I had a great day today, after I woke I put on bad company 2 expecting to play a few multiplayer games and then go back to the single player campaign. Unfortunately my plan had a major flaw, I forgot how fun the multiplayer was and today it was more fun than usual as I managed to get into a rare talking squad.

So as promised I have wrote up a quick overview of the multiplayer maps, modes, weapons and classes

The game has 4 modes, rush which we seen on the demo is probably the most fun in my opinion attackers are tasked with taking out 2 targets in the defenders base once the base is destroyed you move onto the next base. The reason I love this mode is that it allows the team to focus in one direction and work as a team.

Conquest will be instantly familiar to battlefield veterans, each team starts at opposite ends of a map in their respective spawn points and between the spawns is a battlefield with 3-4 flag points which act as spawn points but also for each one you get the game removes spawn tokens for the opposition which means in order to win you need to capture flags and make kills. A good strategy is too balance attack and defence in this game mode, though its rare your team can still lose a round if the other team hold 1 flag and decimate you while you Zerg rush them. I do like this game mode but I noticed people have a tendency to not play as assault which means that engineers and snipers frequently have ammo issues.

The two other modes are squad rush which is a 4 versus 4 rush game with one objective in play at a time and squad deathmatch which pits 4 teams of 4 against each other in mortal combat.

There are ten maps in the game including the VIP map pack 1 which is actually included on the disk but locked until you put in the code.

Panama Canal- I believe this a rush only map the map is divided in the middle by a large canal as per the name, the surrounding areas are all industrial warehouses which overlook the low ground and the 4 flags are located in the corners. Few tips for this map, stay out of the canal it's a death trap and be careful when capturing flags each of the flags is overlooked by another building or a vantage point.

Valparaiso- this map is a coastal shanty town surrounded by heavy jungle and is characterised by the large light house on the map. A great rush map defenders have a harder time than normal as the start off on the low ground which is surrounded by sniper spots and attackers start with a gunship which if used right can cripple the defence of the sites. This map has a great look and has one of the most exciting parts. The third bomb site is in the shanty town itself and has some of the best street too street fighting in any level.

Isla Innocents- one of the only maps based around naval warfare, plenty of little islands in this map. Which I think is called an Archipelago, the defenders start off in a small island with multiple gun emplacements and a few wooden buildings. Attackers can only reach the island by boat which means that they are exposed to lots of enemy fire and it can be quite difficult to land without dying. On this map it is important for the attackers chopper to continuously harass the defenders too allow the team to infiltrate the island. So if you can't fly a chopper its best to let the more experienced players take the wheel or whatever said instrument is called on a helicopter.

Atacama Desert- an absolutely huge map with a desert theme, it contains several large towns on the map which are dotted with debris and SAM launchers. Lots of cover here and tons of vehicles, it's not uncommon for several tanks and multiple helicopters to be in the battlefield at any one time and on foot soldiers may become overwhelmed while out in the open.

Africa Harbor- another spectacular desert map, this map is characterised by container crates and massive container ships, it also features a large town, military outpost and a big bridge. Another vehicle heavy map at the first checkpoint but later on in the map it becomes more infantry orientated as the streets narrow down and navigating the tanks becomes more and more difficult. A great map for snipers as there is a ton of places where you can get good height advantage and concealment.

White Pass- another snowy map, this time set in a sparsely wooded town, the map is mostly an infantry fight and again I believe it's only a conquest map. Plenty of house to house fighting and vantage points for snipers. The best thing about this map is that each of the flag points is along the map in a straight line so that it focuses the fighting around control of the middle ground.

Laguna presa- a conquest only jungle map which is characterised by its 4 islands at each corner of the map, there is plenty of opportunity for tanks and infantry to get involved in heavy fighting as each flag will spawn a tank once captured. Few tips for this map don't get too spread out as it's easy for enemy too sneak past you and attack your bases from behind you. If you're playing and you notice that no one in your squad is an engineer it's probably best to change too one as this map can be easily lost if you lack the fire power to take down enemy tanks

Port Valdez- the vehicle heavy map from the demo is one of the best in the game, attackers can come from many different angles but the main point of attack for vehicles is through one chokepoint at each base leading too lots of intense fire fights and sneak attacks, plenty of areas for snipers and lots of destructible buildings for defenders too hide in.

Laguna Alta (VIP) conquest map in a rural farming area ,its a great conquest map with a lot of street to street fighting and sniping positions.

Nelson Bay (VIP)- I honestly did not have fun on this as its too difficult to assault the bases due to the attackers starting on the low ground and the defenders having a ton of weapon emplacements. The map is great for more tactical battles and requires a team working together to win the round. Tips for this map, on the first bombsite the Bomb at A can be taken out by a single engineer if you blow up the bottom of all 4 walls and let destruction 2.0 does the work for you.

There are 4 classes in the game and each is required to work together if you want to win , try them all out your may be surprised by which class you like the best.

Assault: the anti infantry class kitted out with an assault rifle is the front line fighter, if you find yourself against a tank there isn't usually much you can do however the assault can equip C4 if you select a weapon without the under slung grenade launcher (the limited edition Thompson is a great choice) don't forget to throw down ammo packs for your team as they will undoubtedly need the ammo especially the engineers.

Medic: this healbot isn't quite the push over it is in other games, armed with a light machine gun this support class can keep enemy heads down while dispensing the much needed health kits to his squad mates and if one of your buddies should fall get out the chest paddles and zap them back to life. This is my favorite class

Recon: the traditional sniper packs quite a punch from distance with his trusty rifle and also carries the c4 for use in traps and for taking down enemy armour. The sniper is great for defending the base or annoying the defenders from a distance. Advance as a sniper and you can unlock the mortar which is great when your team is attacking as you can keep the enemy distracted while you take your shots and maybe even get some kills. Don't forget you can also use your sensor mine to spot enemies near your position so make sure too use it. A great tactic when on defense is too booby-trap the bombsite with c4 and throw down a sensor mine, you can then go about sniping until you hear the beeping then just hit your c4 and boom enemy at the bomb get killed instantly.

Engineer: the engineer only gets an SMG for fighting close range but what he lacks in anti personnel firepower he makes up for with his RPG great for destroying building and the people inside and highly effective against enemy armour. The engineer can also repair vehicles and with even the support of one engineer a tank can survive an absolute barrage of enemy hits.

Overall o have had a great time on this game so far, I'm 6 hours in and I am now level 7 and I have managed to unlock a ton of the extra specializations. There are 3 types of special, general which contains extra ammo, faster speed and things of that nature. Then there are Class specific which in some way improves the class you are playing as for instance a medic can get improved range on the health packs or have health packs that heal more. The final type is vehicle specs which can do offensive boosts like extra damage or an extra mg gun for the driver and defensive such as a smoke screen or extra armour. You get to choose one of each of these so pick the ones which suit your play style and the game type, for instance if you are playing on defense a sniper spotting scope on your vehicle or sniper rifle is incredibly handy.

Don't forget to post what you think of the game, I'm really interested in how battlefield veterans and COD players feel about the multiplayer.