Tag Archives: Battlefield Bad Company 2

Frostbite 2.0 is a Hell of an Engine

Written by on
frostbite2

There are a few things about the handling of Battlefield 3 that are troubling – Origin exclusivity and the Online Pass come to mind – but DICE can’t be faulted for their new engine, which looks to be as cutting edge as edges get. The Swedish developer’s general manager Karl Magnus spoke at the Eurogamer Expo this week about what Frostbite 2.0 will deliver.

Magnus admitted that the company’s obsessed with visuals, but they don’t want to settle on being able to produce an amazingly detailed frame for a screenshot – they want to have depict the most realistic animation possible. They felt the animation in Battlefield: Bad Company 2 wasn’t up to scratch, so they searched for the best animation engine they could find.

“We were surprised and happy to discover that it was in the EA Sports games.

“So we worked with the sports team, we worked with a group within EA called EA Tech, and we implemented the ANT animation system into Frostbite 2 – we’re the first FPS to be using this animation technology, and for us, it’s a big, big difference; how the soldiers move, how they go into cover, how they look under suppressing fire …

Read More from Frostbite 2.0 is a Hell of an Engine

My Game of (last) Year: Dragon Age Origins

Written by on

[I realize this came out last year, but this is the game that dominated my gaming experience in 2010]

Awarding something ‘Game of the Year’ can be done under a number of different criteria, but one that works for me is this: “what game really drew me in, and had me spending hour after hour with it?” That game, despite some very real flaws, was BioWare’s Dragon Age: Origins.

For me, what really sold the game was the character Morrighan. From an artistic perspective, BioWare did a good job of developing a character with some sex appeal that wasn’t overtly sexy. Courting her meant being judicious about helping that defenseless villager, but she is not a character I would describe as evil–let alone a ‘bad’ girl.

In fact, despite all her idiosyncrasies, her behavior is actually quite logical based on her upbringing. Learning the truth about her ‘mother’ Flemeth, exacting revenge, and earning her final amorous approval is something I enjoyed quite a bit. I’m not sure how I would have reacted to the ‘God baby’ endgame without having courted her first, but that’s a twist I certainly didn’t see coming.

Add this defining character into a world that feels lived in. Sure, Orlais …

Read More from My Game of (last) Year: Dragon Age Origins

Bad Co 2: Vietnam's Achievement List

Written by on

The Battlefield blog has released a list detailing most of the achievements, reproduced below, which are contained in the upcoming expansion to Bad Company 2. Of particular note are ‘would you kindly STFU’ and ‘balls of fire,’ definitely. Note that there is one achievement missing here, since there’s a secret achievement. Wonder what it’ll be?

Achievement List

Can I Go Home Now?
Bronze/15G

Achieve a team victory on all Vietnam levels

Every Gun has a Silver Lining
Bronze/35G

Get silver stars on all primary Vietnam weapons
(Veteran weapons not included)

Ecstasy of Gold

Bronze/50G

Get gold stars on all primary Vietnam weapons
(Veteran weapons not included)

Doing the Rounds

Bronze/15G

Get a kill with all Vietnam vehicles

Read More from Bad Co 2: Vietnam's Achievement List

Why Are There No New Maps Or Content For The BFBC2 VIP Program?

Written by on

Though the buy-new incentive ‘Project Ten Dollar’ was implemented for Bad Co 2, Battlefield fans everywhere claim that the VIP program has presented little value for their money. Instead of getting any new content, the program has taken to re-releasing established maps in different modes–and even simple costume changes, which end up being slight recolors of established models, or the only new mode, Onslaught, have cost Battlefield players money. This has set precedent to the feeling that if Battlefield players want to experience new content, they’re going to have to fork over cash to do it. So, what gives? Well, the Battlefield Community manager had the following to say on the subject:

How come you are releasing map packs and not “new” maps?

“The idea of the VIP program was to make sure that we had a continuous flow of content to our players, to keep the Battlefield updated with new places to fight in. We also wanted to make sure these were free of charge to the people with VIP codes. The remixed maps has worked great for this but we clearly also hear the community request for new maps. Naturally these are much …

Read More from Why Are There No New Maps Or Content For The BFBC2 VIP Program?

Monday Night Combat Developer Walkthrough 2: Support Class

Written by on

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ktsVSqotm5o&feature=youtu.be]

After watching this video, it’s looking like I’ll be running support class myself. The previously previewed tank class just doesn’t look as exciting or as complex as the support class. And just what type of class is the support? “A healer and a tech combined together with a Heal/Hurt Gun for a primary weapon and a deadly close range shotgun for a secondary. His four upgradable skills include Hack, Firebase, Air Strike and a passive Support skill,” says Uber Entertainment.

Here, we can watch each of these skills in action. In most games, the support classes do not have enough exciting UMPH because it would throw the balance of the classes off. In Bad Company 2, your medic cannot do anything about tanks, for example. Here we see that the medic is just as viable as anyone else in terms of big firepower and taking out heavy units. You have a variety of tools to do so, too: put up a turret, call in an airstrike, or just shotty it.

Want to know the details about some of the abilities and skills?

“Hack allows Support to enhance any built turrets as well as turn an enemy turret …

Read More from Monday Night Combat Developer Walkthrough 2: Support Class

Battlefield Bad Company 2 Mythbusters

Written by on

Two videos here for you, which put various myths about Battlefield Bad Company 2 to the test. Of particular interest to me was that you can destroy a stationary shield with your repair tool, and that you cannot kill someone with your ATV unless you go over them with the wheels. I can’t count the number of times I’ve run over someone, but they didn’t die: and now I know why. Other myths, like whether or not you can kill someone through the glass of a stationary shield, are also debunked…definitely interesting stuff, though only a couple of things are practical in actual use. The fact that you can snipe someone with that shotty without slugs is downright insane, even though I can’t ever see myself using it that way.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GSXt6tka8YM&feature=player_embedded]

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NpzPtYrdVw&feature=player_embedded]

Read More from Battlefield Bad Company 2 Mythbusters

Map Pack 4 Officially Out, Atacama Rush, Port Valdez Conquest

Written by on

Rumor mongers no more! Turns out that our scoop on the leaked map pack releases is right so far, since today the Battlefield Blog revealed that map pack 4 includes Atacama Desert on Rush, and Port Valdez on conquest. If you are in the VIP club, you can download the map pack for free, barring that your hard-drive has space, of course. Just to get you pumped, here’s a trailer for the map pack, which you can watch while you download.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W46HOka4Tu8&feature=player_embedded#!]

Read More from Map Pack 4 Officially Out, Atacama Rush, Port Valdez Conquest

Rumor Monger: New Map Packs for Battlefield Bad Company 2 Revealed, Pictures?

Written by on

The EA forums are bustling with the leak of what may be DICE’s upcoming VIP Map Packs–since, as you may have noticed, there are still a couple of DLC packs denoted on the Battlefield Store. The alledged release(s) will include:

Conquest on Port Valdez
Conquest on Nelson Bay, during the day
Rush on Atacama Desert
Rush on White Pass

There are a variety of pictures to accompany this rumor, which you can find here. Now, we don’t quite know if this is legit or not. Those pictures could have been shopped, right? But, does it really seem that outlandish? I think it’s clear, with the upcoming release of both Medal of Honor and Battlefield Bad Company 2: Vietnam, that DICE is probably not spending any time trying to make original maps for us. And if there’s still a couple of DLC packs to be released for the VIP club…there’s a very high chance that we might see at least a few of these, if not all.

More on this as information surfaces.

Read More from Rumor Monger: New Map Packs for Battlefield Bad Company 2 Revealed, Pictures?

Will Gears of War 3 Insult You For Sucking?

Written by on

CliffyB posted a link on his Twitter to this picture, joking that “Gears 3 is being mean to me.”

Is that some sort of ranking? Or is it like Battlefield Bad Company 2, where you get this screen for killing yourself:

Either way, I feel that this screen can only be appropriate whenever a chainsaw kill happens. Of course, since the chainsaw bayonet is CliffyB’s baby, not only will this never happen, but the BS that is the chainsaw will also never disappear.

Read More from Will Gears of War 3 Insult You For Sucking?

  • Archives