Battlefield: Bad Company (Xbox 360, 2008)

This is a solid first person shooter. Whether you plan to only play offline or online you will have a lot of fun.
The graphics looks great, the controls are very easy to grasp.
The sounds are also very well done, whether it's bullets whizzing past, or a tank riding nearby, they paid attention to the details very good.
While playing, most everything in the environment is destroyable, which adds a lot of fun into the game. There is a vast assortment of weapons, many different vehicles including a helicopter.
For the multiplayer-
You can't be in a match already and invite your friends to the game, or else they could be put in a different squad, or on the other team. You have to be at the main screen to form your own squad.
The games comes with only one online mode of gold rush, but there is a FREE download for both another game mode, Territory (Capture the flag), as well as a FREE map pack download with a few more maps.
The maps on the game are very large, so there is a lot of room to move around.
When talking through the headset you will only be talking to those in your own squad. Though from my experience, not many people talk on the game anyways.
You rank up through the levels, and as you do you are given unlocks, to get get different guns or accessories of your choice. You can also find codes online, that were given out to get yourself a few more guns.

This game is not called Call of Duty, so don't compare it to it. That series was designed purely for online play which is why the options are much more vast on that game.

This is a very fun game in itself, that has a humorous single player while, and a very fun multiplayer. Generally the game is around 20-30 dollars and is a steal of a game for how much enjoyment you will have.

This is a fantastic first person shooter.
Pros:
- Everything can be destroyed. The ability to destroy the scenery to the way you play is an excellent addition to the first person shooter genre.
- The game play is easy to use and pick up. Within ten minutes I had a grasp of the controls and felt comfortable playing.
- The game play is fanatic. There is never a low in action during the multiplayer. The single player is also a blast to play.
- The graphics are great. It is fun to see tank bullets blast past your person and all the vivid explosions and scenery.
- The sound on this game is unlike any other game out now.
- The levels are very large and allow a lot of room to move.

Cons:
- If you invite a friend to play with you your friend and you may be on different teams.
- Talking via the headset is limited to your squad of four and not everyone on your team.
- Every once in a while you will get into a game and your characters movements are funny / choppy. You can get rid of this by exiting to the main menu and joining the multiplayer again. I am sure there will be a patch for this.

The Demo gives a great feel for this game as well.

There is no shortage of online destinations for those who enjoy first-person gun-wielding combat, but no matter how many opportunities you get to shoot another player in the face, there is always room for one more. Especially when that one more is as exciting and intense as Battlefield: Bad Company 2. The online multiplayer in this modern military shooter is a standout, featuring huge maps, incredible destructibility, powerful vehicles, and excellent sound design. These elements combine to foster the sense that you are fighting on an actual battlefield, making many other online shooters seem more like combat arenas than believable war zones. Multiplayer battles are invigorating and addictive, but they aren't all that Bad Company 2 has to offer. The sizable campaign takes you to beautiful and exotic locations where you'll be sorely tempted to take a break from shooting bad guys and blowing things up to admire the scenery. Fans of cooperative campaign play may miss the opportunity to play with a friend, but your hilarious and endearing squadmates more than make up for it, giving the campaign a rich sense of character not often found in the genre. The result is a very entertaining adventure that, coupled with the excellent multiplayer and top-notch technical presentation, makes Battlefield: Bad Company 2 something special in the world of shooters. The beginning of Bad Company's second tour finds Sarge, Marlowe, Sweetwater, and Haggard stationed in a wintery valley, supposedly serving out Sarge's last tour of duty. Lofty mountains loom high against the bright blue sky as you sneak your way between snow-laden trees and out across a frozen river. As you infiltrate a small village, the snow muffles the sound of your footfalls, and when a firefight breaks out, your ears ring from the concussion of nearby explosives. One daring escape later, you're dropped into the Bolivian jungle, where mosquitoes whine in your ear as you walk in the dappled light of the jungle floor. Gunfire doesn't echo very far in the forest, but beneath the corrugated tin roof of a logging outpost, each bullet is a cacophony unto itself. This vivid, engaging world is a testament to Bad Company 2's remarkable technical presentation. The stunning landscapes are matched by the diverse, intriguing terrain in both rural and urban environments. The excellent sound design further enriches your sense of place, and each gunshot, footstep, and exclamation fuels your battlefield awareness and informs your tactical decisions. Though there are some blurry textures, occasional screen tearing, and awkward moments caused by the pervasive environmental destructibility, these are mere blemishes on the ambitious look and immersive sound of Bad Company 2.

Of course, just because the scenery is great doesn't stop you from wanting to blow it up. Trees, barricades, vehicles, buildings, and bridges all splinter and break apart when exposed to gunfire or explosives. Not only is it immensely fun to destroy things, but it's crucial to your survival and success. Say there's a sniper perched in a tower covering your approach. You can try to pick him off without exposing yourself, or you can bust out your underbarrel grenade launcher and blow the platform to smithereens. The explosion showers debris in a realistic and satisfying way, and the sniper is taken care of.

This game with its new aproach on online and singleplayer gaming will probably be a signal flare for other games to start kicking it up a notch on interactive surroundings. With it's rated "T" for teens, it expands the horizon of players to the younger and more demanding populace. With its new inovative Frostbite game engine, you can warp your a friendly neighborhood into a alive deconstruction zone. Although some Singleplayer campaign levels may seem a little painstaking, online play isn't fixed to who rushes who. With a plethora of vehicles and weapons at your disposal, tactics seem to be the new generation of gaming instead of the ol' bum rush Halo style.

This game has some of the most addicting multiplayer action since Halo 3,Call of Duty 4, and Gears of War. The gameplay is as realistic as they come (more so than even CoD4...trust me on that),as you are faced with many beautifully detailed maps that are absolutely gigantic. Everything is destructible...and everything is drivable...making for an intense multiplayer experience that any avid first person shooter fan should pick up. There is also a quite enjoyable single player campaign that even further shows off the games huge levels and beautiful graphics...and also introduces you to some really funny squad members that keep you laughing as you go AWAL to collect millions in mercenary gold. Great game!