An excellent first-person shooter with a great multiplayer mode
The original Battlefield 1942 earned its place in gaming history as one of the first multi-player shooters where vehicle combat was an integral part of the action.
It brought an entirely different dimension to team games, as vehicles could carry multiple passengers. This meant one player could drive a tank while another manned a machine gun on top, or they could pick up other players in a jeep and carry them across the map to capture an objective.
The game had planes and boats covered as well, and there were usually some amusing moments when things did not go to plan. It was not uncommon to see a pilot lose control of their aircraft and crash-land into their teammates. At other times a player might be driving towards the enemy with half their team in the back of the vehicle before killing all of them by accidentally driving off a cliff – usually followed by a barrage of vitriolic cursing.
The sequels, follow-ups and spin-offs changed the setting, from Vietnamese jungles to futuristic environments, but the same multiplayer formula has remained the same.
An aspect of the older games that will be less-fondly remembered was the dreadful single-player game, or lack thereof. The only option available was to play the same multiplayer maps against computer-controlled bots, which were so unintelligent they would often stand in the path of enemy bullets without flinching.
While playing against other humans was a challenging, fun and rewarding experience, offline play was the opposite, only useful for learning the basics of the game. Battlefield: Bad Company, which was exclusive to consoles, was the first in the series to put real effort into a plot-driven single-player campaign. The game was very good, but not quite good enough to challenge the best first-person shooters around.
Bad Company 2, however, is right up there with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. The technical achievements of the game, including its breathtaking visuals, match its high-quality content in both single player and multiplayer. The lighting and shadow effects are particularly impressive, with light peering in from gaps in foliage, accurately casting shadows onto the players.
