Battlefield: Bad Company

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Military shooter with strong visuals, multiplayer.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Kids say

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this is the latest in the series of Battlefield military shooters. Since you're in the midst of a futuristic war, players will encounter plenty of violence. You kill enemies using guns, grenades, rocket launchers, tanks, air strikes, and a host of other weapons. The game doesn't show graphic images, nor is blood visible. Expect to hear quite a bit of cursing, which could grow worse if you play online.

  • Group starts out fighting war against Russia, but decides to desert the Army in search of gold.
  • Players take down enemies with assault rifles, shotguns, grenade launchers, RPGs, mortar strikes, and a host of other weapons. Deaths are not graphic, nor do they contain blood, but they are constant.
  • Not applicable.

What's it about?

Unlike most military shooters where you are cast into the role of an elite soldier, in BATTLEFIELD: BAD COMPANY you're part of a squad of army rejects battling in a futuristic campaign against Russia. As your character, Preston Marlowe, and his crew of misfits uncover stashes of gold hidden throughout the region, you decide to turn AWOL to try and get rich.

New to the Battlefield franchise is the ability to decimate buildings and other elements of the environment. Instead of chasing an enemy hiding in a building, you can blow a hole in the side and negate his cover. Visually, the destruction looks very impressive. Chunks of walls fly after receiving a shot from a grenade launcher. Trees tumble as you mow through landscapes in tanks. The arsenal in Bad Company allows for great flexibility in how you kill foes and demolish landscapes. Besides a broad range of guns, players can use tanks, helicopters, air strikes, rocket launchers, and grenades, to name a few.


Is it any good?

 

The game's single-player campaign is solid but not as compelling as other top-notch military titles. Part of the problem is the artificial intelligence. Your teammates offer little help, forcing you to do almost all the work. Enemies, meanwhile, are wildly inconsistent. Sometimes, they deploy effective tactics like flanking. Other times, they prefer to hide and let you hunt them down. The penalty for dying is also rather low, thanks to an injector soldiers carry that offers unlimited health boosts. Fortunately, the game redeems itself with an strong multiplayer mode that allows for up to 24 players.


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What families can talk about

Families can talk about military games. How close do you think these games mirror real-life warfare? Does the lack of blood or graphic imagery make the violence easier to watch?


This review was written by Brett Molina
Teen, 17 years old
December 23, 2010
 
dont let them play online
this is ok for a ten year old becuz there is no blood an there is a problem if ur kids play online ppl say bad wors like f__K

Flag as inappropriate 
Teen, 15 years old
December 18, 2010
 
on for anyone mature enough to handle the violence of a low budget PG-13 mpvie
Okay there is no blood whatsoever. language isn't anything different than from what you hear in life HILARIOUS storyline great game

Flag as inappropriate 
Teen, 17 years old
June 21, 2010
 
I really love this game..theres no blood and its awesome.....the bad message is all the heros are doing is trying to get rich.....there is some language like the GD word the S word and the D word....but theres worse in online play.

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Parent
August 17, 2010
 

Flag as inappropriate 
Kid, 12 years old
June 2, 2010
 
love the game but it does have some bad words like s**t, b*****d, and d*mn. but great game.

Flag as inappropriate 
Teen, 15 years old
July 4, 2010
 
Mild FPS
I think this is a mild FPS that your kids should be able to play. They do use some cuss words. And the soldiers abandon the army for a search for riches. On top of that, 3/4 of the main characters (including you) used to be criminals. But this is not nearly as bad as other shooter games like it. No blood is seen. And you kill people strategically, instead of just going on a killing spree. And while your character is ONCE AGAIN a super-soldier that can stay alive though most combat, dying is easier than Master Chief in Halo or anyone else like that. I love the Battlefield series, and this continues in excellence.

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Teen, 15 years old
December 6, 2010
 
Great First Person Shooter good for 11+ of age
Very good game. Mild language but nothing they havent heard before. This would be a very good for children who are new to the first person shooter genere because of its easy controls. There is no blood, however you can hear screams of pain when people die, and a sound when you attack an enemy eith a knife. The online play is very good, and pretty clean. I play it all the time and have hardly ever heard players talk while playing. If the language that your children might hear online is your concern, do not fear. Over all this would be a great game for an 11+ child.

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Teen, 15 years old
July 8, 2010
 
Language is a big issue
This game is really great and funny. The violence isn't too badd (no blood or gore) but the language is constant. No F bombs but a ton of S words a words and D words. Great game

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Kid, 10 years old
May 8, 2011
 
cool

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Kid, 13 years old
July 11, 2010
 
1 of my favorites
well the language is annoying but the game is really fun the controls r ok but the game is fine for atleast 12 and up

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This review was written by Brett Molina
Platforms:Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
Available online?Available online
Genre:First Person Shooter
Developer:Electronic Arts
Release date:June 24, 2008
Price:$59.99
ESRB rating:T for Teen

This review was written by Brett Molina

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.

 

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