You’re then plonked into Alaska to join Preston Marlowe and the rest of Bad Company as they launch an assault on the Russian army residing there. Again, there’s no explanation as to how they ended up back in this mess, so fans of the first game are going to have to mind-wipe themselves for this adventure.







Above: Bad Company take a well earned break next to a downed satellite. Toasty

The immediate change you’ll notice in Bad Company 2's single-player is the intensity of battles, which – for our money – jars the flow of the game too much. Compared to the original you feel restricted in the tiny rundown streets or river beds, and it didn't feel like we could map out flanking positions like before as now you're funnelled headlong into the flying bullets. This would be fine if the game was a little more forgiving, but the over officious AI can often make you feel like the proverbial fish in a barrel, soaking up shrapnel like Murphy before he becomes Robocop.

Previously, a quick sprint and cower in cover would be enough to patch yourself up and come out swinging, but if one bullet catches you, then so will the rest of the clip as you're peppered from all angles. The most telling example of this chagrin we experienced comes at a checkpoint during a mission on the Chilean coastline.

After riding into a shanty town with your crew in a buggy, the vehicle is blown to bits in a set-piece. You’re then supposed to break to cover as sniper shots ring around your head, but unless you’re already moving away from the crash with the left stick you’re nailed with bullets immediately.







Above:The scene of so many a death



Astonishingly, your invincible team-mates always come out unscathed, with you taking the role of Mr Bullet Magnet. Cue: Mega-swears and some sad faces from our office neighbours. The hyperreal accuracy of your enemy might not exactly be game-breaking, but at points it's damn frustrating.



Not helping matters, cover is now more fragile than ever as DICE turns up its destruction to ‘11’ using their trailblazing Frostbite engine. You can still use this to your advantage, knocking ad-hoc escape routes through the walls of buildings by blasting them with grenades or C4, but on the flipside the foundations of these structures are more likely to come crashing down on top of you at inopportune moments - like so…



