I’m finding my self having trouble quantifying the intense experience that is Battlefield Bad Company 2. The destructibility is far from a gimmick in this game. While other games before it have attempted to provide this level of destruction they’ve done it in a very over the top blatant way as to bring the destruction in to the fore ground. Battlefield Bad Company 2 makes it epic, no doubt, but does it in such a believable way so as to make it fade in to the background, as a set piece to the frantic, adrenaline inducing experience that is a Battlefield game. I’ve died a million times over in video games but nothing compares to seeing the shrapnel from the wall fly across the screen as it knocks your character sideways in a manner straight out of a war movie.

I could probably go on for pages about the physics and how it helps the experience but there are a few other points of note regarding the difference in PC and Xbox versions. The PC version despite having a release on Xbox 360 is not a “Games for Windows Live” game. While this is initially a good thing, in my opinion, it is also an EA game. Some how DICE has managed to get EA to keep its fingers mostly out of its business. This keeps your interface good and clean with no overlays and only a brief login to the EA system. On the one hand EA and the PC version of the game provide a medals system and the Xbox 360 version provides the requisite achievements and what appears to be a ‘coming’ slew of awards. The Xbox system also seems to have a ‘store’ function where it’ll cost you Microsoft Points to hook up the maps, awards and new achievements along with new uniforms and possibly new gear. It appears there is no real clear winner in which version is more enticing. The Xbox 360 version definitely has that capitalistic Xbox sort of bent to it and the list of achievements recognizable by people beyond the game is kind of nice but the PC version looks better as gives the real pure experience.

If you’re on an Xbox 360 you absolutely have to give the squad rush demo a go. I’m not sure the state of a demo for the PC but if you can get some time on a friends PC most certainly take the opportunity and savor it. It’s a superb experience that can’t be beat.