Bodycount (video game)

Bodycount revolves around Jackson, a former American soldier recruited by the enigmatic "Network", who has normally resolved conflicts between countries where even the UN could not. Over time, Jackson realises that wars are caused by some mysterious individuals.

The game is set in first-person. One of the main features is environment destructibility; nearly everything in the game is expected to be destructible. Environments and most of everything in them is destroyed realistically, creating a dynamically-changing playing environment. By scoring kills, the player can unlock deadly power-ups such as air strikes that further decimate the environment. There is a unique cover system where the player has near complete freedom while in cover.

Multiplayer is available in competitive and cooperative modes. The former offers traditional deathmatch style sessions (individual or team-based) and the latter challenges two players to survive increasingly difficult waves of enemies.[2]

Bodycount received "mixed" reviews on both platforms according to video game review aggregator Metacritic.[4][3] As a result of very mixed reception Codemasters closed down their Guildford studio, laying off 70 employees and cutting down Codemasters' studio base by a third.[17]

The Guardian gave the Xbox 360 version a score of three stars out of five, saying that the game "isn't the future of first-person shooters. But it is great fun."[16] The Daily Telegraph gave the same version two-and-a-half stars out of five, saying that it "professes to be a reaction to overblown, scripted rollercoaster FPSes, but never manages to bring a whole lot to the table for itself. Bodycount even makes a fuss over destructible cover, which was done better by Battlefield Bad Company. Bodycount is not a poor game, just a confused and unremarkable one, even if those instant restarts really are wonderful."[15] However, The Digital Fix gave the same version four out of ten, calling it "an ill conceived, poorly constructed, seemingly rushed mess which isn’t fun and in no way warrants its full price tag. It’s all been done before and a hell of a lot better, many times - keep your cash in your wallet (or purse)."[18] 411Mania gave the PlayStation 3 version a score of three out of ten, saying that it "had a ton of potential. There are a few moments in the campaign that are quite fun and enjoyable but that isn’t enough to make this a great game by any means. Overall, it lacks in almost every area. It should have taken a note from Bulletstorm and focused on fun, over the top kills and details maps instead of trying to do everything perfect. The game lacked in almost all areas and I cannot say this was an overall enjoyable experience."[19]

• Bodycount at MobyGames
• Official website