Enter "Battlefield: Bad Company 2," a game that, regardless of its merits, is forever going to be overshadowed by the juggernaut known as "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2." Despite being highly regarded as one of the best-selling games of all time, I found "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2" to be disappointing. This was largely due to the overall weaknesses of the single-player campaign that lacked a cohesive narrative and was surprisingly short. There's no question that the online features were impressive but that couldn't save the game from failing to live up to its hype. So how does "Battlefield: Bad Company 2" measure up? Quite well, actually.

The single-player campaign may not be an instant classic, but it easily outclasses "Modern Warfare 2" in that it is a bit longer and more coherent. The plot resurrects elements of the Cold War as you traverse the world as a member of the Bravo Team on a mission to track down a secret weapon before the Russians get their hands on it. Your journey takes you through a variety of beautifully rendered settings that cover the gamut of locales from dusty hills to snow-covered mountains and dense forests. Your team is surprisingly helpful as they fearlessly engage enemy forces rather than lagging behind while you do all the dirty work (this could be due in part to their indestructibility). It won't replace the classic campaigns of the World War II-themed "Call of Duty" games, and unfortunately it doesn't feature a co-op mode, but it's worth a play through.

Of course, the majority of people who are considering buying "Battlefield: Bad Company 2" are primarily interested in the multi-player options, and as far as I'm concerned, it matches the intensity and reckless abandon of "Modern Warfare 2." You're given the opportunity to play as a variety of specs, but can change from being an engineer to a medic or sniper simply by picking up the kit of a fallen soldier (you can also switch after dying on the battlefield). Traditionally, I tend to gravitate to the more traditional grunt role, but quickly learned that depending on the strengths and weaknesses of your teammates, being able to jump between different roles on the fly was necessary. It also depends on what sort of battle you've dropped yourself into. There are three basic multiplayer match types: Rush (one side defends while the other attacks), Deathmatch and Conquest (capture the flag). I like to spend more time playing single-player campaigns, but with "Bad Company 2" I found myself just as drawn to the multiplayer options, which wasn't the case with "Modern Warfare 2." The destructible environments, the array of vehicles and the ability to place new players next to veterans without making the fight too lopsided, are but a few of the ways that "Battlefield: Bad Company 2" trumps "Modern Warfare 2." Though both games are far from perfect "Battlefield: Bad Company 2" is clearly the winner for now.