The Charge:
Defining Online Warfare!

Opening Statement:
The world of Military shooters has always been a tumultuous one. Excursions into World War II have always butted heads with the latest and greatest techno shooters and Tom Clancy terror thrillers. Somewhere along the timeline, the mainstream WWII shooter converged with the modern man of action, and one franchise rose above the ranks to seize the crown. Hardly content to take their ‘distant second’ ribbon and wallow in complacency, EA and Dice have fired the opening salvo in the quickly building war against Modern Warfare 2.

"Are we shootin people today?"

Facts of the Case:
‘B’ Company has had a reversal of fortune as it were. After the events of the original Battlefield: Bad Company, the group of throwaway misfits has earned themselves a rep as a squad that can get things done. When a rogue Russian general with some past history with the company gets his hands on a powerful weapon left over from World War II, it’s up to ‘Bad’ Company to defuse the situation before the Russkies kick off World War III.

That’s only a part of the Battlefield: Bad Company 2 package. Take the game online and prepare yourself for an intense 24 player experience that pits East against West in intense firefights all over the globe. Squad based combat allows for an unparalleled level of teamwork in several different game modes, complete with Battlefield’s signature air and land based vehicles and intense back and forth infantry fighting.

"Activision Executives flee as disgruntled developers blow the crap out of Infinity Ward HQ"

The Evidence:
The main draw for many will probably be Bad Company 2’s extensive multiplayer mode, and draw you in it most certainly will. Maps are determined by gametype, and consist of everything from tightly packed areas, perfect for some team and squad deathmatch to the sprawling landscapes that lend themselves to awesomely paced Rush and Conquest modes. Conquest is the good ole fashioned point control stalwart that has entertained Battlefield players since 1942 (not literally!) and rush mode splits players into attackers and defenders, where attackers attempt to destroy frontline bases by blowing up two of the defenders N-COM stations, while defenders kill the hell out of the attackers until their reinforcement pool drops to zero.

"We cool.. We Bad-asses. Blah blah blah blah blah..."

DICE’s frostbite engine has proven to have the horsepower to push some high quality visuals on games like Mirror’s Edge, the original Battlefield: Bad Company and the download-only Battlefield 1943, and Bad Company 2 follows suit with visual panache and rock solid framerate. Whether looking at stunning vistas in the single player or watching buildings crumble while dust particles swirl and tanks shudder realistically in multiplayer, the game remains a visual standout. Explosions look fantastic, buildings collapse in convincing fashion, lighting is great, and character animation is tight all around. The multiplayer holds up its end as well, and never falters. There is a bit of weirdness going on with the shadows, but it doesn’t detract from the overall experience. This is a great looking shooter.

As good as the visuals are; it’s the sound that really shines. This game features the best sound design I’ve ever heard in a shooter, hands down. Gunfire booms across the soundstage with gusto, and echoes in the rear soundfield realistically. These echoes and reverbs change based on your environment, whether you happen to be indoors or out, and explosions are deafening. If you have a home theatre, play this sucker loud! The music is of the generic “military-thriller” variety, but it does the job well enough, and the voice acting is as good as it gets without throwing random Hollywood talent into the mix.

I guess the real question is; Can Bad Company 2 and Modern Warfare 2 peacefully coexist in someone’s video game collection? Sure, I guess they could, but where’s the fun in that?

Rebuttal Witness:
Battlefield: Bad Company 2, much like Modern Warfare 2, is a brief single player game. The campaign lasts slightly longer, clocking in at an average 6 hours or so. While there is definitely variety, and more than a few awesome scenarios, malaise does occasionally rear its head. There’s not really anything new here, but what’s here is presented well and feels great, even if the level of chaos and anarchy never quite reaches the heights established by the last few Call of Duty titles. Nothing in the single player campaign approaches the very best moments of its Infinity Ward and Treyarch developed competitors, but taken as a whole, the experience tends to be more entertaining, and suffers less from the lows. While there’s nothing as awesome as ‘Snowblind’ in here, there’s nothing as lame as defending a Burger Town from the entire Russian Army either. Graphically there are moments of sheer beauty that rival the very best that military shooters have to offer, including the awesome intro stage set during the Pacific campaign of World War II, or the downriver trek in the jungles of Central America, and a stunner of a final level that I won’t spoil here.

It’s really a more uniform experience, and while many may miss the sheer spectacle of Modern Warfare or Modern Warfare 2, the more controlled chaos and level headed approach definitely makes for a more enjoyable experience, if not a more memorable one.

"Take from them nothing... give to them... wait... that ain't right... let me start over."

Closing Comments:
It’s hard to talk about Battlefield: Bad Company 2 without comparing it to Modern Warfare 2, it’s fiercest competitor, and I don’t think the guys at DICE and EA would have it any other way. The end result really depends on how you like to play, and in truth, there is no clean cut victor in this modern combat deathmatch. That said, my own tastes give Bad Company 2 the edge, be it ever so slight.

The Verdict:

Platform: Sony Playstation 3/Microsoft Xbox360/Windows PC
Developer: DICE
Publisher: EA Games
Release Date: March 2nd, 2010
Rated: M (17+) for Mature

Erich, Tim, and Dave roll up the red carpet with a round of “Oscar Best Picture nominee video game tie-ins”—a bad idea that gets progressively worse. Things get better once talk turns to video games, as Dave embraces fight stick ownership, Tim earns his merit badge, and Erich decides on an unlikely first game purchase for 2010. Games discussed this episode include Street Fighter IV, Modern Warfare 2, Borderlands, Gears of War 2, Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks, and Mega Man 10.

Now it’s your turn to tease us, by commenting below, heading over to the DVD Verdict Jury Room forums, or by emailing us at feedback@pixelverdict.com.

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Dave, Tim, and Erich run through the games they’ve been playing—including Modern Warfare 2, Mass Effect, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, ‘Splosion Man, Dante’s Inferno, and Street Fighter IV—before looking ahead to big (and little) titles on the horizon. Dave wonders whether he should try Heavy Rain, Tim wonders whether he’ll be able to find a PS3 before God of War III comes out, and Erich wonders whether the Xbox Live Arcade Game Room will be worth downloading. No Symposium Ad Nauseum this week, but we have a very good excuse. At least, I think we do. You’ll have to listen to find out.

Make your own excuses in the comments below, over in the DVD Verdict Jury Room forums, or by emailing us at feedback@pixelverdict.com.

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Dave, Tim, and Erich do their best to alienate listeners with musings on the religious implications of recent games, the tail-end of the NFL season, and NBA Jam tournament memories. The boys make up for it, though, with another 40 minutes of video game talk. Tim still loves Modern Warfare 2, Dave sings the praises of Darksiders, Erich learns a valuable lesson about his gaming tastes thanks to Batman: Arkham Asylum, and should difficulty count in review scores? The capper is this week’s Symposium Ad Nauseum: Over My Dead Body is My Daughter Marrying That Guy. Oh, and pinball.

Leave your sports talk rants in the comments below, over in the DVD Verdict Jury Room forums, or by emailing us at feedback@pixelverdict.com.

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Join the Pixel Verdict crew for a look back at their favorite games of 2009—a list that includes RPGs of the role playing and rocket propelled variety, a bad night for a bat, dragon punches, mustachioed mushroom eaters, and a true Renaissance man. Because when you aren’t forced to choose just one Game of the Year, everyone is a winner! From all of us here, our sincerest thanks for listening this year. We’ll see you bright and early in 2010—but not too early, we were up late last night.

Submit your picks for 2009′s best games in the comments below, over in the DVD Verdict Jury Room forums, or by emailing us at feedback@pixelverdict.com.

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Tim and Erich hop on board the BP Express for an hour-plus of gaming goodness. First stop, new games they’ve been playing, including a lengthy discussion about New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story, Modern Warfare 2, Borderlands, Doc Louis’s Punch-Out!!, and a DJ G-Raff musical Thanksgiving two-fer, Beatles: Rock Band and DJ Hero. In honor of The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks hitting shelves next week, the back half of the show is dedicated to Link’s handheld adventures, from the original Gameboy to his first dual screen incarnation. Will Erich turn out to be Ganon after all? Tune in to find out.

The adventure continues in the comments below, over in the DVD Verdict Jury Room forums, or by email at feedback@pixelverdict.com.

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Inspired by this week’s big Nintendo release of New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Erich, Tim, and Adam don their plumbers caps this week for a mini-roundtable discussion of Mario games past, with highlights, lowlights, and nostalgia galore. Before they get to the mushroom-fueled fun, however, it’s all about games they’ve been playing, including Borderlands, Halo: ODST, Modern Warfare 2, Dead Space: Extraction, Beatles: Rock Band, and Torchlight.

What’s your favorite Mario game? Let us know the comments below, over in the DVD Verdict Jury Room forums, or by emailing us at feedback@pixelverdict.com.

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The Charge

KA-BLOOIEEE!!!!

Opening Statement

Infinity Ward developed a first-person shooter and it made fifty quadrillion dollars.  Nothing I say here will have any effect on that.  But this bandwidth isn’t going to burn itself!

Facts of the Case

There’s a crazy Russian d-bag running around with mass homicide on his mind and it falls to guys with names like “Soap” and “Roach” and “Ghost” to mount up and fire hundreds of thousands of bullets in the general direction of their nemeses.

The Evidence

That’s really as deep as the narrative goes, which is kind of a shame because Infinity Ward sure knows how to put together jawdropping, cinematic action scenes.  I was consistently amazed at the amount of pyrotechcnics and carnage that was  around every corner.

There are some truly pulse-pounding moments, from the back-alley urban warfare in Rio to the surreal full-scale counter-assualt in DC to the snowmobile and raft chases and, my favorite, the suburban assault in Virgina (there’s something about dodging RPGs in two-story colonials).

Unfortunately, the storyline is too haphazard to tie these elements together.  The plot is essentially told with voice-overs in between levels on the loading screen.  So when you’re partaking in the controversial civilian shooting gallery in the airport, it’s not grounded in an story, and, as a result, the sequence doesn’t seem earned and ends up simply feeling gratuitous.

Then again this a game where you’re running through the burned-out streets of DC and helicopters are falling from the sky so subtlelty is not what Infinity Ward is going for.

Setting aside the uninvolving plot, this is still a barn-burner of a gaming experience, a technical marvel that blasts out some of the best current-gen graphics to date and sound work that is unrivaled.  I mean, you have Hans fricking Zimmer composing your score–that’s when you know you’ve arrived, methinks.

Gameplay is expectedly tight and satisfying and the weapon selection is diverse.  And you’re spared a gimmicky night vision bombing aside, instead handed some nifty Predator drone missles to fire on unsuspecting fools, which is especially nice when you pop out of aim mode in time to witness the resulting fireworks.

Closing Statement

Overall, the campaign isn’t long but it’s big and loud and fun and sets the table nicely for the main course in the franchise: the multiplayer.  If you’re just interested in running through the single-player Modern Warfare 2 is worth a rental.  The game will make your A/V set-up pound.

The Verdict

Not Guilty.

Dave pinch hits for a sickly Erich and recruits the Newfie Wonder Twins, Jon and Steve to help him carry the burden. Marvel as the three fill forty-five minutes with talk of Modern Warfare 2, Dragon Age: Origins, Borderlands, Brutal Legend, and Tekken 6, while indulging in such nonsensical digressions as the Arrested Development side-scrolling beat’em-up, their to-date Game of the Year choices (Jon and Dave are on the same page and no, it’s not XBLA Streets of Rage 2), most-anticipated releases in the next couple of months and, finally, the Negative Nancy segment where they each find fault in a beloved 2009 release.

Join in the fun in the comments below, over in the DVD Verdict Jury Room forums, or by emailing us at feedback@pixelverdict.com.

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