I'm new to the Battlefield series, but this game has certainly won me over. The game excels on every level: graphically, audio, in terms of gameplay and control, and overall presentation.
The campaign features a series of 12 levels played as Bad Company and one tutorial level played as a squad during World War II. The whole story weaves together beautifully and there's enough suspense and plot twists to keep even a die-hard 24 fan happy! The 'Normal' setting is a fair standard for a beginner, there are plenty of checkpoints and a good number of challenging firefights. However, this mode allows for less tactical play. The 'Hard' campaign is an enjoyable and rarely frustrating challenge, this mode requires the player to think tactically, to plan and to take into consideration cover and environmental hazards. It would be very difficult to simply storm through the whole game on hard difficulty.
The cover system is a particular highlight: most of the environments in the game are destructible at least to some degree. This provides a genuinely satisfying and innovative take on contemporary warfare games. The graphics in the campaign are also beautiful and cover a lot of different locations. Once the campaign is completed, there is plenty of scope for playing it again to locate the M-Com stations and any weapons that may have been missed along the way.
The multiplayer is also an excellent experience; the locations feel like real 'battlefields', particularly due to the inclusion of vehicles accessible to any player. The multiplayer maps also continue from the campaign story, which is a clever touch. The 'tagging' system, which allows players to point out enemy targets to other members of their team is a great creation, as is the spawning system, which limits the amount of times a particular team may spawn before reaching their objective. Furthermore, the player may choose to join a squad, allowing them to spawn beside other members of their squad when shot, rather than always starting again from the bases (the maps are huge).
The graphics in the multiplayer are not quite as polished as in the campaign, but the game still looks and performs to a very high standard. There are also map packs and a large collection of other extras, which can enhance the gameplay.
Overall I would rate this game slightly shy of 5/5, the lack of local multiplayer is slightly disappointing, as this is a game that I'd really like to share with friends. But the online multiplayer is great fun and there is certainly enough in this game to keep the player coming back for more.
Overall, a fantastic game, well worth the money, especially at the discount price that you can pick it up for on Amazon.