This guide was originally posted here on our sister site InfoAddict.

I write this guide not for your benefit but my own. You see, I am tired of playing with teammates who treat a round of Bad Company 2 (BC2) like it’s Halo or Modern Warfare 2. An overwhelming amount of players just don’t seem to grasp the fundamentals; how to score, how to win, how not to suck, how not to play like a lone wolf who doesn’t contribute anything except a few useless sniper-rifle kills.

Not to brag, but I consistently rule at Battlefield games and have since the genre originally debuted back on the PC with Battlefield 1942. I play like a man on a mission with clear goals and objectives, a style that usually finds my score high enough to lead the team. It’s not because I wield l33t weapon skills, it’s because I play the game as it is intended. Hopefully, by the end of this guide, you’ll be playing in a similar style and I won’t have to curse my team for being top-heavy with noobs.

1. Objective Based, Not Kill-Based

Contrary to how a lot of people play Battlefield, killing members of the other team is NOT your objective. Killing other players is a fringe-benefit of completing objectives.

Your overall objective is to destroy targets dotted across the map, usually two crates in each zone. These crates represent your holy crusade. If you’re on the attacking team, every thing you do as a player should be geared towards taking down a crate. Any activity not related to taking down a crate is a waste of time. If you’re on defense, saving those crates is your prime directive.

Why This is Effective: The entire game is based around destroying or saving crates. Destroy all the crates as the attacking team and you win. Prevent the attacking team from destroying your crates and you win. It’s as simple as that. Winning has nothing to do with how many players you kill, unless you are on defense, where every kill will slowly bring you towards victory, but not at the expense of losing crates.

2. Hey Rambo, Join a Squad!

I was hoping that DICE, the designers of BC2, would make joining a squad mandatory in their latest version of the game, but my hopes and dreams didn’t pan out. It’s too bad, as compulsory squad enlistment would go a long way in forcing players to play properly. As it stands, you have the option to either join a squad or go it alone when loading up a new map.

There is zero reason not to join a squad, nor is there a single benefit to playing solo.

Why This is Effective: Joining a squad allows you to spawn with any living squad-mate currently playing on the map. If you have squadie who has already penetrated enemy lines then you can select him and spawn right next to his location, giving him a much-needed hand. This saves you a ton of time by not forcing you to run or drive from the initial base all the way to the objective. With a full squad of four guys, you’ll usually have three good spawning options, allowing you to appear closer to the action. This ensures you keep the pressure on the opposing team. If you elect to not join a squad, then you will always spawn at a base, costing you valuable time.

Additionally, joining a squad opens up a ton of extra scoring modifiers that will greatly increase your point total.

3. Proper Spawning

A lot of people just button-mash the spawn button until they return to action, giving little thought about where they are appearing or why. If you’re in a squad then you have a lot of options. You can either spawn with a teammate or at your base, depending upon your current needs.

When you die and the time to spawn arrives, analyze the map and see what assets you have available in the form of vehicles or aircraft. If there is an unused tank at your main base then you should spawn there and use the asset. If the base is empty of assets, then spawn with a member of your squad.

Why This is Effective: One sure way for a team to lose a round of BC2 is by not using all available assets. If your team is not using available tanks, helicopters or UAV, then your team is going to lose. Nothing is more depressing than watching your entire team just go running by all the heavy equipment as they make their long journey towards an enemy position.

If you have a squad-mate in a tank or copter then you can spawn within his vehicle, assuming a position is free. You’ll wrack up extra points working as a unit, plus you’ll be using available assets at their maximum efficiency.

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by Chris Jensen

If you are new to the Battlefield series and are looking for tips and tactics, then I recommend you read the original Battlefield 1943 Strategy Guide. It covers the basics like class loadouts, how to fight as a squad, securing objectives, etc. With the fundamentals under your belt, you are now ready to raise your game to the next level. What follows are several tricks and tactics I use that consistently find me racking up tons of points and ruling the leaderboard using nothing more than a tank.

Battlefield Games and Hardware at GoGamer

The Tank

The Tank is my primary tool of destruction, though if you don’t know what you’re doing then you won’t survive long using one. On the battlefield tanks are usually the primary target for enemy attack, getting hit with grenades, mines, bazookas and grenade launchers which can quickly tear apart your vehicle. However, with these tactics you should be able to roll right over your opponents and on to victory.

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by Chris Jensen

Battlefield 1943 has finally arrived on XBLA and PSN and that can only mean one thing: tons of n00bs  who don’t know what they’re doing are clogging the servers. Fortunately, that means easy points for those us who are well-versed in the Battlefield series. On the downside, these n00bs will invariably be on your team, making victory a long-shot at best.

Time to shed that n00b label, people. Having a solid understanding of what you’re doing and how best to get it done benefits everyone. Enough intro, let’s get to the good stuff.

Classes

There are three classes in Battlefield 1943 for any style of play: read more…

Now that Rock Band 2 is out on store shelves, a ton of new people are joining the fun and living out fantasies (or nightmares) of being a rock god.  For quite a few people, Rock Band is their first exposure to rhythm-based games and as such, they now get to spend the next several months trying to get better.  I first started playing these kind of games with the original Guitar Hero and have played every iteration since, slowly building up my repertoire of finger-moves to the point where I can get through any song on Expert.

It wasn’t an easy learning process, especially having no formal background in music, so all of my evolution was based on trial-and-error. Fortunately for you, I can now offer some guidance that will cut some considerable time from your own learning process and hopefully inject some good habits in place of bad.

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Sins of a Solar Empire is a fantastic strategy game created by Ironclad Games that combines classic 4X and RTS gameplay. Think Homeworld meets Galactic Civilizations and you have a pretty good idea as to what Sins brings to the table.

There have been so few 4X games released over the last decade that many players are coming to Sins with fresh faces…and confused minds. Just getting started in Sins can be daunting at first, even if you run through the four tutorials that explain gameplay mechanics. With that in mind, I thought I should offer up some tips to help get your galactic empire up-to-speed.

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