Fast times and co-op play with Bad Company 2's Onslaught

5:00 PM on 05.21.2010   |   Ben Perlee

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Ever have those days where, try as you might, you just can't pull yourself together? Where you work as hard as you can to get something done, but what you really need is a friend who has got your back and is willing to pull you through the hard stuff?

That's kinda sorta maybe like the recently announced “Onslaught” mode for DICE's Battlefield: Bad Company 2. A co-op multiplayer mode, it is definitely what the doctor ordered for team-based empowerment. Gone are those nasty human-controlled enemies and personal scores. Rather, it's all about you, three friends, and one goal: make it to the end of a map as quickly as possible. With a couple of tanks and plenty of AI bots ready to take you down, that's easier said than done.

Hit the jump for my hands-on with the coming DLC for Battlefield: Bad Company 2.

Like I said, Onslaught should strongly appeal to those who would rather work together than against their friends. Like a fusion of Conquest and Rush, four players have to work together to cross a map to reach and control points. As more points are gained, more of the map opens up. Shaking things up is that enemies will become more difficult as players progress -- much more difficult than you might originally expect. Thus, every inch forward made by a team is very important.

Thankfully, there are infinite respawns to ease the pain, and the only time players will fail is when all four teammates are dead at once. The mode has four difficulty modes; Easy isn't going to offer too much of a problem for experienced players, but on the highest setting, they should look out. On Normal, the game is almost immediately throwing tanks and sharp-eyed snipers at you. A good team will plan out routes and roles before moving forward, lest they all end up dead.

After all, having all four members die really isn't the most ideal situation. For each of the four stages, and for each of the difficulty modes, players will be competing to set the best time on leaderboards. With 16 boards, DICE is aiming to create a game mode that is at once Bad Company 2, as well as a sort of time trial shooter. While I question whether most people actually care about speed-running in most games, it's a nice feature to include, and the timer in the corner of the screen at all times is very hard to ignore.

Since it's such a co-op-focused game mode, co-op bots will not be making an appearance. While the game supports up to four players, it is entirely capable with teams of three, two, and even of one lone soldier. As a matter of fact, going at it alone is the only time players will be given a finite number of lives. Obviously, the leaderboards will reflect team status, and the game's difficulty scales depending on the number of players. Also, two achievements will be coming with the DLC, and I believe these will be trophies as well.

Four maps have been redesigned to suit this mode, and they are by and large quite different. For example, the tropical map of Valparaiso has been transformed into a nighttime mission. Also, Atacama Desert, Isla Inocentes, and Nelson Bay have been changed enough to warrant a different play-through, although I was not shown these levels. It is somewhat disappointing that entirely brand-new maps have not been added, but it sounds like there is enough different about these four that veteran players should have a good time.

Aesthetic changes aside, Onslaught also includes the addition of new enemy vehicles. Most interesting was the patrol boat, a beast of a boat that will assault the squad from all the way across the map. The AI has no problem with sending a couple tanks, a patrol boat, and para-trooping enemy soldiers in. An interesting side effect of Onslaught is in how it feels like a reversal of the “horde” modes so popular in shooters today.

Honestly, Onslaught is a fun mode. While most players will probably find that the multiplayer versus is more to their taste, having this option for more cooperative play is a great choice for people who want to mix things up. It's a hectic and fun mode, and people becoming bored with what Bad Company 2 currently offers will definitely want to pick this up.