One thing that is already looking fantastic is the graphics in Battlefield: Bad Company. DICE has been touting this engine for some time and their "completely destructible" environment. We are going to go out on a ledge and say that Bad Company is the most destructible game we have ever put our hands on, and that is a good thing. Having only played two levels we blew up more stuff than ever before in a Battlefield title and what developed were brand new strategies that are completely unique to Bad Company. The reason these new strategies exist is simply because the old way of thinking about how to get at your objective no longer exists. For example at one point in a match we kept getting sniped from this sneaky little guy in a window, where he was popping out every minute or so to shoot us in the head. If we had been playing any other first-person shooter out there the options would have been simple; sneak up the stairs and shoot him in the back or hope to get a headshot when he peaks up over the windowsill. Thanks to DICE's new Frostbite engine the new possibilities to take out this sniper�are endless with the most simple being shoot a grenade at the wall he is behind, destroying it in a rain of rubble and then pop a couple rounds in him as he pisses his pants out in the open.
To be honest this was the feature of Battlefield: Bad Company that was most exciting around our offices and it came through in a huge way. Originally it was thought that the destructible environments would be eye-candy only, no one thought that it could change the entire way the game was played. The possibilities are endless, we could go on and on for pages describing all the cool situations this new feature put us in but all you need to know is that it kicks some serious ass. There is no doubt that the destructibility of Bad Company will get better before the game ships in a couple months but to be honest it already looks pretty damn good. Basically if it is raised above the ground and is not a rock it can be destroyed in the new Battlefield game. Houses explode into thousands of little pieces, trees fall with thundering impact, and fences turn into splinters after a couple bullets are pushed into them. The feeling that comes over you right after blowing the hell out of a building, only to see the enemy turn-tail and run for cover out the back is something that has to be experienced to be understood. Other than your basic weapons (guns, grenades, rockets, etc.) Bad Company also includes a good array of fully controllable vehicles. The multiplayer beta only included a few: tank, hummer, boat, and helicopter but EA promises plenty more when the final product ships tor retail.
Something else that needs to be mentioned before we wrap these beta impressions up is the unbelievable sound design that DICE put into this game. Battlefield: Bad Company easily walks away with some of the most innovative and insane sound architecture that has ever been created. The sound that blasts out of the speakers as your cover (building) is crumbling in around you is so realistic and intense it could only have been recorded during an actual earthquake. Overall we are very excited to see what the full version of Bad Company is going to bring to the table, it is easy to be pumped up with what we have experienced so far. A few bugs need to be ironed out and the so-called micro-transaction thing eliminated but whatever happens with that DICE has created a quality title with some amazing destructible environments; and the beta only includes two levels. Stay tuned here at PlanetXbox360.com for full impressions of the Battlefield: Bad Company single player and a detailed review when the game hits store shelves later this year.
