I’ve logged about two hours on the Battlefield: Bad Company 2 PC beta as of this posting. It’s been a blast so far aside from some annoying problems with the master servers. Of course, that sort of thing is to be expected during a beta. As far as the game is concerned, it’s clear that DICE paid careful attention to the details this time around. They corrected a lot of the issues that plagued the first Bad Company and improved the Battlefield concept as a whole. It has a much more “epic combat” feel this time around.

The graphics are absolutely stellar – from the textures to the animations, it’s all gorgeous. The sound is also noticeably better than previous installments in the BF series. It still “feels” like a DICE game, however, and I’ve never been the biggest fan of the way their engine handles. Kills just aren’t as satisfying as they are in other shooters. Of course, the massive explosions and vehicular combat more than make up for the lack of oomph in the guns. I’ve never been very good at flying the planes or helicopters but crashing them in spectacular fashion is still as fun as it’s always been.

I was also pleasantly surprised to find that the developers seem to have put a lot of work into the way sniper weapons work. They’re actually usable, now, and it’s quite satisfying to exchange fire with an enemy. They could still use work but it’s definitely an improvement over Battlefield 2.

On the whole, I think this is going to be a very successful game with a strong following. If you enjoyed the previous BF games at all, then this is one worth picking up. It’s going to be at least as popular as Battlefield 2.