Brando

Way, way too much trial and error. Most puzzles you have to die 3-4 times or more before things work out. It's actually somewhat sad to see a little dude chopped into six pieces when you mess up. Unfortunately, the demo seems to have been a bit misleading; lots of charm there, but the full game soon descends into a lot of repetition. I don't get the 5 star rating, either.

The problem with USAS is that it seems to defy the 'rule of shotguns' in first person shooters to date. For generations hearkening back to the Doom II "super shotgun" one could kill with a single blast at close range. But at long or even medium distance a shotgun was pretty useless, and that's been the rule in shooters for years. However, in BF3 I've been sniped by a USAS from some serious distance -- like a second floor balcony overlooking the A flag on Metro (PS3). That's way, way too far for a shotgun to kill.

I know players should get some reward for reaching the higher levels, but this seems to be going too far. That thing makes for automatic kills in Metro, and I think it can ruin the experience for anyone not level 43 or above.

I do see this gun used quite a bit on PS3 but mostly on Metro and Seine Crossing. Pretty rare in medium-sized maps like Tehran and Noshar.

I think people really do blow the PS3 problems out of proportion. I've put about 100 hours into this version, and while I saw some chugging framerates in Whiterun and a few backwards-flying dragons, it's by no means unplayable. Patches, while far from perfect, have fixed most of these troubles (which are not game-breaking, by any means).

To tell someone not to buy the game on PS3 is just ludicrous -- this is an epic, one-of-a-kind game that comes along once every decade or so. Don't miss it, even if you're playing on Sony's console.

Interesting question.
 
Atari 2600: Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
NES: Little League Baseball
Sega Game Gear: NBA Jam
Sega Genesis: Super Street Fighter II
Nintendo 64: Wrestlemania 2000
PlayStation: Gran Turismo 2
PlayStation 2: Grand Theft Auto: Vice City
Xbox: Halo
Xbox 360: Battlefield: Bad Company 2
PC: NHL 97, Diablo II, Warcraft II

1. The Office 2. Mad Men 3. Diners, Drive-ins and Dives 4. Reviews on the Run 5. Sportscentre (Canadian version)
 
Not a big fan of prime time garbage (Office excluded)!

I'm with Justin on this one.  Simply brutal.

My buddy's XBL gamertag is ChickenFarmer52, and I think that is dynamite.

It's a tough question since I doubt all of us have unlocked every gun.  After having unlocked up to the M416, I tend to go with XM8.  Looking forward to M16 and G3, though.

I played a lot of Battlefield 1943 and I had the same question when considering Bad Company 2.  I've now logged considerable time in both games, and can say that they're similar enough that you'll like the latter, but there are important differences.
 
For one, Bad Company is a lot more complicated.  Starting from the classes going through the maps and especially the unlocks.  When you start playing BF43, you're essentially on the same level as anyone else, no matter how much they've played.  In Bad Company 2, there will be "addictors" (as I like to call them) who've played 700 hours and not only know each map like the back of their hand, but also have special upgrades to their guns, armor, etc.  Getting sniped from a mile away by a level 30 sniper is frustrating, but it will alleviate over time as you get better and upgrade your own stuff.
 
There's also more to the maps: in BF43, it doesn't take too long to figure out where people are going to hide and where they're going to snipe from.  There are about a handful of popular sniping locations on any given map in 43.  That's not the case in Bad Company 2, even though the Conquest maps tend to be smaller.  There are dozens of tiny shacks and buildings at every flag, and figuring out where someone is hunkered down defending that flag can be a nightmare.  It takes time to learn how to approach taking each flag.
 
Teamwork is a must in Bad Company 2, whereas in BF43 I found going lone wolf quite lucrative.  You can take a flag solo in about 7-8 seconds in BF43, but it takes about 60 seconds to capture a flag in Bad Company 2 on your own.  This means it's almost useless to go it alone in the newer game.  You'll need to join a squad if you want to win and stay alive, and you'll need to be cognizant of the kinds of classes being used by your teammates (no team needs 7 snipers).
 
Above all, there's simply a higher learning curve to Bad Company 2.  However, with the unlocks and more complex maps, it's a much deeper game that makes BF43 appear very one dimensional.  
 
I still love both, however!