The Blue Board

I agree. The High Explosive damage is one of the best Specs to have in my opinion. I usually have that and magnum ammo or extra explosives if i am engineer but any other class it is light weight and mag ammo.

I can't wait for LA Noire.

I am Alive looks interesting but it has been in development for a long time and has switched studios once already. That is usually not a good sign.

Downloading Fallout 3 right now. Anyone tell me what kind of game I just purchased? Time consuming? Straight forward or open world? RPG or FPS? Hard, easy?

Good. Looking for a game just to mess around with and waste some time while still being entertained. I was told to start with Fallout 3 and then go to New Vegas. I'm looking for anything and everything to get me to Battlefield 3. I'm trying to take a break from FPS, and then get back into the groove around August preparing for BF3.

Between fallout 3, new Vegas, and oblivion ... I've probably wasted around 500 hours combined.

Just made it out of Vault 101 and I'm already hooked. Wow, that didn't take long at all.

Not sounding good for PS3 fans. Possibly still 3 weeks away from PSN being back up.

I noticed..kind of frustrated. Im thinking of getting an xbox before BF3 comes out..seems that most people on TBB and most of my friends here are getting all the shooters on 360. Might just take my multiplayer over there..who knows

You have to go to your equipment screen by bringing up your pip boy. In there you can hot key weapons and items to your d-pad. There are tons of different weapon types so there is a lot of varying gameplay dending on how you want to play.

To answer your last question. No not everything is bad. You can either play as a good character or an evil character. It depends on which side you align yourself as to who your allies will be.

There is a very helpful guide on IGN. This is a humongous game and a guide is almost a must.

Which way did you go? I have never picked the bad guy before. Even in Red Dead I played a good guy. Don't think I have it in me to play a bad guy, but it just might add something I have been missing. Am I right?

I played through once each way.

Just a few tips. Lockpick and repair are very important skill through out the game so get them built up. I also used sneak a lot but that is a matter of preference.

What do ya'll think of this persons review of BF:BC2?

I know what kind of responses this is going to encourage from the fanbase: "QQ MORE SCRUB," "GO BACK TO CALL OF DUTY," "YOU CAN'T HANDLE REALISM," and etc. The point of my post however is to address my personal grievances, if anyone is compelled to be critical, or even tell me what I'm doing wrong, feel free. My overall perspective of this game is that, this FPS is not for the true to heart traditional FPS player, it's more like it's attempting to be a simulation. (To be honest I'm getting absolutely sick of realism, even as far as Call of Duty. If you truly want realism in an FPS, I don't see why you haven't already joined the military, personal opinion.) Gravity so you arc your shots, destructible buildings, ambient sounds, etc. However, this usually gets in the way of actually playing a game. I feel like I can't just pick up BF:BC2 unless I'm ready to engage in a tactical, precise, surgical assault while bearing in mind what my team needs at that moment and disregarding what I want to do, or what would be fun to do. Personally, I've always hated games which try to force you to be one cog in a machine, and your doing well or poorly doesn't necessarily affect the team as a whole that much. Don't get me wrong, I love teamplay and objective-based game modes over deathmatch pasta served with a side of run-and-gun with a dash of spray-and-pray. But I hate playing a game to feel insignificant in the scheme of things, WHILE not having fun.

If you're a CoD fanatic, don't play this game and expect it to fill the void in-between CoD expansions. It's a completely different experience. If you thought CoD was realistic: CoD feels more like an arcade shooter now after putting time into BF:BC2. You are forced into a role where you may feel uncomfortable, at almost all times. Whereas with CoD, everyone could be running the same weapons, perks, and killstreaks, and flat out dominate the other team based on each individual's personal skill. Where this is also true in BF:BC2, it's nowhere near as prevalent. They're two games on opposite ends of the spectrum on the same graph. A good K-D ratio on CoD is anywhere that is 4.5:1/5:1 and up. On BF:BC2, that's nearly unheard of. Some of the highest I've seen are somewhere around 3.0 (We're talking legitimate players). You could play an entire game that could last 30 minutes on BF:BC2, add the top 3 killers on the board, and it still wouldn't add up to the #1 guy in an average "Ground War" match on CoD. And the ratio would be nowhere close. BF:BC2 is an extremely harsh teamplay environment.

Gameplay:
I've spent most of my time in BF:BC2 trying to find the safest place on the map to "post up." A spot to avoid vehicle fire, staying away from the line of sight of snipers, and praying to god the building I'm close to doesn't collapse on me seconds after arriving next to or inside of it. Much like Call of Duty, the first one to the vehicles (Killstreaks, in CoD) tend to dominate the killboards, and in turn, shape the course of the game entirely. Only difference is here, access to these vehicles are to anyone who spawns first, or closest to that vehicle of choice. (This could also be detrimental to your team, considering that these maps seem perfectly designed with some kind of vehicle dominance in mind, and if an inexperienced player keeps trying and failing to fly the blackhawk or apache, your advancement in the game is severely hampered.)

Leveling:
Because "Prestiging" (Call of Duty) wouldn't work in this game, the leveling curve is extremely steep. In all my time playing, I'm still nowhere close to level 50, I don't see how you can get there playing on public servers for hours on end without feeling as if you're grinding. And I know playing the game is a very, very important part of a game itself, but when I was trying to get to the next upgraded weapon because I was getting wrecked by the higher-tier weapons, you could feel the grind. (Such as the M416 and the AUG being pretty deep in the Assault class[Edited thanks to ReaprsSprint], Magnum Ammo which is several hours into multiplayer, and the list goes on.) I don't quite understand how people can get to level 50 without losing some bit of incentive to keep playing before actually reaching level 50. And though being level 50 isn't a big deal, if you're going to add a leveling system, it should be plausible for the majority of people playing to actually reach that level. The leveling system is in place, as gamers would agree, to add incentive to keep playing. (It makes the gamer feel as though their time in the game has been documented and can be verified at-glance.) In hindsight I'm absolutely baffled at how much it actually takes to level. (If you know anything about Korean MMO's, you know what I'm talking about here.)

Game Modes:
A few words on a couple of these:
-Conquest: Most of the maps I've played is just a vehicle orgy, with Engineers providing support to the vehicles and some anti-vehicle support, and everyone else who doesn't go vehicle, or Engineer, finds more success as a Sniper considering the maps are large to accommodate proper vehicle usage (Heavy Metal for a great example) and traversing large parts of the map subject you to enemy sniper fire from a million possible angles/distances, as well as being a sitting duck for Apache fire. And in objective based game modes where rushing is an essential tactic, I don't see where Assault and Medic have much of a place in this type of environment. The risk of being killed in combat at a cap point either by opposing assault players, a sniper, or a vehicle, then the punishment of respawning a mile away from the point, outweighs its usefulness in the long run. Whereas a sniper can run half the distance, with half the risk, and virtually the same reward if successful.
-Rush: This one is really ridiculous. Attacking team is usually handed a vehicle for everyone on the team. Blackhawk, Apaches, Bradleys, Abrams, and transport vehicles of all kind, and add in the UAV chopper. What does defense have to combat this: Environment. However with destruction 2.0, a Blackhawk will make quick work of all these buildings with 1 or 2 swoops around. Add in the borders which you are forced not to leave corralling you into a small area, and the very few cover positions which become crowded and attract mortars, grenades, and miscellaneous vehicle fire, and you have a case where the average lifespan of even the best player would be less than 30 seconds.

General Multiplayer:
Having 32-34 players in a single match can be exhilarating and more attractive than having half that number of players in a single match. But considering the human element, when placed with an open field and with all players trying to figure out a new strategy to get the upper hand, you usually have one of every complaint listed above. Too many snipers, so open ground is nearly impossible. All vehicles that can be used, will be used, at all times. Explosives are encouraged, and if you manage to kill one person, you excite surrounding opposing players, and completely give away your position all too easily. Add this onto the fact that at least 1 player will try to spawn camp or come up from behind, among several other flaws that could be exploited, all throughout the round. Consider that with that being said, Battlefield 3 will be boasting 64 players...

Classes:
-Engineer: I know what you're thinking: Tracer darts and Engineers are the "perfect" counter for vehicles. For the life of me I can hardly ever hit a good pilot with a tracer dart. Ever. And hitting it enough times in one lifetime to take it down seems like a suicidal mission, every single time. Add that onto the fact that it's much like poking a bees nest before trying to spray it with Raid adds in its own difficulty curve. And that is this class' main, primary role. Its killing ability is fourth in line with the other 4 classes. You can't tell me that the weapons at the Engineer's disposal has the killing power of the assault, ammo capacity of the medic, nor the utility of a sniper rifle.
-Recon: The safest class to play and oftentimes proves to be a huge help to the team. Not only can you call in mortars, (Which seems to be invaluable in any game mode considering no other class has anything close to that. It's like having a free killstreak that can and will be called in every 1-2 minutes.) but its reconnaissance ability is unparalleled and should be. Not only can it throw down radars on-ground, it is the best class for spotting targets while being safely hidden. It can pick off 3/4 of the other classes without being in harms way if in proper position... And that's what makes this class so terrible to the overall scheme of things. The fact that this class' advantages far outweighs any other, and the fact that it's a true camper's class, means that you're almost being forced to play recon when your team is thoroughly outmatched and worsens your position in the game. With too many recons you completely inhibit your ability to progress to capture points, and cut off the ability to effectively take out enemy reinforcements efficiently. The consequence however is that this class feels gravity more than any other. A full-health player requires a headshot, even with the M95 (Strongest damaging sniper rifle, also the last one to be unlocked.) and Magnum Ammo. Body shots are effective, but the consequences of revealing your position not only to the player you shot, but surrounding counter-snipers, wasting ammunition if the injured player finds safety, outweigh never taking the shot in the first place, and deciding simply to mark them instead.
-Medic: Hardly any complaints really. However, CoD players may not be able to adjust being on top of the killboards, but have 0 kills and any numbers of deaths. The medic's role is in reality, to keep assaults running. An assault without a medic is about as useful as a medic without an assault nearby. Their ability to revive a player is a nice advantage in firefights, but anyone who has played BF:BC2 for more than a couple hours might recall a few instances of a sniper racking up kills by killing a player that is in perfect line-of-fight position that keeps getting resurrected by their teammate. Another disadvantage of this: The player respawns with the same ammo they had in the first life, and spawn as the same class. This negates the possibility of that player having the freedom to adjust, if needed, to the ever-changing battleground.
-Assault: Assault fills its role just as well as any any other class does. And its role is anti-human targets. It does this with efficiency. Problem here: The little time spent actually being able to engage in firefights with the opposing team. In-between ducking and covering behind all forms of vehicle and sniper fire, the Assault does have its moments of glory to kill an opposing player. However, the value of killing an opposing player on foot is miniscule. A single assault's contribution to the team is very low in comparison to the other classes.

tl;dr: Unless I'm doing it wrong: Vehicles are OP, the game modes fail to execute, leveling and unlocking inhibits incentive to keep playing, and I feel like the game is trying too hard to be a simulation over being a fun game. COME AT ME BRO. But no seriously what am I missing?