Zero Punctuation: Battlefield: Bad Company 2

[F8L Fool]

While I think Yahtzee's great, I really had to make an account to respond to this one. This review was a big waste for me. I don't have a problem with the fact that Yahtzee refuses to review a game's multiplayer aspect, but then why even bother to review games where the singleplayer is an afterthought and 90% of the playerbase bought it for the multiplayer. Frankly I was surprised this game had any single player at all as the last BF game I played (2142) had no single player campaign at all. The only reason I even played the campaign at all was to get acquainted with the game before throwing myself into multiplayer (not to mention the servers were a mess on opening day). I was so disinterested in a BF singleplayer component that I skipped through every cutscene and I NEVER do that.

Another thing that's annoying me is the "this is just a MW2 ripoff, although I haven't played the multiplayer or even the game itself, so really I have no clue" mentality. If you played the multiplayer at all you'd see how vastly different the game is. If you want to criticize certain aspects of the game, be my guest, but at least be informed about it.

I too made an account after many months of coming to this site, just to reply to this video. I've been watching Zero Punctuation reviews for the past six months. It's nice when he gets things right, because I love it when reviewers actually call games out for their flaws. But it's gotten to the point where he seems to be exaggerating for dramatic effect, or blatantly making things up just to find some stuff to complain about.

I strongly feel that if he's going to review games that are successful because of multiplayer *cough*99.5% of the shooter and fighter genre*cough*, he should play them for just that: the multiplayer. If he's so opposed to it that he can't stomach playing the multiplayer than well, he shouldn't review the game at all, rather than posting an inaccurate review.

This guy calls himself a reviewer and only plays the single player part of what is known to be a MULTIPLAYER ONLINE GAME. Epic fail Yahtzee.

It feels good not being alone in this sentiment.

If he is so hateful to multiplayer then he should stop buying multiplayer games, I know he said that every game SHOULD stand on its own with the single player but that doesn't necessarily mean they WOULD do that.

Bingo. RPG, Adventure, Action is for SP. Shooter, Fighter, Sports is for MP.

 

[darth jacen]

For some reason I feel he was much funnier before and has started to decline in quality, granted the Heavy rain review gave me hope, but I think he may just be spread a little thin with his work with the Mana Bar and this. Or it could just be me...

 

[addeB]

"depth"? A very few multiplayer modes have a story, and with out a story, a game doesn't add depth to the game for me. For me multiplayer is just a little bonus that i can use if i get bored.

See for me I don't purchase a game unless it has stellar multiplayer. The reason being that a game without it just lacks the replayability that I am looking for. The gameplay is what matters most to me in a shooter, sports, and fighter. I play RPG's and Adventure games for story first, and gameplay mechanics second. I play MMO's for gameplay and social aspects, and not the story in any way. I could give a damn what the lore behind a dungeon I'm exploring has, or a boss I'm killing.

If a game doesn't have multiplayer it must have at least 80-100 hours of single player content for me to even think of purchasing it. Because frankly 80-100 hours is nothing compared to the 500+ hours I could easily invest in an amazing shooter.

The reason that shooters sell so well is because of the multiplayer experience, and not the story. It's not a coincidence that MW2 sold so damn well. It's not because it had some unbelievable single player campaign. It's because dozens of millions of people are addicts for the MP, just like they are for Halo, Gears of War, Counter Strike, Unreal, Quake, and all those other shooters that are MULTIPLAYER DRIVEN GAMES.

If the aforementioned games didn't have MP, guaranteed they wouldn't have sold even half as well. Maybe not even a quarter as well.

Good point, but i bought Halo and Gears of war for the story in first hand and the multiplayer for some boring day when i have nothing else to play. If I am going to buy a game it got to have a awesome single player experience. I only play games like Counter strike on LANs when i have got tired of all other games or when every one else is playing (Cause then it can be a hell lot of fun)

 

[bawkbawkboo1]

Battlefront (the first one) had that loading screen thing as well where it zooms in progressively more to the next location. I remember playing that game on the PS2 with friends. Even though it had glitches out the ass it was still decently fun to play. Anyway Modern Warfare 2 was not the source of that.

 

[Etek]

well I liked it, but he didn't really say if he liked it he just went on about the lack of sighting ability. He's already established that he doesn't play online mode, and that might be a good thing. People online are USUALLY jerks (including me).

Guess you don't play on PC. It's the exact opposite, FEW people online are jerks and served with an instant kick the moment they start talking trash.

 

[Wolfinton]

No mention of multiplayer? The main focus of the game?

I mean, they only added singeplayers to the Bad Company series for a shiney ribbon on it. Every other Battlefield game has no single player.

Plus, this has been in production since before MW2 so you really cannot call it is MW2 rip off. All shooters are basically rip offs of each other anyway.

 

[Not G. Ivingname]

To all those saying that Yahtzee should of reviewed the multiplayer, he has given the reason that he doesn't many, many, many, MANY, times (he even listed the reasons for you with his MW2 Extra Punctuation). Complaints such as this has not worked when he only reviewed the single-player in MW, MW2, or Halo 3, so why did you think your complaining will change anything now? If a game is suppose to be all about the multiplayer, then why even bother making a single player game?

For sake of argument that the multiplayer of BFBC2 is a grilled cheese and the single player is a pile of cow dung. Would you eat the grilled cheese if the cow present is on the same plate? The grilled cheese in theory would be just as good if it was not touching. But you wouldn't because the smell and sight is just going to make you gag. Serve the Grilled Cheese by it self if you must, or give us another kind of sandwich instead of the cow dung to please people of different tastes, but don't give us a pile of %$#& and let it get away with it.

 

[carelesshx]

Derp de derp herp multiplayer derp. I enjoyed the multiplayer demo, and I'd heard the story was pretty weak. If you want a FPS not made out of a grey and brown colour palette, Duke Nukem just hit the XBL Marketplace, and you can always go and play Serious Sam again.

I guess you didn't notice the jungle maps, or the pacific island maps, or the snowy mountain/forest maps when you played then? BC2 has its fair share of dusty hellholes, but to say the entire game is brown and grey is just plain untrue.

 

[carelesshx]

For sake of argument that the multiplayer of BFBC2 is a grilled cheese and the single player is a pile of cow dung. Would you eat the grilled cheese if the cow present is on the same plate? The grilled cheese in theory would be just as good if it was not touching. But you wouldn't because the smell and sight is just going to make you gag. Serve the Grilled Cheese by it self if you must, or give us another kind of sandwich instead of the cow dung to please people of different tastes, but don't give us a pile of %$#& and let it get away with it.

Interesting analogy. I'd say that BC2 is probably more like a bacon cheeseburger, with the multiplayer being the cheeseburger and the singleplayer being the bacon. Now, I don't like bacon, but I acknowledge that for most people, bacon is a lovely addition to a perfectly good cheeseburger. I can happily order a bacon cheeseburger without the bacon and still have a satisfying meal, but if I ordered a bacon cheeseburger without the cheeseburger, I would probably feel a bit let down. A couple of slices of bacon on a plate, while nice, does not constitute a meal. It would be foolish to write a review of a restaurant that said 'I ordered a bacon cheeseburger without the cheeseburger and all I got was a slice of bacon, that restaurant was rubbish'.

Or something. You get the idea.

 

[MattyDienhoff]

My response to "realistic" (non-stealth) shooters:

1. Games aren't really supposed to be realistic. IT'S WHY YOU'RE PLAYING A GAME.

There is a difference between "realistic" and "real", you know. Any game with a real-world setting has to be realistic to some extent.

2. Having incredibly low health in a non-stealth game that is supposedly all about multiplayer just encourages too much cheap tactics and people working their level best to find game breakers, of which there are usually many, becausethedevelopersdon'tcareaboutbalanceImeandoubleshotguns,really-(long, increasingly unhinged tirade)

I agree, there's a reason you don't see a whole lot of multiplayer-focused tactical shooters, it's damn hard to pit human players against each other in a hyper-realistic FPS without making it incredibly frustrating to play. It can work (Red Orchestra: Ostfront, Insurgency) but even the best examples such games will always be niche due to their steep difficulty curves.

I just wish people would stop calling pseudo-realistic games like BF:BC2 and MW2 "realistic" as if they're simulators or something. Those games don't make an honest effort to be realistic in anything but looks.

As far as "realism vs. fun" goes, I don't have a strong opinion one way or the other. What level of realism is appropriate for the game experience depends strongly on the kind of game in question. Most of the mainstream FPS games on the market nowadays (like MW2) are strictly on-the-fence in realism terms, they're anything but simulators, but they're not meant to be.

 

[Not G. Ivingname]

For sake of argument that the multiplayer of BFBC2 is a grilled cheese and the single player is a pile of cow dung. Would you eat the grilled cheese if the cow present is on the same plate? The grilled cheese in theory would be just as good if it was not touching. But you wouldn't because the smell and sight is just going to make you gag. Serve the Grilled Cheese by it self if you must, or give us another kind of sandwich instead of the cow dung to please people of different tastes, but don't give us a pile of %$#& and let it get away with it.

Interesting analogy. I'd say that BC2 is probably more like a bacon cheeseburger, with the multiplayer being the cheeseburger and the singleplayer being the bacon. Now, I don't like bacon, but I acknowledge that for most people, bacon is a lovely addition to a perfectly good cheeseburger. I can happily order a bacon cheeseburger without the bacon and still have a satisfying meal, but if I ordered a bacon cheeseburger without the cheeseburger, I would probably feel a bit let down. A couple of slices of bacon on a plate, while nice, does not constitute a meal. It would be foolish to write a review of a restaurant that said 'I ordered a bacon cheeseburger without the cheeseburger and all I got was a slice of bacon, that restaurant was rubbish'.

Or something. You get the idea.

I honestly can't tell if your agreeing with me or not.

 

[Sentient6]

Wow, Yahtzee REALLY hates this one. Well, I suppose that's what happens when you only play the Single player of a Multiplayer-centric game. So technically - he's not wrong. The Single player does suck. Except no one gives a flying fuck, because they're too busy playing online...
PS DUST!!!

 

[SNIPERFOX ft. Harry P.Ness]

the part i most agree with is russians r evil. seriously, the russians are just normal people. in games america is a ultr awsome hero team while russian is evil for some unexplained reason

Of course, they are. So are the arabs and the chinese.
Don't worry, the Russians are always villians just because someone has to be one.

personally, im russian myself, but i prefer americans to be evil. cos thier stockipiling lotsa nukes.

 

[JourneyThroughHell]

the part i most agree with is russians r evil. seriously, the russians are just normal people. in games america is a ultr awsome hero team while russian is evil for some unexplained reason

Of course, they are. So are the arabs and the chinese.
Don't worry, the Russians are always villians just because someone has to be one.

personally, im russian myself, but i prefer americans to be evil. cos thier stockipiling lotsa nukes.

How can the Americans be evil in a game developed in America?
That would be rather weird.
As far as I remember, in most Russian games the good guys are Russian.

 

[seamusotorain]

Derp de derp herp multiplayer derp. I enjoyed the multiplayer demo, and I'd heard the story was pretty weak. If you want a FPS not made out of a grey and brown colour palette, Duke Nukem just hit the XBL Marketplace, and you can always go and play Serious Sam again.

I guess you didn't notice the jungle maps, or the pacific island maps, or the snowy mountain/forest maps when you played then? BC2 has its fair share of dusty hellholes, but to say the entire game is brown and grey is just plain untrue.

The demo is set in a snowy location. I was using a stereotype of the modern FPS - that they often use a rather muted colour palette - for effect. It was such an enjoyable effect that I almost orgasmed upon finishing it.

You don't need to defend the game, I enjoyed the multiplayer.

 

[Klepa]

Bah, was hoping for something different. The whole thing sort of loses it's edge, when you know that he's not going to talk about the multiplayer. I agree with a few points though. That google maps loading screen was a cop out, especially when both CoD4, and MW2, did it better.

 

[loser6]

You know, when I fisrt started watching zero punctuation I thought it was funny and that the reviews made some sense. This review, however, is retarded. BC2 is a multiplayer game. To even start to review it based on the single player is just retarded. The single player is a complete joke compared to multiplayer. Did zero punctiation pirate the game or something (so only single player would work)? If you are going to review a game with mulitplayer at least mention the multuplayer mode. If you are going to review a battlefield game based on single player, promptly pull your face out of your ass.

And BC2 is not all that realilistic. Same great formula, same great gameplay.

ZP pull ur head out of ur ass please. You used to be funny but now ur getting sad.

 

[MultiColouredWonder]

FINALLY! Someone understands how friggin' annoying dust is!
DUST!

 

[Chameliondude]

Quite funny, he said he preferred games when they had health packs, hello online!!!!! seriously play it, its epicycloidily better than the story, and in my opinion, better than cod, feels balanced and spawning works, can choose map and omfg vehicles. also dedicated servers for those of us with internet deficiency.

Oh and get this, people actually play as a team, rather than just lying down camping the objective, literally cant get enough of it.

 

[hi0marc]

This is usually where the major fan of the series pops up with why Yahtzee was wrong. I am a pretty eager fan of the DICE logo but agree with the whole genre poking he does, although i still think the game is class. The whole russia thing is odd, as DICE are swedish and i only thought it was the american developers hating russia, while the swedes would make a game where we kill, erm... Danes. The cover is practically of flat-pack quality anyway in BC2 so we're nearly there