Regardless of what part of Bad Company you are playing you are treated to a bevy of weapons and gadgets. Firearms run the standard gamut of assault rifles, shotguns, and sniper rifles with a variety of models in each one. The real enjoyment comes from the assortment of gadgets the player can use such as laser designators that drop controllable bombs on a target to handheld radios that call in mortar strikes. In the multiplayer these weapons and gadgets are broken up into five classes with each one using a unique set of weapons and a pair of gadgets. For instance, the Recon class has a set of sniper rifles that can be used or unlocked, and can make use of motion sensors to keep tabs on an area and the laser designator to blow up any enemy vehicles from afar.

The new engine isn’t only capable of delivering destruction on a completely satisfying scale, as it also handles itself quite well in the graphics and audio department. The game makes some of the best use of smoke effects seen to date, kicked up by both sustained gunfire in an area as well as by explosions or tank smoke screens. Character models move and fight both smoothly and realistically, and are especially detailed in the single-player side of things. A grainy filter covers the graphics, which helps to make the look of things more lifelike but at times can be a bit overzealous. The audio design steals the show with a level of acoustics that really draws you in. Gunfire echoes outside while can deafen inside, and multiplayer matches are an almost steady mix of soldiers yelling, gunfire, and explosions that are ripping buildings apart.

The game delivers a level of destruction that will make grown men giggle like a child and it is this level of interactivity that makes it special. Villages in the game start off looking so serene but by the end wind up looking truly-war torn, with damaged buildings losing cover in some respects but making more places to hide in others. Still, ultimately, Battlefield: Bad Company is a multiplayer game, and while the single player is relatively solid its best use is to learn the game mechanics before diving into playing with others. This is all well and good as the multiplayer action is just as addicting and compelling as any Battlefield title before it—only this time with a serious dose of personality.

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