Nowadays, in the near-constant, almost grinding hunt for something awesome to watch – be it a movie, a trailer or what not - I usually end up finding myself revisiting old videos from yesteryear; videos that in one way or another, inspired in many different ways a variety of childhood memories and daydreams. One of these videos is the original Battlefield 1942 Intro movie, a classic that has against all odds withstood the test of time.

The Cinematic was made nearly 5 years ago, in the by-gone era when Team Fortress Classic was still relatively well-known and the Pentium IIIs were slowly starting to be retired. While CGI was hardly unheard of then, to see such quality in a game’s intro cinematic was rare – rarer still was the game ever good enough to back it up (at least, in terms of how it played). What caught the viewer most about the trailer though, was the music. The simple, constant beat and rhythm it possesses can lead most persons – even those normally unfamiliar with the series – to recognize where it’s from. I still have the soundtrack – a precious gem closely guarded in the shallow – yet murky - depths of my MP3 player.

What I hated most, however, was what DICE did to the Battlefield 2 intro. While yes, it was good, it simply wasn’t awesome the way the 1942 trailer was. When compared to the original, it simply lacks that sense of epic the original had; not to mention the spit-and-shine polish. Add to this the almost horribly alien soundtrack which bore little resemblance to its predecessor it became an abomination that belonged more in a Lovecraftian Adventure than it did on, well, the battlefield of internet gaming.

Fortunately, this was more than made up for by the intro movie that came with Battlefield 2142. Although still not CGI and nowhere near as pretty-looking as the original 1942 intro, the 2142 Intro still managed to capture the epic feeling that came with the original series. It had all the intense action plus a whole lot more, while an extended soundtrack provided an excellent backdrop to the entire thing. Add to this the sheer (and impressive) amount of co-ordination displayed in the game by the players themselves and, well, for a while it became (for me at least) the pinnacle of the Battlefield series.

Now, your probably wondering if this post is just about a few old intros that everyone already knows about, and whether there’s a point. Well, the point is that DICE and EA have pretty much pushed the boundaries once more. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I’m talking about the newest addition to the Battlefield line - Battlefield: Bad Company. One of the more recent trailers can be found here.

The newest sequel to the series, Battlefield: Bad Company is set in the near future, dropping players in the middle of a dramatic Eurasian conflict. It is currently planned for the Xbox 360 and PS3, while no PC version has been confirmed as of yet. Its main features includes 90% destructible terrain (including building and vegetation), support for upto 24 players (although as many as 50 is being hinted at), hell of a lot of improved graphics and finally what is probably the most important of all: a compelling and rather interesting Single Player experience.

The single player storyline follows the path of four AWOL soldiers; Haggard, Sarge, Marlow and Sweetwater. The story is a throwback to the movies Three Kings and Kelly’s Heroes in many ways – something which in itself brings a smile to one’s face. After all, if your going to rip off something, at least rip off something awesome enough that it sticks, right? Battlefield: Bad Company will follow the story of these soldiers as they decide the US Army isn’t paying them enough for all the trouble the war’s caused. They go AWOL and steal a truck full of Gold that was crossing the border, while there subsequent (and probably crazy) adventures will take them across all over the world, if Wikipedia is to be believed.

This represents in some ways the humorous tangent that EA has gone off to; especially if one is to view the other trailers about on the game – what with the smiley face on the grenade pin and all? The way the team interacts in the trailers is something special as well – with teammates like these, what the hell do you need the other side for?! Combine this with the destructible terrain, buildings and the traditionally joyous fun that comes with most Battlefield multiplayer and you’ve got a game that may just land up in the right combination of win and awesome.

Whether that is actually achieved or not, however, is something that remains to be seen. Even with EA’s track record of botching stuff up, though, there’s still hope for this game yet. After all, botching up random sequels is one thing – botching up a good concept like is something I’d reserve for some…other publisher companies. Here’s to hopin’ that EA isn’t one of ‘those’ companies!

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By N2H

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