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'Battlelog' images leak on German Battlefield 3 site (think Autolog with guns)
The German-language Battlefield 3 blog accidentally published some screens from the game's not-yet-revealed "Battlelog" system, a web (and in-game?) stat-driven social layer that borrows its naming convention from the Autolog, first featured in Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit. The available screens show off a voice- and text-based chat interface, player progression stats, and a Battle Feed that unapologetically recalls a Facebook wall. For PC players, it looks like you'll be able to join multiplayer games and resume your campaign directly from the website. If the Battlelog reveal is anything like the actual game's reveal, we'll be seeing a bunch of PC footage before EA finally shows off the console implementation. [Thanks, Justin]%Gallery-128487%
ngmoco to launch Swedish branch with former EA Easy boss Ben Cousins
When Ben Cousins left EA Easy as head of the studio earlier this year, he didn't leave a forwarding address. Cousins and his new employer revealed today his position as head of newly formed ngmoco Sweden, where he'll be leading the studio in the development of "freemium games for mobile platforms like iOS/Android" (according to Cousins' Twitter feed). His last major project with EA was Battlefield Play 4 Free. The official PR from ngmoco puts the Swedish branch in a position of support for parent company DeNA's "Mobage" social gaming platforms. And the new studios puts Cousins in a position to hire up colleagues in a part of the world ripe for the picking -- Sweden. Don't be surprised if you see some high profile ex-DICE staffers showing up at ngmoco's new Swedish office over the next few months, as we totally warned you. [Image credit: OfficialGDC]
Battlefield 3 console footage unveiled on latest Fallon
As promised, the first console-based action from Battlefield 3 appeared last evening on Jimmy Fallon's late night show, teasing a scene we've watched play out a dozen or so times now on the PC version. Despite the grumblings of many long-time PC Battlefield gamers -- not to mention our own doubts -- BF3 running on PlayStation 3 looks pretty wonderful. We'll leave it to the pixel counters at Digital Foundry to fully analyze the difference between console and PC releases of Battlefield 3 when it launches this October, but given our lack of expensive gaming rigs and our overabundance of Xbox 360s and PlayStation 3s, you can guess where we'll be playing the next big Battlefield title. Head past the break to see how Fallon fared.
Ex-Battlefield lead Gordon Van Dyke joins Paradox Interactive as senior producer
After exiting the dev battlefield of DICE back in 2010, Gordon Van Dyke recently left his second EA gig at Visceral Games in favor of a different Swedish game company: Paradox Interactive. Before wild accusations start flying, know that his reason for leaving was rather heartwarming. "During my time back in California [with Visceral], I married my girlfriend from Sweden and we had a baby. We decided it was best to raise her in Sweden," Van Dyke told Joystiq this afternoon. In the process of moving, a friend of Paradox CEO Fred Wester put he and Gordon in contact. The rest is Swedish history. "I got an email from a friend introducing me to Gordon. Two days later he was hired," Wester explained of his rapid hiring process. Van Dyke, unsurprisingly, had nothing but nice things to say about his new employer, explaining that the studio "offers me more room to explore, take risk, and work on creative niche IPs."
Battlefield 3 footage, and Back to Karkand comparison, courtesy of EA PWNED
We don't know about you, but every time we see the word "pwned" written or, heaven forbid, spoken aloud, a combo-wave of douche chills and nausea washes over us. So know that to bring you this news, we're breaking out the vomit-proof keyboard cover. EA UK has an unfortunately titled web video series by the name of EA PWNED, in which the go-to pairing of attractive female and balding male cover the gaming industry in video format ... with British accents ... and an exclusive, uncritical focus on all things EA. But you, like us, are going to have to suppress that gag reflex if you want to see a whole lot of high-definition footage of Battlefield 3, straight out of DICE's Swedish headquarters. There's discussion of the audio in the game, the engine, the art and, perhaps most notably, the creation of the Back to Karkand map which updates one of Battlefield 2's most popular maps with the impressive new Frostbite 2 tech. You can find the full video, and a handy side-by-step comparison of the two Karkand maps courtesy of Reddit, after the break. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
Battlefield 3 gets 'physical' in UK with Limited Edition
Like Battlefield: Bad Company 2 before it, Battlefield 3 will be arriving at retail in a regularly priced "Limited Edition," encouraging folks to pre-order the game before its planned fall launch. The UK will get the "Physical Warfare" version for the same price as the regular edition, which includes a small arsenal of weaponry, as well as access to the "Back to Karkand" multiplayer expansion -- four remade maps from Battlefield 2. As this edition has only been announced for the UK thus far, it can only be ordered from GAME and GameStation for now, running the standard £39.99 on 360/PS3 and £34.99 on PC. That said, when EA initially confirmed the "Back to Karkand" expansion, DICE community manager Daniel Matros noted that it would be available worldwide via an in-box code. In the meantime, peruse the full "Limited Edition" armory after the break.
Need for Speed: The Run detailed, racing to stores Nov. 15
Following yesterday's teaser reveal of Need for Speed: The Run, EA has today spelled out some details we didn't know and confirmed some that we inferred from the trailer. First and foremost, the game is indeed speeding toward a holiday release date of November 15, 2011 in North America (and Nov. 17 in Europe). EA Black Box is at the wheel (as rumored), with EA DICE's Frostbite 2 engine under the hood. Additionally, The Run will feature the much-loved Autolog feature (as loved in Hot Pursuit and Shift 2), as well as the "hot cars and crazy-fast chases" we've come to expect from the NFS series. As seen in the trailer, the game will follow racers cross-country (Cannonball Run-style) from San Francisco to New York, with plenty of stops in between. EA's announcement also notes that "entering the race is just the beginning," with races taking place in "dense urban traffic," on "icy mountain passes" and "narrow canyons." Presumably we'll find out more about The Run as E3 approaches, this June.%Gallery-122527%
Watch 12 minutes of gorgeous Battlefield 3 gameplay
Just before GDC, DICE walked us through a 12-minute gameplay demo of Battlefield 3. You've already seen bits and pieces of it, but now you can watch the entire thing. (Protip: When you go shopping for new PC parts later this year, bring this with you.)
Battlefield 3 trailer seeks out explosive situations
Besides taking out snipers and engaging in all out street warfare, the soldiers of Battlefield 3 are tasked with even more dangerous situations -- sneaking into a basement to take out IEDs, for instance, while earth tremors threaten to end the mission prematurely.
Battlefield 3 trailer - nearly three minutes of gameplay
Forget that teaser trailer – EA's finally uncorked "episode 1" of its Battlefield 3 trailer and it's right here for your enjoyment (or, depending on your interests, your edification). Highlights include: crazy realistic lighting, an interesting cover mechanic, and the ability to drag downed squadmates to cover. It's not much, but this hype train is just leaving the station and we're a long ways from its fall 2011 destination.%Gallery-118069%
Report: Mirror's Edge 2 rejected by EA (oh, and Happy Valentine's Day!)
In late 2008, EA released two new intellectual properties; while both failed to break sales records the world over, they went a long way towards proving to the world that EA was serious about changing its image. The more successful of the two games just saw a sequel released: Dead Space 2 opened to strong reviews and is outselling its predecessor two to one. The other game, however, hasn't had such an easy time of things. According to a Press 2 Play TV report – translated by Eurogamer – "EA was shown a prototype" of a Mirror's Edge sequel but "declined" to pursue it, ostensibly opting to focus all of developer DICE's efforts on the upcoming Battlefield 3, as previously reported. Nearly two years ago, EA's Patrick Soderlund said, "You will see another Mirror's Edge for sure. It's just a matter of when that time is and what we do with it. We have a small team on it and I'm excited about what we do." While Soderlund could have been talking about EA Mobile's better-than-it-should-be Mirror's Edge for iOS, the name Mirror's Edge 2 popped up on a DICE lighting artist's portfolio a few month's later. EA CEO John Riccitiello even said "it's a game that deserves to come back," and we don't think he was referring to mobile. So has Mirror's Edge 2 been rejected by EA? We'll have to wait for EA to get back to us before we know anything for sure but, if it has, we just wanted to say thanks, EA. For breaking our hearts. On Valentine's Day. [Update 3:05pm:An EA spokesperson got back to us with this: "Mirror's Edge is an important franchise built by the DICE studio in Stockholm. DICE is currently producing Battlefield 3. Nothing further to announce." With just one full title under that name, and the aforementioned mobile game, franchise sounds like an awfully strong word for Mirror's Edge. With that in mind, we'll try to keep our hopes up.]
Battlefield 3 stops by 'Paris, Tehran and New York,' down to 24 players on console
While the Battlefield 3 pre-order text appearing on GameStop is almost identical to the text that briefly appeared on EA's own pre-order site, BF3Blog.com snagged the full copy from EA before it was stripped. While the GameStop text simply says that battles will be fought in "diverse locations from around the globe including Europe, Middle-East and North America," the original EA text was a bit more specific: "Paris, Tehran and New York." What that tells us is that Battlefield 3 will have some seriously urban environments, which is a good thing for the seemingly massive multiplayer levels. While we've known that the PC version would support 64 players in its multiplayer component, Best Buy lists "massive 24-player online battles." Game Informer – which is hosting the reveal of the title via its March issue – lists the multilplayer component as supporting 64 players on PC and 24 on consoles, a not-unusual limitation for console face-shooting. And lastly, so long as you're here already, we wanted to share this video of Battlefield 3's Frostbite 2 engine busting out real-time radiosity using the Enlighten middleware toolkit. We're sure DICE will be highlighting the work it's put into this new engine, so consider this an early (and admittedly sedate) look at the tech behind BF3. [Thanks, Darren and Zach the Maniac]
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 musical plants a C4 charge on our heart
Look, we don't want to step out of line here, but we think we love Battlefield: Bad Company 2 player DCRU Colin. He's managed to simultaneously convey our appreciation for the game while also satiating our need to hear remixes of hit singles from the '80s.
DICE: Medal of Honor Taliban controversy affected reviews
We're not firm believers in the "any press is good press" maxim. Just ask the Xbox 360 and its Red Ring of Death which garnered many a headline -- headlines that reminded would-be consumers why they should hold off on purchasing the console. It would appear EA DICE, the developer behind the multiplayer component of Medal of Honor – the Afghanistan-based shooter in which the Taliban murders American troops – has now too learned this lesson. "The controversy did affect some reviews," DICE's Patrick Liu told Eurogamer. "It stirs a lot of feelings, just the setting. And that does affect people's judgment." While it may have affected some people's judgment, it didn't stop the reboot from moving two million units in just two weeks; not quite Call of Duty numbers, but a healthy start. But back to those reviews: "The game is better than today's reviews are indicating," EA' s Patrick Soderlund previously told Eurogamer. "We're also competing with ourselves," Liu continued, referring to DICE's own Battlefield series. "Obviously we're competing with Call of Duty. It's a very tricky situation to be squeezed in between those giants." He added that competing against Battlefield "can feel awkward sometimes" and, while plans aren't set for an MOH sequel, he replied both "yes and no" when asked if he'd want to work on one. "It would be cool to continue to develop the franchise. At the same time we have a lot of exciting stuff going on in DICE as well that we have been working on in parallel." We're guessing that would be: Battlefield 3, another installment in the Battlefield: Bad Company series, and Mirror's Edge 2. You are working on Mirror's Edge 2, right, DICE?
Medal of Honor marketing director explains 'Taliban' removal
In writing about the "controversy" surrounding Medal of Honor's multiplayer and the subsequent name change of one faction from "Taliban" to "Opposing Force," we've heard from two sides, primarily -- EA corporate and the Army and Air Force Exchange Service. But we've never heard directly from the folks developing MOH -- Danger Close Games. Earlier this week at an EA event in New York City, we talked with Danger Close marketing director Craig Owens. Owens spoke to why he believes the name change occurred, what it will accomplish, and how internal reactions have been at Danger Close. In his eyes, it wasn't a result of AAFES-based GameStop stores not carrying Medal of Honor -- as he points out, the change hasn't affected the AAFES' sale embargo of MOH. "The objection was, kind of from an older generation that doesn't understand games, that the soundbyte was 'Play as the Taliban and kill US soldiers,'" though he admitted "There still is, it seems, a group that's still a little bit leery of a game taking place around an active conflict." Owens further clarified, adding that "Really the big thing was playing as a Taliban killing US troops. So we basically just changed it to 'Opfor' -- which is a term they [the US Armed Forces] use, some of our competitors use -- more out of respect." The AAFES, he contends, didn't factor into the decision whatsoever. He also pointed out that during the beta earlier this year, there were "about 500,000 people playing it, as the Taliban, killing US troops," without a single complaint. He further lamented the nefarious "soundbyte" that lead to the seemingly inevitable controversy, adding "Later that soundbyte kinda caught wind and got taken out of context, really."%Gallery-103178%
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 deploys first iPhone screens
EA wants to makes sure you can play Battlefield no matter where you are -- provided you can access the App Store's version of Battlefield: Bad Company 2. Just like all your favorite video games, BF:BC2 mobile sees you fighting in "the jungle, snow, desert, room-to-room, and in the air" -- no word on a lava level, unfortunately.
Military base GameStops reconsidering Medal of Honor sales
On the heels of this morning's announcement that Medal of Honor's multiplayer mode swapped the "Taliban" moniker in favor of "Opposing Force," we asked GameStop and the Army and Air Force Exchange Service if they would now allow the sale of the title on military bases. A representative for GameStop referred us to the AAFES, refusing to give comment and suggesting that we should check if the the military retailer's "position had changed." A representative from the AAFES told us that the service is "aware of reported changes to the latest Medal of Honor game" and that "the organization has been, and continues to be, engaged in a thorough review to fully understand the extent of the modifications." EA's Jeff Brown noted that the publisher isn't directly asking to "rescind the ban on the game," but did send the AAFES a letter last month "clarifying some facts about Medal of Honor." It seems there's still a possibility that this October's release will be available on military bases after all.
Medal of Honor really wants you to know about Tier 1
These Tier 1 guys, they sure know how to ... umm ... remind us that Medal of Honor is a modern war game -- you know, in the sense that they're tough looking and are clearly armed to the teeth. Heck, amidst all the danger they're in, they don't even shed tear one!
Medal of Honor multiplayer preview: A DICE-y compromise
If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then Medal of Honor wants to have Modern Warfare 2's babies. It's evident in the entire makeup of the multiplayer package -- from the progression system to the Killstreak-like Support Actions right down to the run-and-gun, lone wolf style of play. But, it has that patented DICE touch, which gives it just enough character to stand on its own two feet. %Gallery-103178%
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Vietnam getting first showing at TGS
EA has been mum on Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Vietnam since announcing the multiplayer-only expansion during its E3 press conference three months ago. But Battlefield Community Manager zh1nt0 says that's about to change. "I am going to Tokyo Game Show to showcase Battlefield: Bad Company 2 Vietnam for the first time," he said on the studio's Battlefield Blog. He reiterated the original feature set – "4 brand new maps built in Frostbite, as well as Vietnam specific weapons, vehicles, persistence, unlocks, and achievements/trophies" – and, well, that's about it. We're shipping out to Tokyo next week where we'll rendezvous with the expansion and deliver the intel back here. Still think they're going to hit that "this winter" release window?
