battlefield
Latest
EA reveals Battlefield 1943 release date [update]
Hey, remember when we gave away all those codes of Battlefield 1943 just after E3 and there was a bit of confusion surrounding when you could use them -- er, ya know, actually play the game? Don't worry, we were confused too, but according to June's official EA Newsletter, the long awaited online shooter from DICE will be hitting your digital store shelves on July 9th. Interestingly, the game description no longer lists a PC version, making the delayed iteration of Battlefield 1943 that much less of a possibility -- a strange one at that, considering the franchise's PC roots. Either way, those of you that snagged codes for the game back in early June should start getting ready for battle by talking to our friends in the JPAG and setting up a game night. Talk about two tastes that taste great together.Update: DICE producer Gordon Van Dyke said today on EA's UK forums that "We are close to confirming our dates (Xbox 360 date & PS3 date), but still need to settle a few minor things." Looks as though the release date listed in the newsletter is still unconfirmed, unfortunately. Sorry, folks -- and thanks to everyone who sent this in![Thanks, Iain!]
Battlefield Heroes now open to the masses
We're so excited that we can finally share our love of Battlefield Heroes with the whole world. The casual, free-to-play shooter has (finally) gone live, and you can start outfitting your soldier right now.While the game itself is free, if you want to level up faster, get special emotes and exclusive weapons, you're going to need to shell out some cash. But there's no need to worry about that at the moment -- just go, start up an account and feel free to swap your usernames below.[Via BD]
Report: Battlefield 3, Criterion-developed Need for Speed underway
During a William Blair Growth Stock Conference presentation, EA's COO (John Pleasants, FYI) noted the existence of two unannounced titles -- neither of them particularly surprising if you've been keeping up on your spurious internet rumors. The first, Battlefield 3, is said to be in good shape and, even better, in good hands over at developer DICE. Unfortunately, it appears fans of frenzied first-person shootery will have to wait until the next fiscal year before returning to the field.According to G4TV's Patrick Klepek, the second title is yet another Need for Speed game, this one developed by the team behind Burnout. Pleasants allegedly praised the team for being "online-centric and notably high-quality game developers that we have out at Criterion." There's little else to go on at the moment, but we're certainly intrigued by the collision of those two racing franchises. There will be collisions, right?Source -- Need for SpeedSource -- Battlefield 3
Battlefield 1943 'Coral Sea' map unlocked through community challenge
EA's downloadable Battlefield 1943 will take a Noby Noby Boy-esque -- albeit more violent -- cooperative approach to the release of its "Coral Sea" map. The bonus battlefield will unlock when the player communities on both Xbox and PS3 reach 43,000,000 kills each. To be clear: that's individually on each platform and not an accumulated total. So, if there's disproportionate player-base on one console, it's going to hold everyone back.Coral Sea is allegedly designed to "showcase the intense battle in the skies, offering an all-new Air Superiority game mode." Battlefield will release "this summer" according to the latest press release. Last we were told it would release in June for $15, and the PC version is still scheduled for September. (There's no word on if PC players will have to complete a similar challenge to unlock Coral Sea, but we're looking into it.)Update: An EA representative got back to us and said, "Yes, Coral Sea will release with the PC version."
Joystiq hands-on: Bad Company 2 (multiplayer)
It took 45 minutes to peel myself out of the chair, ears ringing, and come back into the space where EA was hosting a recent preview event in Los Angeles. I'd finally pried myself away from an intense Battlefield: Bad Company 2 multiplayer session where I'd joined three other attendees and eight remote EA staffers in a characteristically chaotic, 12-on-12 battle. It was the most fun I'd had playing an online, multiplayer FPS in a long while. The destructible environments, of course, are the returning gameplay gimmick, but it's still just as satisfying as in the first game to pulverize the foundation of a enemy's refuge, bringing the building down and a pesky sniper with it. I turned every building in site into piles of sheet rock and debris. It's not as much fun when your opponents aren't hiding inside, but I really didn't need much of an excuse to launch another mortar shell from inside my tank. No structure was safe. %Gallery-43916%
Battlefield 1943 new video and screens
There's no more to say about our hands-on time with Battlefield 1943 than what's been said already ... so we thought we'd cut the chit-chat and let you soak up the new video above and screens below. Actually, we have one minor detail to correct. Previously, we reported that Battlefield would be $15 on the PlayStation Store; it's actually only $14.99. So how will you be spending that extra penny? %Gallery-63331%
Fan-named map 'Coastal Clash' coming to Battlefield Heroes soon
DICE recently opened up the Battlefield Heroes forums to suggestions for the title of the map you see above. The winner, Noobilator, ended up dubbing this particular area Coastal Clash, and it stuck. The map is still in the development process, and needs more play testing before being deployed into battle, but fans of Battlefield Heroes can look forward to destroying this peaceful little village sometime soon.If you're trying to experience Battlefield Heroes for yourself, and don't have a beta invite, hit up the site. DICE is handing out codes to everyone.[Via Big Download]
DICE explains the wait for Battlefield 1943 on PC
After revealing that the PC version of Battlefield 1943 would release over two months after the XBLA release, DICE is attempting to cool the heads of angry PC fans on the EA forums. Producer Gordon Van Dyke explains that Battlefield 1943 will be the first PC game to use DICE's Frostbite Engine, which was already used to create the console exclusive Battlefield: Bad Company.Van Dyke states that the PC's open nature requires more features and support and adds that the game "can't just be thrown out there using copy/paste." DICE was aware that there might be backlash from PC gamers, but Van Dyke notes, "We feel once you play the first Frostbite PC game ever from DICE you'll see why we put this extra time and care in on the development making all right again in the universe."We'll find out in September.[Via Big Download]
Battlefield 1943 hits the trenches this June for $15 [update]
Update: EA has sent us a new trailer for the game showing off Wake Island. Enjoy! When the first trailer for Battlefield 1943 released, we were instantly pumped for the game. Multiplayer shooters are fun, but DICE made the right call by including tons of explosions and dudes getting shot in the face in the game's debut trailer. Now, we're happy to report that the game will arrive on XBLA and PSN (1200/$15) sometime this June (PC gamers get it in September). Battlefield 1943 features three different tropical locales: Wake Island, Guadalcanal and Iwo Jima, and gamers can play as either the US Marines or Imperial Japanese Navy in matches supporting up to 24 players. Essential reading: NYCC 09: Battlefield 1943 Pacific hands-on %Gallery-43905%
First Bad Company 2 trailer light on gameplay, heavy on death
Light on gameplay but heavy on murder the first trailer for Battlefield: Bad Company 2 got "world exclusive" status on this week's GameTrailers TV (after the break).Showcasing the cycle of "smoke a cigarette, kill a dude, get killed yourself" in a MadWorld-esque aesthetic, we can't help but wish for actual gameplay footage from the game -- the first Bad Company 2 screen was madness! We'll expect to hear more from publisher EA and developer DICE as we near E3 2009 in June. More on murder, that is.
GDC09: Battlefield 1943 rolls onto Iwo Jima
click to Great War size Many of our GDC demos, Battlefield 1943 included, have been of the incredibly brief variety. (Is the industry saving up its really good stuff for E3 or what?) In the case of DICE's return to its classic multiplayer-only, WWII-era FPS franchise, what we saw and played at an event that shouted, "Hey, you! Yeah, you! C'mere! You've never seen this before!" was ... exactly what we'd played before. This time, however, it was on on a new map -- the island of Iwo Jima. %Gallery-48671%
DICE's Lars Gustavsson says game industry is at a 'crossroads'
Lars Gustavsson is no stranger to risk. After last year's first-person parkour-based action/platformer Mirror's Edge stumbled off shelves during the holiday season, you'd think DICE's creative director might be dissuaded from continuing to push the envelope. However, speaking at the Design Innovate Communicate Entertertain Summit (conveniently shortened to D.I.C.E.) last week, he told the crowd "the games industry has come to a crossroads." According to him, the situation is multi-faceted -- the poor economy is forcing lower overhead costs on developers and people are less willing to spend their money while consumers are also less likely to invest in new intellectual properties (such as the aforementioned Mirror's Edge). Should developers play it safe with proven IPs or take risks in hopes of breaking in?He pontificates that "more customization offerings, new business models, data-driven development and the active tuning of the games" will drive innovation and allay risk going forward. "It's totally different from anything we've done," Gustavsson noted when referencing upcoming online-only multiplayer shooter Battlefield 1943. And he seems to be putting the development costs where his mouth is, as Battlefield 1943 sticks to his plan (on paper at least) to a tee. It remains to be seen whether they'll work out. After all, we're still waiting on that other Battlefield game.
NYCC 09: Battlefield 1943 Pacific hands-on (XBLA)
Battlefield 1943 Pacific is just like ... well, other Battlefields. That's a compliment, by the way. 1943 is no janky spinoff. It's small in scope, sure, but it offers (and even improves upon -- read: no more health packs!) the core experience of its disc-based brethren. This is visible -- even playable -- in a pre-alpha build (XBLA version) on the New York Comic Con show floor. We got our hands on the Wake Island map, one of three in the downloadable game, which is modeled on the actual geographic location with a few gameplay-enhancing improvements. 1943's color palette is distinctly vibrant, clashing against the epic destruction that ensues once a match begins. As featured in Bad Company last year, the Frostbite game engine's destructible environments are exploding and imploding in 1943 as well, with buildings reduced to mere foundations as players carelessly toss grenades, launch rockets and even bomb from the skies (bombers can be somewhat controlled from within specially-marked, protected bombing HQs). Destruction is a gimmick -- but a good one. %Gallery-43905%
Battlefield 1943 coming to XBLA, PC and PSN this summer [update]
If you're hoping to hone your Battlefield skills before the Bad Company returns later this year, you'll get your chance this summer when the series goes back to WWII with Battlefield 1943, a multiplayer game coming to XBLA, PSN [updated: and PC!]. Built on the same engine as Bad Company, the downloadable game will offer 24 players the chance to battle it out across Wake Island, Guadalcanal and Iwo Jima. Listen, we try to be skeptical of newly announced titles until they've proven themselves, but holy crap are we ever excited about this. Oh yeah, and in other Battlefield news, the first screenshot of Bad Company 2 has been revealed. Check it out after the break. %Gallery-43905%
Battlefield Heroes now aiming for Q1 '09 release
After announcing a delay last Summer (and missing the planned '08 release), then closing and subsequently re-opening the beta, EA has informed us that its ready to bring the online-exclusive Battlefield Heroes to the gaming masses ... relatively soon.According to a supplement (PDF) included in EA's latest investor report, Battlefield Heroes should be released by quarter's end. That means if EA and DICE can keep development on track, we'll be blasting cartoonified soldiers in Heroes by March, at the latest.
EA confirms multiplatform Mass Effect 2 and Battlefield: Bad Company sequel
Listen up, fans of slow elevators and shooting everyone in sight. EA's recent financial earnings call divulged information indicating the publisher is readying sequels to BioWare's sci-fi RPG, Mass Effect, and DICE's multiplayer-driven FPS, Battlefield: Bad Company. There isn't that much else to report, other than EA CEO John Riccitiello saying that Mass Effect 2 would be available on "multiple platforms" and Bad Company would be "back on consoles" in Q4 of fiscal year 2010, which translates into normal people speak as sometime between January and March 2010.We'll try to corner more information on these two titles and update as soon as we can.Update: First screen of Bad Company 2 released.
Battlefield Heroes beta in ceasefire until early '09
Get back behind the sandbags, soldier! No, not those, they're far too realistic. These, more cartoony bags are much better suited to protect your rounded corners and chiseled jaw while waiting for Electronic Arts to decide when Battlefield Heroes will roll onto the front lines. EA once more postponed the official release of its free-to-play shooter, while the closed beta will soon go dark until sometime next year.James Salt, senior producer on Battlefield Heroes, broke the news on the game's website, writing that the beta will close down Friday night at 6pm CET so the team can focus on "polishing the backend." In the meantime, we expect many brokenhearted, animated grenadiers to keep polishing their oversized rifles until early 2009.[Via Big Download]
DARPA's latest: a wrap that stops bleeding with sound
If we had our way, all our military tax dollars would go to DARPA. Whether it be nano planes, robot arms, or high-resolution sniper scopes, it always has something interesting cooking, and today's defense-minded gadget is no different. It's called a DBAC device, for Deep Bleeder Acoustic Coagulation; basically a portable ultrasound wrap that can identify wounds ("bleeders") and reduce their severity. It uses Doppler waves to find an internal leak, then turns up the frequency and amplitude on that location to stem it, all in a completely automated fashion able to be managed by any Joe in a hot zone. Okay, so perhaps it's not as cool as a remote-controlled zombie shark, but this cuff has the potential to save many lives and limbs on the battlefield -- assuming it works. DARPA hopes to have a functional prototype ready in 18 months. [Warning: PDF read link] [Via CNET News]
Trophies: Battlefield: Bad Company
1 Platinum 3 Gold 5 Silver 42 Bronze Difficulty: Very Difficult Online Trophies? Yes Time to Completion: 100 hours DLC Trophies? No View Trophy List Read More About the Game %Gallery-17120%
Bad Company assaulted by DLC, free weapons, update
IGN reports a veritable cornucopia of news regarding Battlefield: Bad Company. The leaderboards have been expanded to include 500,000 players (up from 50,000), which should give more gamers a chance to see their names up in lights. Also, two of the campaign levels -- Acta Non Verba and Par For The Course -- are being retooled for multiplayer and will be available in an upcoming map pack (no word on when it will release or how much it will cost). Along with the map pack, an update is being prepared that should fix server and Dog Tag lag. Finally, and perhaps most interesting, codes are being given out to unlock three of the five (somewhat controversial) weapons that were only available to those who took part in the game's launch promotions. To unlock the different weapons, simply enter the codes below in the unlock section in Bad Company. Recon Kit - QBU88 - your3mynextt4rget Special Ops Kit - UZI - cov3r1ngthecorn3r Support Kit - M60 - try4ndrunf0rcov3r The remaining weapons can still be unlocked by checking your stats on the Bad Company website and joining the EA Veteran's Program. [Thanks, Patrick]
