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PSN Thursday: Battlefield:BC2, AvP demos; D3 PSP sale
This week's PSN update is all about PS3 demos. The Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and Aliens vs. Predator demos bring online multiplayer slaughter by the buckets of blood, acid and ... whatever blood-esque fluorescent compound Predators have coursing through their veins. PSP owners don't get very much this week in terms of games, but there are plenty of comics to download. Check out the full PSN update after the break. Choose your platform to view the corresponding release list: (Note: Continue past the break to view both release lists.)
European PSN releases for February 4
Hey, look at you, Europe! You finally got your hands on Final Fantasy VIII! Try not to get too jealous about the fact that we've been playing that jam for a couple of months now -- after all, you guys already got Vagrant Story. You jerks. There are tons of other noteworthy items in this week's update, including a demo for Alien Vs. Predator and Battlefield Bad Company 2. You'll also find a few packs of downloadable souls for Dante's Inferno, some of which require real-life money to obtain. Basically, you purchase souls without having to actually play the game. As far as we're concerned, that's straight-up sloth. Choose your platform to view the corresponding release list: (Note: Continue past the break to view both release lists.)
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 MP demo coming to 360 ... NOW
It's time for the masses to try out Battlefield: Bad Company 2's multiplayer, as EA has seen fit to deploy a demo on the Xbox Live Marketplace. The 1.4GB download will see fierce fighting on the Port Valdez map in "Rush Mode." Access to the demo ends February 25, 2010, a week before launch. For those interested in learning more about the single-player campaign, check out our hands-on of the solo experience with Preston, Sweetwater and the rest of B company. Update: PlayStation 3 users will receive the demo on PSN February 4 in Europe and February 11 in North America. Add Battlefield: Bad Company 2 – Demo to your download queue %Gallery-43916%
Bad Company 2, Mass Effect 2 top Steam best-seller list
EA must be feeling pretty good that it's got the top three best-selling games currently on Steam. It must feel even better that said games haven't even been released yet, but gamers have already paid in full to pre-load them onto their PCs ASAP. Specifically, this week's highest grossing title on Valve's digital distribution service is Battlefield: Bad Company 2, which doesn't release until March. Mass Effect 2, which hits tomorrow, occupies the number two and three slots -- the Digital Deluxe and Standard editions, respectively. Modern Warfare 2 and Company of Heroes Complete Pack round out the top five. The latter came out last October and is certainly in some pretty good company. Just missing the cut? BioShock 2, which is currently on sale for $5 off the $49.99 (virtual) sticker price. [Via BigDownload]
Hands-on: Battlefield: Bad Company 2 single-player
We've had extensive hands-on time with the multiplayer component of DICE's upcoming Battlefield: Bad Company sequel, but only just recently had a chance to try out the single-player campaign. Our demo encompassed two fairly brief levels -- a jungle encampment and a battle through snow-covered mountains -- which were both set in South America. Short as they were, they gave us a taste of the ramped-up action, more challenging AI and a little bit of classic B-Company banter. %Gallery-83829%
Bad Company 2 Limited Edition pre-order available (with bonuses!)
Finally, EA understands what it is we want out of our limited edition game bundles. Some extremely loseable keychains? Nope. A cat head-sized helmet which is awesome for roughly 23 minutes, then an eyesore shortly thereafter? Nope. In-game weapons and equipment which are useful as all-get-out, which also have the benefit of not taking up space in our real-life humble abodes? Ahh, now that's the ticket. That's exactly what the limited edition of Battlefield: Bad Company 2 -- which is now available to pre-order through Steam -- is bringing to the table. The bundle includes six pieces of equipment, ranging from improved armor on the player's vehicles, to a magnetic dart gun which helps the player track targets. We've contacted DICE to find out if these bonuses will be available during the game's multiplayer portion. We'd hate to have a repeat of the original Bad Company's boycott shenanigans. Update: The pre-order offer is also available from Direct2Drive!
Bad Company 2 loses smooth tunes, keeps hardcore explosions
During tonight's season premiere of Gametrailers TV, EA's Battlefield: Bad Company 2 was at center stage with first footage and details of the game's single-player experience. The episode revealed the original B Company would return, with players reprising their role as Private Preston Marlowe. The single-player story, which takes players from Alaska to South America, sees the rambunctious squad attempt to locate a devastating weapon system the Russians have uncovered. Of course, destruction once again plays a major role in the game, but sadly the smooth soundtrack that accompanied the original game seems to have been replaced by a generic "epic" score. Hopefully it'll be the least of our concerns when the estimated "10 hour" experience lands on consoles and on PC on March 2, 2010. According to the episode, a new multiplayer demo will land some time in February (perhaps the rumored demo date is accurate?) When contacted for an actual date for the new demo, an EA representative told Joystiq details would be revealed soon. Check out the single-player trailer after the break.
GTTV revealing Bad Company 2 campaign this week
This Thursday at 12:30am ET, the new season of GameTrailers TV is set to debut with a look at Battlefield: Bad Company 2. Specifically, the trailer for this week's episode promises that the show will display the first footage of the game's single-player campaign (we've seen multiplayer already, after all). Beyond the Bad Company 2 footage, GTTV will also have a clip from the upcoming Halo Legends anime collection. This might be a stretch, but we're guessing there will be Spartans in it. As always, expect any juicy details to wind up here on Joystiq once the episode airs.
UK retailer dates Battlefield Bad Company 2 demo
UK retailer Game has listed the Battlefield: Bad Company 2 demo as starting on February 4, 2010. The demo will apparently run for three weeks on both Xbox Live and PlayStation Network. Although these details have yet to be confirmed by EA or DICE, the information seems rather specific and comes from a major retailer. While we await a response from EA, we're going to keep watching footage of the stuff we hope to do in Battefield: Bad Company 2. Look for it on shelves in March. %Gallery-43916% [Thanks, J.Diffin]
DICE explains Battlefield Bad Company 2 dedicated server rentals
One of the many volleys in DICE's Battlefield Bad Company 2 marketing campaign meant to sway Modern Warfare 2 loyalists towards its upcoming shooter was the promise of dedicated servers for PC players. That said, when the Swedish game development house recently announced a rental service for those interested in using said dedicated servers, some folks were less than thrilled. According to producer Gordon Van Dyke in an interview with Eurogamer, the reasoning doesn't have to do with profits so much as protecting "the game's integrity on PC." Van Dyke also indicates that DICE's "authorized hosts" have already been chosen worldwide, though he notes that the studio "will see where the game goes and support it post-launch." At very least, PC gamers will get a chance to find out if the rental fee is worth it when the game goes into PC beta on January 28. %Gallery-43916%
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 PC beta dated, detailed
The PS3 community got a chance to get its hands on the multiplayer beta for Battlefield: Bad Company 2 in November -- today, we learned that the PC community will get its chance to try out the shooter in a few short weeks. According to a recent post on the Battlefield blog, the beta for the PC version of the game will kick off January 28, and will be available until February 25. To get on board, just reserve the game at participating retailers and ... "e-Tailers." For more details about downloading the beta, and to find out about the map participants will be riddling with bullets, check out the Battlefield blog post.
EA Euro boss: Bad Company 2 is 'first strong attack' on Call of Duty
Electronic Arts is really pushing to gain ground in the battle for FPS multiplayer popularity. Speaking with MCV, EA Europe senior VP Jens Uwe Intat proclaimed that March's launch of Battlefield: Bad Company 2 will be the publisher's "first strong attack" launched on Call of Duty. By that stream of logic, we're guessing the Medal of Honor reboot would be the second? Intat believes that if any studio can take on Modern Warfare, it's DICE. He reiterates that the "shooter" genre is important to the publisher and that EA is "certainly working on how [it] can get that crown back." Meanwhile, Bungie sips a mocha and buffs Halo 3 on the mantel. [Via CVG]
Bad Company 2 multiplayer trailer portrays ideal gaming experience
Fiction: Wow, so, we were totally on the back of this ATV, bullets going everywhere and then jumped this ramp. Oh yeah, and then when we landed I went right up to this tank's butt and blew it up with an RPG, it was awesome! Then we ran into this factory, and we were like "woah," cause there were all these bullets whizzing by. Then we captured the zone, ran down some stairs and were staring down the barrel of another tank, but we were lucky 'cause our chopper blew it up from the sky. I totally didn't get hit by any bullets, it was like playing with nOObs! Reality: F*ck, man! I bet you it's some 12-year-old who keeps sniping us every time we get on these vehicles. Gawd, hold on, waiting to respawn. Oh, there's a tank over there, let me run up to it with this RPG. DAMN! Got too close, stupid proximity from blast killed me. Yup, I'll respawn with you guys in a sec. WHOA, whoa, whoa, what's with all the shooting, where'd those ... dead. Wait up, one sec. OK, let's get this other tank. Why isn't that helicopter helping us? Down here, helicopter! Come on, down -- dead. Rebuttal: Perhaps Battlefield: Bad Company 2 won't be like the "reality" described and it'll be more like the video. Or, just maybe, we're being shown in the video what the game will look like once the Modern Warfare 2 hacking community starts playing it.
Dr Pepper giving away free EA DLC with every purchase
We can only imagine the planning meeting at Dr Pepper HQ, during which someone shouts "We must garner that critical gaming demographic! How will we ever best something as inimitable as Game Fuel?! It's got 'game' right there in the title!" Instead of copycatting the naming idea, though, Dr Pepper recently detailed an already announced partnership with EA to give away codes for downloadable content. The promotion details lists a handful of games -- Mass Effect 2, Battlefield Heroes, The Sims 3, Spore, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 -- which have "unique DLC" tied to them. Rather than forcing an unknown amount of soda purchases out of its customers, we were told this afternoon by a customer service rep that "Every bottle wins." More specifically, each bottle contains a code that can then be redeemed on the Dr Pepper website, thus allowing participants to choose their system and DLC from an available list. We flatfooted to the local AM/PM and didn't spot the prize-bearing bottles, but we'll update this post with more information as we get it.
Hands-on: Battlefield: Bad Company 2 squad deathmatch
If you're a PS3 owner with an inkling of an interest in first-person shooters, you've probably tried the Battlefield: Bad Company 2 beta, featuring a revamped Rush game mode. Everyone else, well, you're missing out on some great fun -- but March and the release of the retail game isn't that far off. I've wanted to play more of the game's multiplayer component ever since getting into the beta, and I recently got that chance at EA's Redwood Shores, California headquarters. The occasion: the unveiling of a new game mode, squad deathmatch. Four squads of four members each (4-vs-4-vs-4-vs-4) square off to see which team can reach the kill limit first, which sounds straightforward enough until you consider the dense foliage of the new jungle map on which we played. %Gallery-80548%
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 beta racks up 45m kills
"You'll never make anything of your life just sitting around playing video games!" You've heard this tired speech from your mom and dad so many times you could recite it from memory, but you can't help but smile whenever they repeat it. Because deep down in your heart, you know that as one of the 300,000-plus people playing the Battlefield: Bad Company 2 beta, you've helped rack up 1.01 million headshots, destroyed 380,000 houses and been responsible for more than 45 million kills. That, friends, is something real. So next time your parents hassle you about some benign chore, just hold your head up high and say, "Sorry I didn't lock the wheels on the baby's walker, Mom and Dad. I was a little busy making a difference."
Battlefield: Bad Company 2 won't put up a fight against XBL party chat
Electronic Arts has called in another marketing airstrike against Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, hoping to pull members of its fanbase who're unhappy with its online play towards Battlefield: Bad Company 2. The previous target was dedicated servers for PC players; now it's Xbox Live party chat and the ability to use it in multiplayer. Speaking with MTV Multiplayer, EA DICE producer Gordon Van Dyke stated, "We are ok with [party chat]. We haven't taken a stance being against it and feeling like people are cheating." Modern Warfare 2 only offers party chat support in a handful of its multiplayer playlists, ostensibly to curb cheating. But, according to Van Dyke, he doesn't "think [cheating with party chat is] that big of an issue, that I've seen, where we have to worry about that" in Battlefield: Bad Company 2. So, is party chat (or the lack thereof) really that important to you? Share your thoughts in comments.
EA aims to reclaim FPS dominance with Medal of Honor, Battlefield
"I'm not saying it's going to happen tomorrow, but in the way that Activision sort of alternates sequels of Modern Warfare and Call of Duty and owns the leadership position in FPS [first-person-shooter], between Medal of Honor and Battlefield, I want it back," EA CEO John Riccitiello declared in an interview with Kotaku. This means war. With the Call of Duty franchise growing into a $3-billion juggernaut, it's no surprise to see EA looking to topple Activision's bulging beast and reap the significant rewards. According to Riccitiello, the newly rebooted Medal of Honor and March's Battlefield: Bad Company 2 represent a strategy of "innovation and quality," one he suspects is bolstered by DICE's multiplayer expertise. "We think we've got an advantage over Modern Warfare 2 with our multiplayer," he suggested. "The guys at DICE do that really, really well." So, you think the console wars are intense? Just wait until you see the war ... wars.
Battlefield 1943, Bad Company 2 system specs revealed
Ten-hut, soldiers! During wartime, the government is granted special powers and as such the Army is going to need to commandeer your personal computers. Before we send our best and brightest out into battle, we'll need to train them in advanced maneuvers via upcoming PC games Battlefield 1943 and Battlefield: Bad Company 2. Before you start packing up your 'puters, know the government has issued its guidelines for computer operations (via Shacknews). Report past the break to see if your computer meets these stringent requirements.
Master Arica Harbor with these Bad Company 2 beta tips
If you find yourself coming up short in your quest for victory in the PS3-exclusive multiplayer beta for Bad Company 2, the development team at DICE has a few pointers to help reduce the gap between your win and loss statistics. Bad Company 2 level designer Inge Jøran "Pirelli" Holberg posted a laundry list of tips for attackers and defenders for the beta's Arica Harbor map. With the map's design in mind, Holberg's tips feature a slew of ideas on how you can destroy specific areas of the map to redirect adversary foot traffic -- right into the sights of your favorite firearm. Our tips? Keep shooting people on the other team and you're bound to win eventually. We're professionals here, folks.
