Improvements from its predecessor and an excellent online multiplayer make Bad Company 2 a fantastic modern day FPS.
The single-player campaign is much different than the first Bad Company game. For starters, it takes you back to World War 2, in an operation known as "Operation Aurora". For a short while, the role of a U.S. marine is played. He and is fellow squad members have to infiltrate a Japanese island to retrieve a scientist who is working on a secret and, not to mention, devastating weapon. After this relatively short mission, it's back to the good ole familiar squad from Battlefield: Bad Company, where again, you play as Preston Marlowe. The other memorable characters from the squad are back - 'Sweet'water, Haggard, and Sergeant Redford. The campaign takes this squad back to Russian territory, but this time with the goal of securing the devastating weapon in mind.
As mentioned before, the gameplay is improved from the first game. The control scheme is fixed, and the movement feels a lot less sluggish, but still a little weighted down and realistic, which by all means is not bad. The removal of the auto-injector is probably the best improvement of all. With the newly enhanced gameplay, the campaign is a lot more fun to play. With more destruction than ever, as well as some intense moments, there is almost never a dull moment. The tone is a lot less humorous and goofy as it was in the first game. With the ESRB rating getting bumped up from T to M, expect a lot more cursing and blood spurts. However, they do manage to throw in some humor, and it wouldn't have felt right if they didn't. The campaign is also a bit more linear than the first. All in all, it doesn't turn out to be a bad factor. Some of the levels are more open, especially when vehicular warfare is involved. Plus there are some hidden satellite uplinks to destroy, and of course some collectible weapons to obtain.
Overall the campaign was surprisingly good, with one of the only significant flaws being the very short length of it. It can easily be beaten in about 5 or 6 hours, with difficulty level chosen being a factor. I was kind of sad to see it end, after all it was really fun using the variety of weapons there were, and of course blowing stuff up. It did feel more like your typical FPS at times though. Another minor flaw were the lack of additional characters. There are a few new ones, but sadly you don't get to know very much about them before it's over. But still, the campaign was a very fun, and oftentimes intense, experience.
Battlefield games, however, aren't really known for having excellent campaigns, but that's what the multiplayer is for. With an improved campaign comes an improved multiplayer. Bad Company 2 has more online games modes, four in total - Rush, Conquest, Squad Rush, and even a Squad Deathmatch. Squad Rush is a cool little version of Rush, with the only difference in it being the fact that's there's only 1 squad on each team. Conquest is similar to capture the flag, and Squad Deathmatch is basically a Team Deathmatch, but instead with up to four squads against each other.
The overall experience of the online multiplayer varies depending on how one plays it. But no matter what, there are sure to be plenty of chaotic, intense, and WTF moments. There are four very well laid out kits to play and gain experience in. Each one has unique gadgets to use such as rocket launchers, ammo boxes, C4, and even a defibrillator. The squad-based gameplay is truly exceptional. In fact, it's useless to NOT play in a squad. Giving squad members support (such as fore-mentioned ammo boxes) racks up additional points. There are many tactical decisions to be made when playing online and with a squad. Team work and strategies are a must if you want to survive online. Vehicles and mounted machine guns also offer alternative approaches to taking down enemies or destroying an objective.
In all the online experience is very engaging and rewarding. The level cap is plenty high, and there are tons of weapons, gadgets, and specializations (aka perks) to unlock. The maps cover several different types of environments, and offer a lot of space, destructive buildings, and vehicles to satisfy just about anyone's taste. Some flaws are inevitable however. Communication can only occur between squad members, and not the entire team. This, unfortunately means you can only bark orders at your own squad, and that you won't have the ability to say even a word to other squads on your team. Also, matchmaking isn't even close to perfect. It can be hell trying to get into the craziness of it all when joining a match during the middle of it. It's even worse when you don't have your own squad to play it, as it doesn't always get you into a squad, and as I've mentioned, it's useless not playing in a squad.
Overall Battlefield: Bad Company 2 is, once again, an excellent addition to the Battlefield series, as well as a stunning sequel. Best of all, it stands out from being just another shooter, and is instead an exhilarating, top-notch, and addictive game that surely won't disappoint many people looking for an awesome experience both offline, and online.