Parents' Guide to Battlefield: Bad Company

Game Xbox 360 , PlayStation 3 2008
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Common Sense Media Review

Brett Molina By Brett Molina , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 14+

Military shooter with strong visuals, multiplayer.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 14+?

Any Positive Content?

Parent and Kid Reviews

age 11+

Based on 20 parent reviews

age 11+

Based on 67 kid reviews

Kids say this game is generally suitable for younger audiences due to its lack of blood and gore, offering a more light-hearted approach to warfare compared with its modern counterparts. However, many reviewers warn about the frequent use of mild profanity, suggesting it may not be ideal for all children, especially those sensitive to strong language, despite the overall fun and enjoyable gameplay it provides.

  • light-hearted approach
  • no blood
  • frequent mild profanity
  • suitable for younger audiences
  • fun gameplay
  • good graphics
Summarized with AI

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?

Our review:
Parents say ( 20 ):
Kids say ( 67 ):

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.

Talk to Your Kids 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?

Game Details

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