/05/12/battlefield-bad-company-2-brings-onslaught-as-bfbc2-reaches-5-million.aspx
  18. ^ http://forums.electronicarts.co.uk/battlefield-bad-company-2-pc/1099654-onslaught-pc.html
  19. ^ VanDyke, Gordon (December 1, 2009). "Oh Snap, PC info ladies & germs!". EA. Retrieved 2010-02-14.
  20. ^ "Battlefield Blog". Blogs.battlefield.ea.com. Retrieved 2010-01-29.
  21. ^ "Battlefield Blog". Blogs.battlefield.ea.com. Retrieved 2010-01-29.
  22. ^ tlefield_bad_company/archive/2010/01/07/bfbc2-pc-beta-update-fr-229-n-dice.aspx "Battlefield Blog". Blogs.battlefield.ea.com. 1999-02-22. Retrieved 2010-01-29. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
  23. ^ "Battlefield Bad Company 2 GZ news".
  24. ^ "Battlefield bad Company 2 Game Planet news".
  25. ^ Hopper, Steven. "GameZone Bad Company 2 Review".
  26. ^ Khanna, Rishabh. "Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Video Game, Review".
  27. ^ Gallegos, Anthony. "Battlefield Bad Company 2 Review".
  28. ^ Whitehead, Dan. "Battlefield Bad company 2 Review". {{cite web}}: Text "Xbox360" ignored (help)
  29. ^ Reed, Kristan. "Battlefield: Bad Company 2 UK Review - PlayStation 3 Review at IGN". Uk.ps3.ign.com. Retrieved 2010-05-17.
  30. ^ Reilly, Jim (2010-05-11). "Bad Company 2 Sales Top Five Million - Xbox 360 News at IGN". Xbox360.ign.com. Retrieved 2010-05-17.
  31. ^ "EA's Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Tops March Sales Charts". Retrieved 18 March 2010.
  32. ^ "Battlefield: Bad Company 2 sells 2.3 million". Retrieved 18 March 2010.
  33. ^ "Battlefield: Bad Company 2 sells 2.3 million". Retrieved 18 March 2010.
  34. ^ "Nintendo Leads U.S. Sales for March". Nintendo Life. 2010-04-18. Retrieved 2010-05-17.
  35. ^ "March 2010 video game industry sales report from NPD Group". Gaming Bits. 2010-04-16. Retrieved 2010-05-17.
  36. ^ Jerard Hooks (2010-01-08). "Bad Company 2 PC beta details confirmed". Daxgamer.com. Retrieved 2010-05-17.
  37. ^ "Battlefield Blog". Blogs.battlefield.ea.com. Retrieved 2010-05-17.
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